Pursue advanced academic research in two majors of study: Theology or Biblical Studies.
Gateway Seminary’s PhD program equips you for a career as a seminary professor or pastor-scholar through rigorous research and mentoring.
If God is calling you to teach, research, or influence the church through scholarship, Gateway’s PhD program prepares you for academic and ministry leadership.
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is Gateway’s most advanced academic degree, designed for those called to scholarship, theological research, and teaching. With rigorous study, one-on-one mentoring, and real classroom experience, Gateway’s PhD program prepares you to influence the church and the academy as a pastor-scholar, professor, or biblical researcher.
By graduation, you will complete a dissertation, demonstrate competency through exams, present at a conference, submit to a peer-reviewed journal, and gain classroom teaching experience. Our faculty guide you through a challenging, gospel-focused program that equips you to pursue excellence in scholarship and ministry.
Develop doctoral-level expertise in Old Testament, New Testament, or Theology with a minor in complementary disciplines. We bring in outside professors for reading colloquium, provide comprehensive exams, and give you the opportunity to present at academic conferences.
Find your academic voice and collaborate with other students. Gain real classroom teaching opportunities to prepare for academic and ministry leadership roles. One week in-person, one weekend per month via Zoom to share academic work.
Work closely with experienced faculty mentors who are accomplished scholars and ministry leaders. Every student gets 1 full year of mentorship with their chosen professor after seminar stage.
We’re the most ethnically diverse ATS accredited seminary in North America. Contribute to theological research, present at conferences, and publish work that impacts the church worldwide.
42 credit hours of coursework
Only one in-person seminar week per semester
One-on-one mentoring emphasis
Old Testament
New Testament
Theology
Old Testament
New Testament
Theology
Church History
Applied Theology
Gateway Seminary is committed to making high-quality theological education accessible without overwhelming debt. Because we are supported by Southern Baptists through the Cooperative Program, our tuition rates remain among the most affordable of any fully accredited seminary.
Whether you’re preparing for ministry online or on campus, Gateway offers a clear and straightforward tuition structure so you can focus on your calling
| ThM / PhD – Full Time (6-9 hours) | $3,185 per semester |
| ThM / PhD – Part Time (2-5 hours) | $1,740 per semester |
| Course load over 9 hours per semester | $355 per hour |
| Dissertation Stage 1 (through 10th semester) | $3,185 per semester |
| Dissertation Stage 2 (through 12th semester) | $3,850 per semester |
| Dissertation Stage 3 (beyond 12th semester) | $4,900 per semester |
| Extension Fee | $200 per semester |
| Registration Fee | $240 per semester |
| Thesis Binding Fee, Ph.D. | $425 |
| Thesis Binding Fee, Th.M. | $340 |
| ThM / PhD – Full Time (6-9 hours) | $6,425 per semester |
| ThM / PhD – Part Time (2-5 hours) | $3,300 per semester |
| Course load over 9 hours per semester | $675 per hour |
| Dissertation Stage | $5,550 per semester |
| Extension Fee | $400 per semester |
| Registration Fee | $240 per semester |
| Thesis Binding Fee, Ph.D. | $425 |
| Thesis Binding Fee, Th.M. | $340 |
Director of Academic Graduate Studies Program | Professor of Christian Theology
Dr. Rathel received his ThM from Southeastern Seminary and his PhD from the University of St Andrews in Scotland. He is interested in Christology, the doctrine of God, retrieval theology, and 18th-century Baptist theology. He is the author of Andrew Fuller and the Search for a Faith Worthy of All Acceptation (T & T Clark, 2024) and contributed chapters in Baptists, Gospel, and Culture (Mercer University Press, 2021) and The Miscellanies Companion (JE Society Press, 2018). Rathel is currently completing John Johnson and His Influence: Selected Writings from an Eighteenth-Century Baptist (Regent’s Park College Oxford) and Retrieving Classical Christology (B & H Academic). He has authored journal articles that have appeared in the Journal of Reformed Theology, Baptist Quarterly, American Baptist Quarterly, The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, and Southeastern Theological Review. Rathel co-leads the Evangelicalism in the Long Eighteenth Century session for ETS, is a member of the Baptist Dogmatics Roundtable, and serves on the board of directors for London Lyceum.
Professor of New Testament
Dr. Gurtner publishes broadly in Synoptic Gospels, especially Matthew, and their interface with the literature and languages of the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Judaism. His publications span from a commentary on the Septuagint of Exodus from Codex Vaticanus (Brill, 2013), critical editions of Qumran manuscript fragments (4Q488, 4Q489; Mohr Siebeck, 2019) to a monograph on the torn veil in Matthew 27 (Cambridge, 2007), among various other books and articles. He is currently writing the Word Biblical Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew.
Dr. Gurtner welcomes inquires from students who are serious about making contributions to scholarship and learning to think and perhaps stretch themselves, studying diligently and worshipfully to the glory of God. Gurtner’s primary competencies lie in the areas of his substantial publications (see his gs.academia.edu/DanielMGurtner site), but he is more concerned about the kind of student than the topic per se. Students should be self-motivated, mature, and willing to push themselves to the extent of their natural capacities, and explore where those limits may (or may not) be. Developing critical thinking skills, reading broadly, and learning to ask critical questions and frame constructive arguments are all part of the student-advisee relationship Dr. Gurtner seeks to cultivate. Students need not be committed to academia as a vocation. Pastors and missionaries are welcome in terms of vocational calling and objectives.
“The faculty did a great job of maintaining high academic standards, while still investing in me personally – they cared deeply about me as both a student and a future worker in ministry.”
Executive Director and Campus Dean, Wayland Baptist University, Arizona Campuses
“Gateway’s PhD program fostered my growth academically, spiritually, and professionally. I was stretched and encouraged to rise to the next level in my scholarship, teaching, and ministry.”
Assistant Professor of Theology, Assistant Director of Applied Theology
Type of Degree: Academic doctorate.
Focus: Scholarly research in a specific field (Old Testament, New Testament or Theology and a minor in Old Testament, New Testament, Theology, Church History or Applied Theology).
Purpose: Advances knowledge in the discipline through original research.
Method: Heavy emphasis on languages, history, critical analysis, and producing a dissertation that makes a new scholarly contribution.
Students: Those pursuing teaching, academic writing, or research careers: future seminary professors, biblical scholars, theologians.
Career Trajectory: Teaching in universities/seminaries, publishing scholarly works, contributing to theological debates.
Timeframe: 4–7 years (often full-time, highly research-intensive).
Level: Professional doctorate (not an academic PhD).
Focus: Advanced, practical study for those already in ministry. Emphasizes leadership, preaching, pastoral care, spiritual formation, and contextual ministry.
Purpose: To help experienced ministers deepen their effectiveness, sharpen leadership, and address specific ministry challenges.
Typical Students: Pastors, chaplains, or ministry leaders who already hold an MDiv (or equivalent) and have years of ministry experience.
Timeframe: 3–5 years part time (designed so students can continue serving while studying).
Prerequisites: Usually an MDiv plus 3–5 years of ministry experience.
Outcome: Equips someone for advanced leadership in ministry, often culminating in a dissertation/project that addresses a real-world ministry problem.