Safaliy0

I'm in at Duke as well with 45% funding. Don't think I'm going to accept though but I will wait until all my offers are in. Applied: UChicago Div, Harvard Div, Duke, UPenn, UToronto, Hartford Seminary Accepted: UChicago, Duke Rejected: Waiting: Harvard Div, UPenn, UToronto, Hartford

Dear Florinese, I applied to Duke as well for the MA and haven't heard anything. Hopefully they are preparing a generous funding package...

I got accepted to UChicago AM today with 50% funding! I am waiting for MTS also...

Hi Yuanzhu! I got accepted to UChicago yesterday as well with 50% funding! My area is in ethics in Islamic philosophy. I also applied to HDS and am waiting to hear back from them. I think that UChicago is more competitive than HDS. From what I have read on this forum, HDS usually gives very good scholarships (up to 90% in some cases) but the cost of living in Cambridge is much higher than in Chicago! I was wondering if it is possible to negotiate the financial aid package, maybe after having some additional acceptances? For example, if I get accepted to HDS with 90% funding, could I call UChicago and ask if they could raise the award a bit? Maybe some current students can give advice about this? Congrats on your acceptances! I formerly studied anthropology so I am familiar with area studies programs (although for the Middle East) and just from my own opinion, I think Oxford is the best of all the schools you got accepted to. I think in terms of future career possibilities, an Oxford degree will really open many doors for you!

I am in the same boat; I applied for the MTS but am now thinking that I should have applied for the M.Div. I ultimately want to pursue a PhD but I want to get a pastoral care certification (CPE) as a back-up in case a teaching job doesn't materialize. All the stories in the press about adjuncts really have me scared! Unfortunately, the application deadline has already past. Since funding is on a year by year basis, it should be possible to apply for extra funding in the second and third years, after you make the switch. So, I guess my fate is to deal with a slightly less generous stipend in the first year and then try to up it in the following years. Am I right in assuming this?

Hello! I was in a similar position earlier this year when I began thinking about applying for PhDs in Islamic Studies. I have an undergraduate degree in Arabic and a Masters in Anthropology but I have never taken a Religion class or a class on Islam. Don't waste your money and time applying if you won't have a chance of getting in. You will be competing against top students who have an MA and an MA thesis in the field. I have since decided to apply for several Masters programs in Religion with a focus on Islamic Studies. My interests are Shi'a history, ethics and the sermons of Ali ibn Talib. I applied to: Duke, Harvard MTS, UToronto, Hartford Seminary, and UChicago. First of all, you need to pin down your specific interests. Then, search for professors who match those interests. Then, email graduate students in those fields or attend a professional conference to get advice on the ins and outs of applying. Basically, Islamic Studies can be divided into 2 tracks: (1) a Near Eastern Studies department (NELC) which is more the classical, Orientalist tradition which emphasizes heavy language study, historical approaches, archaeology, etc. (2) a Religion department, which focuses more on questions of theology, doctrine, ethics, etc. They are more open to an interdisciplinary or sociological approach which is what I decided to do. You will definitely need at least 6 semesters of Arabic before applying to a PhD program, so a Masters will give you time to do that. It will also allow you to narrow down your interests to one dissertation topic that you will have to propose. It helps if your MA thesis is on the same or similar topic! Feel free to message me for more advice.