newenglandshawn

I did wonder how one defines "relevant" for the courses he/she lists on an abstract however. If I am applying to Hebrew Bible programs, would I list courses that fall under the "religion" category in general (like New Testament studies, or Church History, etc.) or would they want me to list only those courses that relate directly to Hebrew Bible?

I know that if you are applying for the ThD program at HDS, at least, they require an "abstract of courses," which is an abbreviated list of past classes one has taken (with the course titles and grades received), that are relevant to your intended field of study. This is in the electronic application itself, though, so one wouldn't be able to submit the application without filling it out. I'm not sure what other programs do.

I believe someone did on the NELC thread, no?

Very true! Not sure about the BTI, which is why I was asking on here. I know that at GCTS, at least, they offer these languages only once every two or three years, so I'm sure it would not be during the summer.

Is anyone aware of any summer intensive courses offered in the Boston area (BC, BU, Brandeis, HDS, GCTS) that are in the cognate languages - like Akkadian, Ugaritic, Aramaic, etc? I see that HDS does Hebrew, but it doesn't seem to offer any in the cognates.

You said that Machinist is nice to everyone. What is Levenson like?

If you haven't come across this page yet, check it out: http://studyofreligion.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k70796&pageid=icb.page342440 Even though the ThD is technically "governed and granted" through the Divinity School, the Committee on the Study of Religion is the one that "administers" it. They also administer the GSAS PhD. And this is what they say about applying for both the ThD and Phd: I also contacted someone from the Committee about the two programs and this was her response: "It is common for applicants to apply to both the ThD program here at HDS and the PhD program at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. . . . The Th.D. and Ph.D. programs overseen by the Committee on the Study of Religion (CSR) are moving closer and closer together and are essentially one program now."

So you can apply to all three at the same time? Just based upon the respective websites, and who they list as current students and recent dissertations, plus from what I've heard from others, it seems like the only program that is taking HB students is the ThD. Does that seem accurate? The NELC page indicates that they were no HB PhD students accepted this year.

Thanks for the very thorough run-down. Where are you presently studying? No thoughts on PTS? Is their HB program not among the best (at least in theology/exegesis, as another suggested)? I read somewhere else that PTS was getting too conservative. This is fine (and, in fact, preferable) by me, but I'm sure that for others it would be a concern.

Thanks, Belichick! As a die-hard Patriots fan your name is killing me! Are you at Harvard? I have definitely acquainted myself with a lot of Levenson's work especially. He seems to be rare in HB these days in that he is willing to do theology.

Into which departments is it divided at Brown and Yale?

I didn't think it would be THIS hard to get a straight answer!

Theological/exegetical!

Okay, well humor me anyway! Pick a sub field.

In your estimation, what are the top 5-10 programs for Hebrew Bible and in what order would you put them?

Interested in theology of OT, especially in the book of Isaiah. Doing OT/Biblical theology hasn't been as popular as much for the last century though, which puts my interests at a disadvantage. I think it is making a bit of a comeback however and, from what I understand, more OT scholars are doing theology.

I figured you were interested in going into teaching, but you didn't seem to explicitly state this. Your story and mine sounds similar. I've spent five years in ministry, have been ordained, my wife and I have two kids, and I'm limiting my potential PhD programs to a small geographical area. What area of study are you interested in?

Why do you want to pursue another degree? What purpose would it serve?

When will you be applying to HB programs?

Am I correct in my conclusion that if a person wants to get a doctorate in Hebrew Bible from Harvard, that there are three different programs through which that can be accomplished? One is a PhD through the NELC program, another is a PhD through the religion program, and then the third is a ThD through HDS?

dAMAR.UTU: For some reason, I didn't see your comment. Thanks for the feedback. I see that you are presently in an NELC program. Are you in a masters program or a doctoral program?

I guess I have not been sufficiently clear on what I meant by perfecting my languages in the next two years. I have not at all been speaking of it in terms of trying to convince a program or professor of my language qualifications by appealing to a self-pedagogy (though, in reality, it would not be an issue of learning anything on my own but merely perfecting that which I have already learned). What I was addressing was the avoidance of embarrassing myself - should I some how be accepted despite my language deficiencies - like Sparky did when he entered into his program. Thus, I was merely stating that I have two years to perfect the languages I have already learned. While it would be ideal to take another semester or two of Hebrew before applying next fall, I don't have the luxury. As far as formal preparation for a PhD program, I am who I am at this point! I will do my best, independent of furthering my formal language training, and see where the proverbial chips fall!

I just noticed that BC also has the "Ministers in the Vicinity" program as well. There is a fairly good chance that I may be starting a ministerial position next fall down in the Boston area. If I did, perhaps I could attend a class at both BC and HDS next fall before applying.

Thanks for the insights, everyone! These are all good thoughts. Sparky: where and what are you studying? Given the fact that I have almost two years before I entered into a PhD program (should I get into one), I am spending my next two years perfecting my languages. Right now, I spend 1-2 hours a day doing just that. So hopefully by the time I actually entered into a program, my deficiencies would be minimal. Therewillbeluke: Yes, I will definitely give Brown a look. 11Q13: Thanks for the good advice on the ThM. I don't imagine there is much/any funding for that, is there? Just a question from a naive guy: do people (or is it advisable to) apply for a ThM (or any other M*) at the same time they apply for a PhD/ThD? Or is this looked upon with suspicion by admissions committees? I have also had a friend of mine advise me to get into the "Ministers in the Vicinity" program at HDS, which allows ministers in full-time ministry in the Boston area (which I am not currently, since I live and minister in Maine, but I could very easily get a position down there) to attend a class at a time for half the tuition rate. I know this wouldn't allow me to enjoy take advantage of the other BTI schools, but it could at least get my foot in the door at Harvard. By the way, I noticed you're apply for a long list of schools in a long list of subjects, centered around Jewish Studies. What area of focus are you particularly interested in?

Nice! I hope all goes well for you. Where will you be applying? From the beginning, I have never been convinced of the likelihood of my candidacy at some of these top places, but then I have had others who are familiar both with my abilities and those programs guardedly encourage me in the pursuit. The more logical side of me kicks in, however, because of the realities you have pointed out: my language deficiencies and the fact that I do not come from the typical "divinity school" stalk. By the way: I know that Boston University (and even Brandeis) does not have the same reputation as Harvard and BC, but are you saying they are just as competitive as those two schools? It seems as though you were directing your evaluation more toward the latter two. Would your reflections be the same for BU and Brandeis, though?