Coolidge
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Posts posted by Coolidge
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Strange question I know, but I'm starting to get a little anxious. I got accepted to the MTS program at HDS and I'm scared that it will two extremely difficult years. So, what's your experience? Are the classes harder than you expected? What about the course load, how much reading do you have each week? How do the classes compare to the ones you took in undergrad? Is it at all possible to have a social life?
Thanks guys!
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Does anyone have experience getting a dual/joint degree with the MTS degree? I am particularly curious to hear from people at HDS. What did you get the second degree in and why? How long did it take? Will the fact that you have already been accepted to the MTS program make it easier (even just slightly) to be accepted to the second program?
Thanks!
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Isn't it very unlikely that they will lower your funding if you defer? If your financial situation remains the same I would think you'd be pretty much guaranteed the same money? Am I wrong?
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The current policy is that you can take no more than half of you classes outside HDS in a given semester. So if you are taking 4 courses, you can take 2 outside courses; if 5, still 2. Most of the time one doesn't want to take 6 classes in one semester and the registrar does not normally allow this. So the maximum is 2 outside courses per semester.
Here outside courses refer to courses which do not have an HDS course number at all. If it's jointly offered, you can still count it towards your HDS course and take other outside courses.
You have to take a minimum of 6 within area courses, 4 outside of area HDS courses to fulfill the degree requirement, besides meeting language requirements. The other 6-10 courses can be whatever you want, as long as it doesn't violate the rule explained in the first paragraph.
Wow, this is wonderful! So, could I take a class that is totally unrelated to religion and still use it towards my degree? Are all divinity schools this liberal when it comes to taking outside classes? Is it complicated to register and get accepted to a class at for example the KSG?
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Do any current MTS students at HDS have any experience with taking classes outside HDS such as at KSG or HLS? IS this at all possible and how many classes not related to religion can one take? Thanks!
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Thank you guys for all your answers! As you might be able to tell, I'm trying to justify getting a degree in religion to myself. I actually got accepted to the MTS program at HDS and I have been dead set on going all along, but ever since I got my acceptance letter a couple of days ago I've started to second guess myself. I'm like, what if I don't end up getting a job afterwards?
That being said I would be open to the idea of getting a law degree after getting my MTS. Does anyone know if having a master's is going to affect admissions to law school? Is it generally seen as meritorious or will the admissions people think that this applicant lacks focus?
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Outside of some sort of pastoral work/church setting I don't think it will get you very far. The exception, perhaps, is the counter-terrorism field/Islamic studies. Though I imagine if you went this route you would really have to focus on language work (what good are you without Arabic, right?).
A good friend from undergrad went to HDS for his MTS. He graduated two years ago, and has been struggling to find work back where he is from (Kansas....where hardly anyone has a degree from Harvard). Long story short he ended up taking a part time gig at Home Depot because he was having a hard time getting a job. Though now he is teaching part time at a smaller college (two intro courses on Xianity). Still, he has complained to me a lot about finding a job outside of a church setting with an MTS.
In short, I would think long and hard about going into debt for the degree. If you think an MTS will actually help you get into some sort of government job, then go for it. Otherwise the degree may be only useful for bragging rights at the local Starbucks.
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Well that was the answer I expected but not the answer I wanted, lol. I do have three years of Arabic already and that would certainly come in handy if I wanted to do counter-terrorism. Does anyone know anyone who has ended up working for a government agency upon completing their MTS degree?
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What are some things that I could (realistically) work with after completing an MTS degree? Or, more to the point, what are some career paths of recent MTS graduates? I am thinking specifically about MTS graduates from HDS as that is the program I am interested in. How far will the "it's Harvard" hype get you?
What do those who don't get PhDs or continue in academia end up doing? Are they required to get a second masters degree in something slightly more "tangible" such as law or journalism? The reason I am asking is that I want to think long and hard before getting a degree in religion and ending up taking out a loan to pay for it. Especially in this economy. Ideally, I would want to focus on Islamic studies and then work with counter-terrorism after graduation. Is this realistic?
I want to study religion and I am trying to justify it to myself (and to my parents), but I worry about employment prospects. Can anyone shed light on whether or not it is a terrible idea for me to pursue an MTS degree if I don't want to get a PhD or get a second masters. Thanks!
How hard is it?
in Religion
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Thank you guys for all those answers. I'm worrying that I won't be able to have a social life although I know that worrying will get me nowhere. I will attend in the fall and if I don't like it I might drop out...