Religious Studies

Graduate School
1

<p>Lately I have been very interested in getting a PhD in the Philosophy of Religion. Instead of applying to a philosophy program, I would like to study the Philosophy of Religion through a religious studies program. I know that it is standard to get a masters before entrance into the PhD, so that is what I'm focusing on now.</p>

<p>I have been looking at Yale's M.A.R. through their Divinity school. The program seems awesome because of the service component. I've also looked at Notre Dame's and Harvard's M.T.S programs. They also look great, but I just love Yale's service requirement.</p>

<p>My question is: how hard is it to gain admission in to these programs? There is a huge disparity between my major GPA (Philosophy) and my freshman year and 2 science classes. The overall is 3.2 and major is 3.83. I can get the overall up to about 3.45 by the time i graduate. </p>

<p>Based on my qualifications, am I looking at the wrong programs? Any advice would be great.</p>

2

<p>First, Religious Studies is my area, so feel free to PM me.</p>

<p>Second, it is not at all "standard" to get a Masters degree prior to entering a PhD program in Philosophy of Religion. The MA would be the route for students who need more preparation in their specific subfield (in your case, PhilRel), including languages (German and/or French in PhilRel).</p>

<p>For PhilRel, you are not looking at the right programs. Yale's MAR is for folks who wish to make careers in a religiously oriented non-profit, or in church-affiliated religious ed. Harvard's MTS is a bit more flexible, but will limit you in terms of the PhD because many will consider it to be a primarily theological degree (which, arguably, it is).</p>

<p>These "service requirements" of which you speak are standard for MDiv (and often MTS) programs, since most folks pursuing these types of degrees are interested in church ministry of some sort, and for them, in-service stuff is critical (both to discernment and employment).</p>

<p>If PhilRel (and NOT Christian theology) is your thing, I strongly suggest that you look at PhD programs with strong PhilRel faculty, and also look at the 13 nationwide MA programs as backups. Again, the MA programs to which you apply must have faculty with strength in PhilRel. </p>

<p>In selecting programs, find out where your favorite scholars teach, where they did their doctoral work, and who their advisor was. That is the key to finding the right program for you.</p>

<p>Your GPA is fine. Just keep getting As in all philosophy and religion courses. If you have not taken courses in a department of religion, then do so immediately. You will notice that there are disciplinary differences between the way philosophy does PhilRel, and the way Rel does PhilRel.</p>

3

<p>Thanks Professor X! What are the 13 MA programs? I can start looking at them to find faculty members that match my interest. I do need language preperation. Neither French nor German will fit in my schedule, so maybe it is a good idea to apply to both MA and PhD programs, just in case.</p>

4

<p>There are 14. Sorry for the miscount.</p>

<p>California State University, Long Beach
Miami University (Ohio)
Missouri State University
New York University
University of Colorado, Boulder
University of Denver
University of Georgia
University of Hawaii, Manoa
University of Kansas
University of Missouri, Columbia
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
University of South Carolina
Wake Forest University
Western Michigan University </p>

<p>University of New Mexico (IN DEVELOPMENT - postponed due to lack of state funding)
Western Kentucky University (IN DEVELOPMENT - already state funded)</p>

5

<p>Professor X, I am a little confused as to why the Yale program is not right for me. Actually, getting involved in non-profit work is something that I would like to do. And as I look over their website, I see that many of their MAR students get into top notch PhD programs. On top of that, they have a track for the Philosophy of Religion.</p>

<p>Sorry if I sound like I'm overriding your advice. I just need to know exactly how to approach the next few years. But I do appreciate everything you are telling me, as you are the authority.</p>

6

<p>Dear nicholsj,</p>

<p>No worries! Discussion is healthy, questions are good! And I am not "the authority" -- just a scholar in that field.</p>

<p>I think you should articulate your goals, and then plan how to get there. If working in a non-profit (especially a religiously-affiliated one) is your aim, an MA in PhilRel from a non-theological institution is not going to help you, and an MAR from a Divinity School (with an service component) could be exactly what you need.</p>

<p>Your initial query stated that your goal was a PhD was in PhilRel, which is preparation for becoming a professor in that area. </p>

<p>As to Yale's MAR, here's how they describe the degree path on their website: "Master of Arts in Religion (M.A.R.), either a comprehensive two-year program of preparation for one of the many forms of lay ministry or service, or a concentrated two- or three-year program of advanced study in a particular area of theological study." The PhilRel track is described as
"*Philosophical Theology * & Philosophy of Religion." Note my emphasis.</p>

<p>Here is further description: "Eighteen credit hours are required in biblical studies and systematic, historical, or liberation theology, with at least six in each of the two areas. At least eighteen hours must be taken in philosophical theology or philosophy of religion. Courses in the social sciences and in historical and philosophical study of religion may be taken in other departments of the University, especially in religious studies and philosophy."</p>

<p>See? Their PhilRel program is theological in content and thrust. More evidence that if you wish to become a professor of PhilRel, your employment opportunities would be somewhat circumscribed, as secular institutions would wonder about the evidently confessional nature of your education. However, religiously-affiliated institutions (of your OWN SPECIFIC confession) would be much more likely to hire you with this kind of education on your CV.</p>

<p>I hope this helps.</p>

7

<p>Wow. Professor X, you are really helping me out. Thanks for searching the web and pointing out some subtleties that I missed.</p>

<p>I'm not really concerned about opening up job oppertunities, I just want to be happy with my school. As a practicing Catholic, a divinity school may fit my interests in Philosophy. Actually, the school I go to now is Catholic and that has a very heavy influence on what we learn, so maybe it will be similar in a divinity school?</p>

<p>I might as well apply very broadly. Do you know how competitive the divinity schools I mentioned are?</p>

8

<p>Yes, most divinity schools will be Christian (most often affiliated with a particular Protestant denomination) in orientation, but some div schools are more ecumenical than others. </p>

<p>In fact, the most competitive (and the most academically rigorous) div schools in the US are the explicitly interdenominational seminaries. In no particular order, these are the Divinity Schools at the University of Chicago, Yale, and Harvard, as well as Graduate Theological Union (actually a consortium of div schools of many denominations in CA), and Union Theological Seminary (in NY). </p>

<p>While Duke is primarily Methodist, and Princeton primarily Presbyterian, these two div schools are also more interdenominational in focus (and welcoming to Catholics) than, say, Garrett-Evangelical (Methodist) or Westminster Theological Seminary (Presbyterian).</p>

<p>Most of these institutions have basically two "tracks": the MA/AM/PhD track for aspiring professors, and the MRE/MAR/MDiv/MTS track for aspiring ministers, theologians, chaplains, religious educators and other religious professionals. In all cases, admission to the academic tracks will be more difficult. The professional tracks seek applicants with religious commitments, of course.</p>