Doctoral Degrees
Applicants entering Carroll Institute for the first time are required to complete all general admission application procedures. All returning students must update personal information on the Admissions form. An earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university (or an equivalent diploma approved by the Institute) and a master's degree or its equivalent from an accredited seminary or university must have been completed by the time the applicant begins advanced study.

Request for Application. In order to apply for one of the doctoral degree programs, an applicant must have maintained an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in all graduate level work and a GPA of 3.5 in graduate level work related to specific area of the advanced course of study (Cluster Area). All prior work will be evaluated before acceptance into a specific area of study. Applicants may be required to complete additional courses to meet equivalency requirements. The preliminary step toward application is to submit a letter requestion application material from the Advanced Studies Council. This request may be submitted when the student has completed one-half of a prerequisite degree. The letter of request should include:

• Statement of goals and purpose for pursuing a doctoral degree;
• Declaration of the chosen Learning Cluster discipline for major study;
• A formal request for application materials, including the following documents:
  Transcripts. Transcript request forms will be included in the application materials. When entering Carroll Institute for the first time, an applicant must request official transcripts from all schools that have conferred baccalaureate and master's degrees. Transcripts must be received by the Institute directly from the granting institutions.
  Graduate Record Examination or Miller Analogies Test. For admission each applicant must attain a minimum total score of 1000 on the Graduate Record Examination. This total requires a minimum of 500 on the verbal test; the other 500 may be accomplished by either the quantitative or the analytical portion of the test. On the MAT, a minimum score of 50 is expected. The applicant will arrange to take the GRE or the MAT and forward the results to the Institute. Corroll Institute does not administer these tests.

Research Paper. For admission each applicant must submit to the Advanced Studies Council a research paper either previously prepared (an ungraded copy) or prepared especially for the application on a subject in the student’s chosen major field of study. This paper should be 25-35 pages in length. The paper should represent the applicant's best quality of research and writing. The form and style should follow the 7th edition of Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. The paper will be graded in terms of form, presentation, and content to determine whether the student is capable of doing research and writing at an advanced level.

References. For admission each applicant must provide three recommendations by former professors who are familiar with the applicant's academic ability. Forms for these references will be included in the doctoral degree application materials.

Interview. Each approved applicant will be interviewed by the Advanced Studies Council prior to taking Qualifying Examinations. No interview will be scheduled until each stage of the application process has been satisfactorily completed: application form with accompanying documents, references, and research paper.

Qualifying Examinations. Each applicant will take qualifying examinations. This examination probes the applicant's general ability to organize thoughts and express those thoughts logically and clearly around topics related to the applicant's chosen major field of study.

Conditional Admission. All applicants are admitted conditionally to the doctoral program of study with the understanding that their performance for this level of work will be reviewed carefully each term until the conditional period is completed. Conditional status will not extend into the student's second full year of study. If the student’s performance is not adequate at that point the Committee will make a determination to terminate the student’s further participation in the program.