deus_absconditus

I am going to the University of Dayton (OH) for a PhD in Theology. I was given full tuition remission for all of my coursework and dissertation, as well as having all University fees paid for. I was also given $15k stipend for three years, and they are trying to get a fourth year of funding added. Since I am coming in with a MDIV they say I can finish the whole program in four years. The Chair of the Department called me a few weeks ago to make me the offer and a faculty member with whom I have been in conversation sent me an unsolicited email letting me know the faculty in the Department were looking forward to my arrival! I felt such a personal touch in those communications that my decision to go there was a whole lot easier. In this process, as you all know, it is easy to feel unnoticed and anonymous; it felt tremendous to finally be wanted! I am never going to experience the NBA draft, so this is probably the closest thing I'll come to it--I admit, I like it! I was offered admission to Marquette and Loyola's PhD programs in the theology and ethics areas, but didn't receive funding. I was also offered admission to Princeton Seminary's ThM program with no funding. Dayton's program, interest in me, and funding were decisive. I am ready to start this process! Hope to hear great things from you all in the future. See you at AAR!

Going into debt in order to get into a tier 1 PhD program is a VERY difficult option to entertain. I think a lot of it depends on a person's situation in life. Are you single or married? Shackling one's family with debt for a M.A. that may or may not help one get into a program can cause considerable stress on a relationship. Also, it seems like the recent PhD recipients, regardless of the granting institution, always struggle to find jobs. Getting a job after one gets their PhD, I hear, has a lot to do with one's networking, publishing history, and ability to teach students. Almost no one goes from a PhD program into a tier 1 teaching appointment. So smaller schools are going to want someone who can teach, not just publish. All of this to say, is it worth going into debt in order to get into a Chicago, Yale, or Harvard in order to get a degree (that hopefully will be subsided with tuition remission and a fellowship) that will put one in a similar situation they would have faced if they had gotten a degree from a lesser known institution? That's only a question you can answer. Perhaps those tier 1 schools, reputation aside, legitimately have ALL the things you want in a school--faculty interests, location, funding, etc. In that case, maybe you could justify accumulating some debt.

Anybody out there know the word on the street about the University of Dayton's program in Theology? Anybody heard of it? Know someone who goes/went there?

A good stipend, I have heard, is $14,000 a year or above, with full-tuition remission. Sure that's not enough to live on, unless you are single and find creative accommodations, or you are married and your spouse works at least part-time. Is that what others have heard?

I am in a similar boat; I was accepted into Loyola's PhD program in Christian Ethics, but I am waitlisted for funding. I really can't imagine going to a program with no funding--no tuition remission, no stipend, nothing. Additionally, second-year funding is competitive, so funding is not guaranteed after the first year. You said you heard from Marquette today via email. I applied to their program as well. I hope I hear something soon.

I am waitlisted at Loyola and still waiting to hear from Marquette and Dayton. That's great that you are the #1 person on the Chicago waitlist! You'd think they would have told you that, or something! :shock:

Question: I was waitlisted at a school that I would very much like to attend. The graduate program director in the Department, in an email, told me the following: "In any case, I can say that you are at the top of the list . . . for admission and so have a realistic chance of being admitted. You can be sure that once I see the spot open for you, I will contact you immediately." That was on March 4th. Is it in my best interest to check back in, or should I wait?

rook, i'm in East Tennessee and haven't heard from Chicago yet.

thatindividual hit the nail on the head: that was an interesting discussion! insightful and informative as well. any other "i" words i can use? as an aside, foureyes, if you and your husband are doing phds, you all must have some serious brainpower and determination! godspeed.

Has anyone out there applied to and/or heard from the following programs: Emory, Syracuse, Yale Divinity School's S.T.M.

Philmajor, I applied to the religious ethics area but wrote in my personal statement a good bit about David Tracy. I think Tracy's work can help me develop an interdisciplinary theology of public engagement that can bring together religious and political communities around shared social practices. I didn't communicate with anyone in the Department, so I don't have any "inside" knowledge about what's going on. What about you? What sub-field did you apply to? Foureyes, What about the Divinity school turned you off? Did the student body have a sense of collegiality in the classes? Were the faculty willing to engage students outside of class?

East Tennessee hasn't received the Chicago letter, either. No email, too. :evil:

Revolage, Thanks for checking in with Marquette. They seem like they're taking a long time to get through this process. Did your email indicate whether or not admissions decisions would be released prior to funding decisions?

Religion student, After reading through some of the recent posts, I am reminded of conversations that I have had/overheard about UNC and Duke. Regarding Duke: from what I know (granted I didn't go there) Stan Hauerwas looms large in the theological studies area and Richard Hayes holds a considerable amount of sway in the New Testament studies area. Anecdotal wisdom says that Duke is a colony of post-liberal Yale school formed by Frei and Lindbeck, but this may be changing. Regarding UNC: I've heard that Bart Erhman doesn't see constructive theological studies as something that he wants to oversee in Phd students; he seems to be more of a textualist and historian of earliest Christianites. It seems that UNC is also very strong in American Religious History and Cultural studies. So depending on your interests (if they are at all related to New Testament or Theology), Duke may be the place to go if you see yourself leaning more toward theological studies, and UNC may be the place to go if you see yourself leaning more toward textual studies.

What does anyone know about the Theology and Ethics PhD program at the University of Dayton?