Hallo luk-hae,
ich habe evangelische Theologie studiert (bis vor einem Jahr) und befürchte, dass sich dein Freund eine sehr schwierige Aufgabe ausgesucht hat… Ich schreib mal auf Englisch weiter, dann musst du es nicht übersetzen.
Dear Mr. Jackson,
I´m afraid that the path to your wish to become a PhD in Germany is full of difficulties:
As I understand you have a degree in Anglican theology. That could cause problems because German faculties are very particular when it comes to denomination.
Furthermore I have not heard of any theological faculty in Germany offering lectures in English. Many scholars think that the German language is better suited for philosophical debates. Protestant students in the Czech Republic have to learn German before they can study theology. It might sound stupid but that´s the way it is here. I highly recommend that you try to learn German. In my experience alot of Germans are not able to have a conversation in English. This includes administrators at universities and decans in the theological faculties.
Many faculties have only recently started to change their education system from university diploma and church diploma to bachelor/master. It could be (but I´m not sure) that some universities would not accept a master degree as the neccessary preposition for becoming a PhD student. In a few years this chaos hopefully gets settled, but right now the situation is difficult.
Finally, German theological faculties see themselfs as the best theological faculties in the world. Be prepared to face alot of prejudices against „African“ degrees. I know a person from Uganda holding a diploma in medical administration and a doctor from the Ukraine. Both tried to work in Germany in their professions, but were not able to do so.
Please note, that German protestant theological faculties are not interested in equipping pastors for serving God or Humanity, but mostly to do scientific work that has almost nothing to do with God or Humanity.
As a side note: German protestant theological faculties have a set of traditional courses which are (list in alphabetical order):
- Church History
- Dogmatic Theology
- Ethics
- New Testament
- Old Testament
- Practical Theology
It is a common opinion to say that there is nothing like „biblical theology“, because most scholars agree, that the New Testament and the Old Testament have nothing in common. I´m not sure what exactly „Biblicals“ means in Kenya, but I wanted to mention that there is no direct counterpart in Germany (at least not in protestant theology).
To my personal background: I have studied protestant theology from 2003 to 2010. So my opinions are based on experiences made by a protestant student. I do not know much about the situation in roman-catholic faculties.
I have never been a PhD student, so I can just guess about your question about scholarships or work study programs. Places in work study programs are very rare and not so well paid. Most PhD students have wifes or husbands who earn money and support them during their studies. I once met a PhD student in Germany who was sent by his home church in South Korea and was supported by them. I think the best way to achieve financial support is by seeking contact with a lutheran church in Kenya. Theological faculties have good connections to German churches. And German churches are usually interested in contact with lutheran churches in „Africa“ and are willing to give money for such purposes. But this is just a guess and I do not know persons and contacts that might help you in that matter.
Is there a special reason you wish to come to Germany? I do not want to offend you, so please do not take this the wrong way, but it might be easier to become a PhD student in a country that is more open to Anglicans, more open to people from Africa, more open to master degrees.
Best regards,
Hendrik
