Prepare, Succeed, Advance: A Guidebook for Getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and Beyond by Nijay K. Gupta


Prepare, Succeed, Advance: A Guidebook for Getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and Beyond
Title : Prepare, Succeed, Advance: A Guidebook for Getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and Beyond
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1608997693
ISBN-10 : 9781608997695
Language : English
Format Type : Paperback
Number of Pages : 164
Publication : Published June 10, 2011

What if you had a guidebook that you could turn to at each stage of your academic journey to help you navigate through the process of getting a PhD in biblical studies and succeeding in the academic world? This book is precisely intended to fill that need. From theory to practice, you will find discussions and answers to the most pertinent and pressing questions that prospective and current doctoral students are faced How do I choose a program? How can I gain admission into an elite program? How do I choose a research topic? Alongside the "big" questions about the process, there are also a host of smaller How do I publish an article? What conferences are out there in my field? Where do I start looking for a job? How do I get teaching experience? How do I write a syllabus? This guidebook tackles all of these questions and many more in three Prepare focuses on getting into a PhD program; Succeed guides you through the doctoral program, especially the writing of the dissertation; and Advance treats issues that relate to success in the academic world such as conference participation, publishing, employment, and best practices in teaching.


Prepare, Succeed, Advance: A Guidebook for Getting a PhD in Biblical Studies and Beyond Reviews


  • Nathan Nadeau

    Better than the first edition. Very good and practical - especially helpful for the American and British scene (less so Canadian).

  • Shane Williamson

    2023 reads: 01

    Rating: 4.5 stars

    Imminently practical. Gupta brings into sight many aspects of the academy and doctoral studies that are necessary if one is to succeed.

  • Drake

    Immensely helpful!

  • Samuel Kassing

    A primer for how to get into a PhD program. This was helpful in demystifying the academy.

  • Jonathan

    As I'm doing my masters presently, this little practical book was extremely helpful as I think outloud about doing a PhD in Biblical Studies and/or Theology + Church History. Really happy I stumbled across it, as it has given me a lot to think about.

  • Abram K-J

    Should I get a PhD? If you’ve asked yourself this question, especially about a PhD in Biblical Studies, you should read Nijay K. Gupta’s book. In Prepare, Succeed, Advance, Gupta walks through the stages of applying for a PhD (prepare), working on a PhD (succeed), and using one’s PhD to find work (advance).

    In Prepare, Succeed, Advance, Gupta seeks to “provide a series of responses to a host of questions that one may encounter when travelling down the path towards a PhD in biblical studies and beyond.” The book is right on the money in this sense. While it reads through nicely, it is also the sort of work that one will want to refer to time and again–especially someone who is trying to advance through the stages of the PhD process.

    In the Prepare section, Gupta guides the reader through how to select a program, including what factors to consider, such as cost, location, school prestige, and so on. Perhaps the most useful section of the book is the second chapter, in which he counsels PhD applicants in how to prepare for a PhD–what languages they’ll need to know, what reference works with which to familiarize themselves, and so on. The bibliography he provides (with comments) is a time-saver to many. He concludes the section with nuts-and-bolts advice for how to fill out a PhD program application.

    The second part of the book, Succeed, is all about how to do well in a PhD program, once accepted. Gupta goes in depth with regard to how to work with one’s supervisor, how to write and plan for the dissertation, and how to prepare for the oral dissertation defense. He writes: "The point of a dissertation is not that your argumentation and evidence will convince everyone, but rather that you have made a sufficiently plausible argument using methods and evidence that are appropriate to your field and generally accepted." (He coaches to reader on how to do this, too.)

    Finally, for the one who has earned her or his PhD, the final section of Advance covers everything from how to interview for a job, how and where to get teaching experience, conference involvement and article publishing (with helpful lists of journal series to shoot for), and dissertation publishing.

    There is much to appreciate about this book. As a book reviewer, I particularly appreciated his section on how (and where) to write book reviews. He covered the basics well. (Key point: measure a book against its own standard; that is, does it advance its thesis successfully?)

    If I have any criticism of the book (and this is hard to come by), it’s that Gupta’s section on writing the actual body of the dissertation could have included more. He gives advice like, “Individual chapters should be relatively freestanding and stand as an independent contribution to the overall argument,” but doesn’t spend much time on how to go about writing each individual chapter in the dissertation’s body. Perhaps Gupta assumes that other books on the market adequately cover how to write a dissertation, or that it varies so much from topic to topic that no general advice can be given. But something more about how to organize the argument of the dissertation and make sure its logical flow is clear and cogent would have been a good addition to the book. But this is a minor quibble. There is not much that Gupta does not cover thoroughly and winsomely.

    Gupta blogs at Crux Sola. Portions of his book (PhD advice) can be found on his blog (nijaygupta.wordpress.com). But even with all that is available on his blog, this guide is indispensable to anyone thinking about a PhD. Should that day ever come for me, I plan to have this within reach on my bookshelf.

    I am grateful to Wipf and Stock for the free review copy, provided in exchange for an unbiased review. This review is from abramkj.wordpress.com.

  • David Choi

    Nijay Gupta has written a very practical guide for students in higher education who are considering a Ph.D. in Biblical and/or Theological studies. Anyone who has begun or is thinking about graduate school for theology will understand the initial overwhelming feeling of being buried under the numerous factors that come into play when considering different schools and programs. Gupta offers a systematic and chronological guide that walks the prospective student through the various phases of the oriented scholar: choosing a doctoral program, preparing and applying for programs, researching for the dissertation, defending the dissertation, orienting oneself for academic employment, publishing the dissertation, teaching in the academy, and interviewing for positions.

    This book is targeted for graduate students who are looking into Ph.D. programs for Biblical studies. This is partly due to the advantage of looking a few steps ahead, which could help people who are not currently enrolled in graduate programs decide beforehand which graduate programs strategically work best for their ideal Ph.D. endeavor. Moreover, placing the emphasis on Biblical studies is because Gupta himself is a Biblical scholar and can speak confidently in that arena. He has a firm understanding and grasp of the changing nature of theological schools and scholars and writes sensitively to guide prospective students in order to help them think critically about which factors matter the most to them when looking at programs like funding, location, duration of study, etc. As mentioned above, to the undergraduate, this book is greatly advantageous because it helps him/her consider long-term goals thereby navigate short term goals accordingly at the masters level. This guide is inclusive to all students with diverse theological backgrounds, and while it is aimed at Biblical studies, Gupta speaks to the similarities of the different programs and believes this book is still useful for anyone who is not interested in Biblical studies.

    Therefore, if you are interested in a Ph.D. for Biblical and Theological studies and are confused and overwhelmed by the process of getting there, I highly recommend this book to help you clarify ambiguities and to counsel you along the way.

  • Greg Baughman

    A good book to read early if you are at all considering a theology PhD at some point. It's aimed at those who want to be career academics, especially in New or Old Testament, and who are looking to get into the best schools (this is the first 3rd of the book). The remainder of this brief work covers the process of writing a dissertation and the job search after the PhD is completed. It's a quick, easy, helpful read. Likely a good purchase if a PhD may be in your future.

  • Lora

    This book is essential in my opinion for anyone entering Biblical or Religious Studies. It is also helpful for people studying these areas in History Graduate Programs.

    The author is very good about breaking everything down. He also provides stories of his own struggles and others he knows to offer real-life experience.

  • Ray Umphrey

    This book is solid gold for anyone interested in a PhD in biblical studies. It introduces the reader to the world of theological academia which can be daunting to newcomers. Must read for graduate students considering further study.

  • David Smiley

    I'm an OT guy so some things did not apply to me. However, this is a great practical guide for anyone interested in a terminal degree in Biblical Studies.

  • Robert

    I wish I had this book five years ago. If you are thinking about pursuing a graduate degree in biblical studies, this is where you need to start.

  • Радостин Марчев

    Ясна, практична и полезна.