Doctor of Theology

[citation needed] In the United States, some of the older theological seminaries began offering the ThD as an equivalent to the research Doctor of Philosophy.

In Princeton Theological Seminary, for example, this practice was inherited from the German system of education, since the professors involved in establishing the doctoral program were trained in German universities.

Though the PhD was the doctorate of arts faculties in German universities (called the philosophy faculty in Germany, hence the Ph), Princeton Theological Seminary has since switched to using Doctor of Philosophy as its main designation.

[3] A similar shift happened at Harvard Divinity School in 2015.

[5] Due to the secular push in doctoral studies, some ThD programs have moved to other known accreditation, like the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS), or The Council of Private Colleges of America (CPCA).