ddsdevil

I'm a third year at Duke and applied early. I heard back before Christmas about admissions.

Yale University has a Jonathan Edwards Center.

Thanks for the help everyone. My wife is now considering Georgia State and UGA. Any know much about either of these programs?

Yes, I read the above and just wanted to get some different perspectives. Mostly all that I have heard is negative. Their website is terrible and provides very little information. I have been in contact via email with SCAD for two weeks and have yet to talk with anyone that knows anything. (BTW, my wife sucks at this kind of research so that's why I'm doing it for her) I really want her to pick a good program, but it will be hard for us to take another two years for her to do a masters. The SCAD MAHP is very practical for us, but it is expensive and I'm very frustrated with the leadership there. UGA is another option for us. We have to make a decision, but I want it to be an informed one, something difficult with SCAD. Thanks everyone.

Thanks for the info and response. What exactly have you heard that's negative about the program? We are definitely going to be living in GA so one positive that I can see is having some connections via SCAD with South GA. And yes, this is really her only option. I'm currently a divinity student in NC and I graduate in May '12. I encouraged her to apply to some of the schools around here (I think that UNCG has a program?) but she didn't want to commit another year to NC. She's ready to get back to GA! So it does seem that SCAD is her only option. But before sinking $30,000 into a program, I want to make sure that it will open some doors for jobs. It doesn't have to be the best program, but one that can get her foot in the door of HP.

What's everyone's thoughts on doing a PhD overseas without relocating? Many reputable schools like Manchester, London School of Theology, Durham, Exeter, and others allow students to do PhD's part-time while only visiting campus once or twice a year (though most require you to be near a good library). I know that they don't compare with 1st tier schools, but could they be competitive with the Evangelical seminaries PhD grads?

Hi everyone, My wife is considering applying to the SCAD MA program. I see that some of you have had negative experiences there. However, she's interested in doing the entire program online and that's probably her only option. However, we are in the initial stages of researching programs. My wife is interested in history and this seems like an interesting field for her. She would enjoy working in museums, libraries, doing historical tours, etc. However, she's a bit concerned because she's "not artistic". Is this an art based program? From my research,it doesn't appear to be. But the admissions application is asking for things that make her a bit nervous, designs, drawings, photographs, etc. That's not why she's interested in this degree. Is she looking into the wrong program? Also, what's the acceptance rate like at SCAD? Thanks everyone!

Liturgical studies. I'm looking at Nashotah House. Not a huge name, but they are known for liturgical studies and I can do the stm while serving a church.

Thanks Westcott, Did a low gpa in the MDiv also cause you to pursue a second master's?

I'll be finishing my M.Div next Spring and I will probably have between a 3.2-3.3 GPA. Nothing to write home about (or to write PhD programs about) However, I have reasons (I think) as to why my GPA is low. (student pastor, having first child, flip flopping on interests). So I'm wondering how much a masters of sacred theology or masters of theology will help with getting into a decent PhD program, if I were to do well in it. Has anyone gone this route with success? Thanks!

I can't say about specific places to live, but it's in a relatively nice neighborhood outside of ATL. By outside I mean that it's not downtown. Cost of living in pretty high, at least compared to Durham. To get a decent apartment close to campus will probably be at least $900 per month. I visited there a few times and there were always students at bus stops waiting for a transit, so that wouldn't be a problem. That said, if you are planning on going into ministry, have you considered student pastoring? Many small churches get MDiv students to pastor their church while providing them with a parsonage and a reasonable salary. I'm doing this at Duke right now. However, one negative is that I have to commute about 45 minutes to campus. Wish that I could be more helpful. Good luck!

currently-United Methodist with an Episcopal/Anglican bend.

I'm not sure if this is exactly what you are looking for, but Georgetown offers a PhD in Religious Pluralism, leading me to believe that they may have scholars with knowledge of this.

If you don't like Barth, you might feel a bit uncomfortable at Duke. Barth's recovering of the theological reading of the bible strongly influences what happens at Duke (the theological reading of scripture). Popular folks at Duke are Augustine, Barth, Brevard Childs, Richard Hays, and of course Stanley Hauerwas. While some of the ideas of our professors like Hauerwas, Amy Hall, Willie Jennings, etc. are grounded in Christianity, they may resonate with Marxists. The redistribution of wealth, planned parenting, feminism, racism, etc are discussed, but very much from a Christian lens. You will also have no problem finding someone in the field of post-colonialism. Interfaith? Keep in mind that Duke is distinctly a Christian seminary with the goal of training Christian leaders. That said, this semester a class was offered entitled "Christians and Muslims reading sacred texts together" or something like that. There is also an Islamic center at Duke. So, while I'll venture to say that 99% of students and faculty are Christian, there are opportunities for interfaith dialogue, but probably not to the extent of a place like Harvard or ANTS. And yes, we do like our Duke basketball!

Greetings all! I'm wondering if anyone has any info in regard to how UofM works. I'll be finishing divinity school next summer and will be entering pastoral ministry. However, I'm interested in getting a PhD. I'm not really interested in being a college/seminary professor but more like a pastor-scholar. I want to serve in the church, but also do academic research for the church. I'm interested in UofM for two reasons: They offer a PhD that can be done part time. This will allow me to remain in my parish setting. Also, they have two colleges associated with them that are Wesleyan: Nazarene Theological College and Cliff College, both offering the PhD. So, what are some thoughts about UofM? What't the relationship between the two mentioned colleges and Manchester? Which grants the degree? Thanks for any information!

I'll also add a list based on theological preference: Mainline Protestant: 1.Duke 2. Yale 3. Princeton 4. Drew 5. Nashotah House (I'm a big fan of this place!) Evangelical: 1. Gordon-Conwell/Reformed 2. Asbury/Wesleyan 3. Fuller 4. Regent College 5. TETS Liberal Protestant 1. Harvard 2. Union Theological Seminary 3. Vanderbilt 4. Candler 5. ANTS

IMO, 1. Duke-A very exciting place to be at the moment. We are in a transition with Dean Jones leaving, and it will be interesting to see who takes his place after Dean Hayes' two year stint. Hauerwas will also be retiring in a couple of years. Willimon will be returning in 2012. Very orthodox place, but enough liberals on faculty to satisfy the progressives. 2. Yale-only because I'm a post-liberal. (although Duke probably holds the mantle as the home of narrative/post-liberal theology now) 3. Princeton Theological Seminary-Barth is popular there still, right? After those I'm really not sure. I'd mix together Drew, Fuller, SMU, Candler, ColumbiaTS,... But Duke by a mile.

What school in NE GA? I went to Emmanuel College. And to answer your question I really have no idea. I'm sure highlighting that you are Jewish will be a plus at a school like Yale. Good luck!

I know that the job market is scarce in colleges/seminaries. Is it as scarce in middle/high school? Will an M.Div be enough to get a job teaching religion in high school or would one also need a ThM?

I don't think that it's all that unheard of for a D.Min to teach. If you look up faculty in Christian undergrad theology departments, you will find a lot of DMin's, especially in confessional schools. I'm probably in the minority, but I have no problem with D.Min's teaching practical theology classes. We actually have one D.Min at Duke (Ken Carder), a former bishop. I think that the academy definitely needs practitioners (those who have been there) to teach the how to's of ministry. That said, I would want that person to be very experienced in ministry since the experience is one of the factors for their expertise. IMO, if you know that you want to teach, I would go for a PhD/ThD. If you are interested in ministry and want to be a pastor, I'd consider the DMin. Duke has recently proposed to begin offering the DMin in 2011. If it goes through, it will probably be the most (or one of) rigorous DMin's that will be respected in the academic world. Peace.

Hello, Duke is now offering a Masters of Management Studies. It is a one year, introduction to the world of business for non-business majors (at least that is how I understand it) What are your thoughts on this degree? Is it worth doing? I'll soon be graduating from Duke with another masters degree and interested in getting into the business world.

Hi Presbygeek, I think it depends. Most div schools look at more than just GPA (or at least say that they do). I'm assuming that you are PCUSA. Where are you in the ordination process? If you have started it, that could help you because one criteria for admission (at least for Duke Div where I attend) is "promise for ministry." Therefore, if they see that you are serious about ministry, it could help your chances. This should at least help with PTS. Not sure about Harvard though. HDS is probably one of the hardest to get into. For comparisons sake, Duke Div's incoming average UGPA was around 3.6 for last year's incoming class. My assumption is that HDS's is somewhere in that ball park. I think Boston will be easier to get into. Good luck!

I was hoping that people would post their stats who got into PhD programs for comparison purposes. Will you post: 1. Stats 2. Programs accepted (school and field) 3. waitlisted This would be very helpful. thanks!

Both are solid choices. There are several factors to consider: 1. Location. If it were me, I would much rather live in Nashville than Boston, but I'm a Georgian so I'm scared of cold weather. 2. Boston Theological Institute: This is a big advantage to studying at a place in Boston. Through BTI, you have access to other schools like Gordon-Conwell and Harvard and can cross register for classes. 3. Financial: You may have more money from BU, but my assumption is that cost of living is higher there. (although I'm sure that it's not cheap living in Nashville either) 4. Prestige: Both are great schools, but I think that Vanderbilt has a bit more prestige and may give you a greater advantage for PhD programs afterwards. I would probably pick Vanderbilt after looking through the pros and cons. Good luck!

Redreverend, Thanks for the response. Yale is exactly where I'm interested in going (for liturgics). However, I wonder if those people that you know who got into top PhD programs had a strong M.Div gpa.?