Marcion

OH! And UNC Chapel Hill also features a wide range, including Wheaton College to Minnesota, Duke to Brandeis. Range as well.

Thanks xypathos and Joseph45! I had looked at Vanderbilt but sadly they are not taking in students for the Biblical Studies focus in 2014/2015. I have looked at Chicago and they do not offer that great of funding to MA studies, and focus more on funding PhDs. Harvard and Yale having great funding, and several of my friends have suggested I give Harvard's Humanist and Biblical Studies MDiv I crack as a lot of their work and practice skills are great for classroom experiences. xypathos, I have also been told that some evangelical schools are amazing at doing languages and so long as you don't have to agree to a statement of faith or are expected to attend chapel services, and just work on the languages, most people exit fine. Looking at Austin, a few students got their MAs from Vanderbilt, Boston, and Yale. Brown features a lot of it's own MA students going onto PhDs. Princeton University features a wide range from all other the map of public schools and divinity schools. So it does give me hope knowing what is round. Basically I just need to find to a solid MA that will allow me to enter without languages, but prepare me for my PhD studies in the future.

Is that the MA in Religion with a concretion in Bible?

Hey forum, following the advice of a lot of people and reflecting on my own progress, I believe the best course of action for me is to undertake another Masters program, one that will enable me to pick up the ancient languages I never learn't and expose me to the American university education system. From a previous, emotional, and stress filled post, I mentioned that my first undergraduate degree did not go so well, but my Honours program and Masters of Theological Studies have gone gone great and I am exiting with extremely high marks, so I am little less worried about my undergraduate. However I have been looking to see what Masters Programs may appeal to me, keeping in mind it is my goal to be an academic in the field of New Testament and Christian Origins and one day be a Professor and that my darling fiance is also looking at MFA programs around the country. In Australia, religion and theology is not apart of a lot public-secular universities degrees and programs, and the universities that do offer them are via seminaries in partnership. For example, I did my Bachelors via St. Francis Theological College which is linked to Charles Sturt University. So having said that, everyone in my class my Christian and all of my teachers were collars as well. Doing my Masters, I did it via the Australian Catholic University, and pretty much everyone either Catholic or some express of Christian. Me being the black agnostic sheep in the fold. Now I am not saying this was a problem, it never was brought up really apart from two theology classes, which I still did extremely well in, but you mind understand, as America is unknown territory to me, I would like to advice and insight. Loyola University Chiago has a Masters of Biblical Languages and Literature and do not require prior language knowledge upon admission, plus they are a sister school to the Australian Catholic University which might be handy and what is also good is my fiance has lots of MFA programs to choose in Chicago. Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary has the Master of Biblical Languages and so it goes. The concern I keep running into is that all are religiously connected and I am concerned that may or may not be a problem for my admission and my own going study. If it helps, my ideal PhD Program is like the one at the University of Texas at Austin or UNC Chapel Hill or Princeton University, all of which look amazing. Any advice would be great and I would really appreciate any insight you have to offer about being an agnostic/atheist in a seminary or divinity school, MA programs that will help with language achievement without prior knowledge, and just other insights you can offer this Aussie coming to the land of opportunity.

+1 to Wisdom for Macrina

I am simply going to ask then... "What would you have me do?"

I don't think so. One of the things that is really annoying about South African Universities is that their websites are poorly designed and difficult to navigate (or for me at least)! I do know the University of South Africa offers a PhD in Islamic Studies.

Thanks for the heads up. Claremont has caught my eye being the old home of Burton Mack and now home to Dennis MacDonald.

marXian, thanks for your response. Very true and right. As you said, any job in higher education is idyllic at the moment. I am not shying away from that, not at all. In fact, I have spoken to my fiance about Plan Bs recently and all of this is going through out minds. I am barely 25, so I have a lot of time to figure out what I am going to do and where I am going to go. I like that you said we are "equally crazy". Perhaps in time I will have to move back to Australia to chase the dream, perhaps I will end up a High School teacher, or maybe back in the jewellery gig until the opportunity comes. I am well aware how cut-throat it is out there, so any position a stroke of hard work and luck. I just want to trust that I am honest about what may come of this, but I want to chase it anyway. To the comment about facing realities and criticisms from others, I have a sense that on this forum that people are well aware what it is like out there but being supportive and helpful. I don't want to come off as someone who avoids criticisms and realities, trust me, from where I was a year ago with a Bachelor's Degree shot to hell, I had a lot of realities to face. As for SBL, it was not so much, "I do not like that answer" but "how is that answering helpful to me or to anyone?". Once again, I am really grateful for your response and others, the fact that you have taken the time to write such a long response to me, shows that you want to impart some advice and wisdom. Already I have been PM with a few courses I did not know about, people have offered insights about schools, and I have seen people take the time to comment. Criticism is fine, but I think constructive criticism benefits in the long run. As for the seminary/divinity school thing... This is in all likelihood a prejudice from my previous experience with a university-linked seminary. It was very strict, very religious, and very devotional. Granted, I was in training to be a priest. But I am worried that now that I am an agnostic, I am not sure how I would "feel" in the programs at a Divinity School and at a Seminary. Something I was advised by my supervisor was to look for programs where I could see myself teaching and with people who would equally challenging and supportive. As I do not see myself at a seminary or a divinity school, I am looking at public and state schools like Missouri, Kansas, and Oregon. Please bare in mind, I am still learning what is out there and what is available to me, and not only that, but my fiance also wants to do her Masters as well. As I am sure a lot of you are aware, it is not only about our academic goals, but our partner's as well. For example, Emory's program looks very good and I am sure it would be a good fit for me, however my fiance has no desire to move to Atlanta and in her field, she doesn't feel like it would be a good fit. Now, I could be way off about seminaries and divinity schools in the USA, I have been wrong before! So please correct me if I am wrong!!! As for the interdisciplinary studies or religious studies or whatever, these are merely options and they appear to be good ones for my need and lack of languages. Please know, I am taking everything on board and I am really grateful for everyone's advice.

One of my other Professors did his PhD from Pretoria and he highly recommended it as well, I think I have seen someone in the Faculty with a PhD from Stellenbosch as well... Cannot remember. Yes, I am glad it worked out for him and a South African PhD is not my goal at all, I was merely pointing out that depending what people want in life, what goals they have, and what standards they set for themselves, things can be achieved. And to your question about suicide, would the better metaphor be career abortion? Seeing you are harming it before it even begins? Hmmmm

Yes, but here, people have actually recommended programs and directed me to schools I had not considered or did not know about. Also, at TheGradCafe, no is posting articles or comments about the decline in academic jobs, why going for a Phd is a foolish venture, or just generally questioning my desires and motives behind wanting to be a scholar and educator just because I said "I cannot see myself doing anything else with my life". So yes, the advice is the same, but more focused and the negativity is lacking to my delight.

Yes I am. I didn't really find any of the feedback helpful or the advice insightful, and generally, the tone was completely negative towards a person interested in a career in scholarship and teaching. I am not saying everyone had that view, but I jumped over here because I had seen people be a bit more open, sharing, caring, and helpful. Plus, I felt safer sharing my journey here, so people can see a fuller picture.

Thanks for the advice Joseph! Probably the programs that have interested me the most is the Masters in Interdisciplinary Studies that feature Classics, Languages, and Religious Studies. The featured at the University of Oregon sounds really good: http://classics.uoregon.edu/programs/graduate-program/interdisciplinary/

I am looking into Oregon's.

That is really my game plan Macrina. I do not have visions of ivy league glory and top tier placements. I think I am a decent scholar and professor in the making. After redeeming my Bachelor's with my Honours and now Masters, I think I am onto a good thing, but I am nothing special. I can admit that. Thanks for your advice, very insightful.

My professor down under who is supervising me got his PhD from the University of South Africa, cost him like $3000, and if anyone questions his credentials and just gives them the cold shoulder. He really is an amazing academic and a well published scholar. He is happy as can be teaching in his little office, lost in a huge humanity department, but so long as he loves what he does, he is happy. As he says, "You don't have to go to Harvard to be a happy academic."

Well it appears the second masters is becoming the clear winner... but where and what? Can anyone speak to Kansas or Missouri or another grad school they can recommend?

Just to correct a few things and flesh out, but thank you so much for replying! Firstly, the Apostle Paul and his activities are my main area of interest, to narrow it down, I am really interested in the opposition Paul faced throughout his career and in a wider sense, the legacy Paul left in which Paul could praise him and curse him. A lot of my research and thesis has its basis in the work set by F. C. Baur and the "Two Mission" thesis, and with modern scholars like Gerd Ludemann, Michael Goulder (RIP), David Sim, Ian Elmer, James Tabor, and a lesser degree Francis Watson and Eung Chun Park. However, I also have an interest in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark and what sort of Christianities they may represent, but Paul is my main focus. I hope that helps. To explain the Honours Degree, I am going to just link to Wiki, I know shocking that a budding scholar would recommend such a link but it does flesh it out well: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honours_degree. Basically it almost like a "second" degree "attached" to your first degree. The Honours Degree is stand alone and can only be achieved by the production of a thesis, usually 10000 - 15000 words in length. In my experience the year was broken up into two main parts, part one was methodology and literature review in which I took a few classes on producing such things at this level but spend the main about of time exploring my own methodology and producing a literature review related to my thesis, and then part two, the bulk of the thesis research and argument. My Masters of Theological Studies that I am doing now, is multi-mode, in which we have online classes but also seminars and intense classes every couple of weeks. At the moment, I am working with a GPA 6.90 out of 7.00. So a big turn around. My classes are: The Gospel of Matthew, The Pauline Literature, Social Justice and World Religions, and The Philosophy of Research Methodology. Second and final semester I am taking: New Testament Christology, Sacraments and Sacramentality, and Special Studies (my choice and producing a 10,000 word thesis on a topic). I will have this Masters completed around September this year, which is at the time (Obama willing), after I have my Visa interview and I am approved, I will go to the United States of America. My fiance is not with me, she lives in Kansas and is awaiting me there. After I marry my fiance, I will become a "Resident Alien" and eventually "Permeant Resident", hence the name wink*wink*. From what the various universities have told me, this counts me as a Resident Application, as if I was a US Citizen. To Latte, I have looked at the University of Kansas and it does look like a very promising program. They do have an M.A. Program in Religious Studies and a lot of students who need Greek and Latin I have been told "sit in" on the classes and take it on their own time, and in the second year of the program, if they can prove they are up to it, they can take the Masters Level Greek and Latin subjects towards there degree. Johnson County Community College also teaches Greek and Latin, so I have considered starting there for a year, then bridging into KU's MA Program. Missouri State University has also recommended that same course of action. However, I have seen various Divinity Schools and Seminaries that offer Greek, Latin, and Hebrew in there MA programs with no prior languages needed. So... lots to take in and lots to process.

Perhaps do a post-grad certf. in Education and teach Religious Studies and Ancient History at High School.

Thanks for the direction.

Hey all members of Grad School Cafe! I am wondering if I can get some insight and advice from people... Straight up, my goal is to be a professor and scholar of the New Testament and Christian Origins. I want to be an academic, a teacher, and a scholar in the field. Yes, yes, yes. Before you warn me, I have read and heard it all. I know the job market is cut throat for academics at the moment, I know competition for placements within divinity schools and religious studies programs is tough, and I know there is not a lot of opportunities for me after I complete my studies and achieve my PhD eventually. Maybe I am delusional or just plain stupid, but I really cannot see myself doing anything else. It is what I want to devote my life too. I love education, I love scholarship, I love writing, and I love the exploring the world in which a backwater group of marginal Jews from Palestine grew to be the dominate religion of the Roman Empire in merely three centuries. I do not want to sound like an academic brat that things he "deserves" to be an academic and professor, as I know it is a deep privilege to be respected as a teacher and a scholar, but frankly I do not day dream of a high office in an ivy league university. I would be just as happy working in a community college, a state university, or private college with a pay cheque coming in week to week, so long as I was surrounded by colleagues who encouraged my work and students who engaged with the classes before them. An ideal dream perhaps, but as my aunts, uncles, brothers, and parents all work in education in one way or another, I guess you could say it is in my blood and I have raised on the power and privilege that education brings and gives. However... I have not had the best of times when it comes to this academic path, this what I need you help with. Allow me to explain. When I was an undergraduate, I began my Bachelor's of Theology at the Australian Catholic University. In my first two years, I was rocking my GPA, getting high praise from my professors, and working very hard on my on time to take in all the knowledge I could. However a deep lose struck me in my third year with the death of my grandmother, which was unexpected and quite shocking. Rather then being emotionally mature and seeking the aid of my professors, I foolishly avoided classes and just accepted failures for my assignments. Thus beginning my downward path... I then changed universities to Charles Sturt University and begin my studies as an Anglican Priest, which was what I desired to do with my life at that time. However, the university was dramatically different to my previous one and I loathed my time there. I was dirt poor as well, so I had to juggle working crazy hours into the night at a MacDonalds, along with seminary church training, as well as academics. By the end of the year, my GPA was trashed, my faith in God and the Church destroyed, and to top it all off one of my closest friends in another seminary program related to the university killed himself, this was the last straw and I said to hell with it all and I postponed the degree completely. I decided it was time to grow up and "get a real job", which I did for three years, working as a manager of a jewellery store, yet that was very unrewarding and in time, I felt drawn back to my academic life. I finished my degree via distance education with good grades and received my Bachelor's Degree with mediocre results, no biblical languages, and no shining scholarship. While being an agnostic now, I still loved reading and reviewing whatever pieces of literature came out, like Crossan's new work or Ehrman's. Seeing what debates were going on the SBL forums, and seeing what some of my favourite scholars were cooking up next. While I did not have faith, I had a desire for knowledge, and I knew I wanted to be an academic in the field. Wanting to be an academic now, I set my goal on that and started contacting various universities. All of them looked at my transcripts and might as well have laughed me off the phone or through their emails, apart from one professor from the University of Newcastle. I spoke with him over the phone and he was extremely impressed with how well read I was, how up to date I was on the scholarship in the field, and how many ideas I had when it came to Christian Origins and the New Testament. He told me to send in what I considered to be my best essay, I did, and he called me back within the hour and said he would fight for me to be accepted as an Honours Student. I do not know if you are familiar with Honours Programs, but it an extra year students are invited to take in relation to their Bachelor's Degree in which they produce a thesis of 15,000 words. I was accepted into the program and spend the year working hard on this thesis, being on "The Honour and Shame of Circumcision in 1 Corinthians within the Jewish-Roman Matrix". I received First Class Honours for my thesis, which basically the summa cum laude of Australia. I am not trying to blow my own horn, but after how low I was before, it was quite the feat to go from what in America would be a GPA of 1.00 to summa cum laude. In the mean time, I met a wonderful girl from Kansas, who stole my heart and we began a long distance relationship and eventually, I asked her to marry me. We are currently undergoing the process of the K1 Visa and we will be wed in September, where I will move to America and be with her. With one year left in Australia, I decided to take advantage of Australia's 'free' education system, and enrolled into a Masters of Theological Studies program that I could complete in a year. I have been rocking that as well, and will hopefully finish that program by the end of the year almost with great marks as well ready for grad school in America... However... this is the kicker, I still do not have any biblical languages under my belt. My undergrad years at ACU and CSU offered Greek and Hebrew, but they were in my low points so I failed both of those classes, and in my Masters program this year Greek or Hebrew was not being offered. I have emailed around PhD programs I have liked the look of but all understandably require extensive backgrounds in the biblical languages. It had been suggested I do another Masters, this time taking the time to focus on the languages and perhaps mix it up with more Old Testament studies as well or Classics or just Ancient History in general. I am at a lose and I do not know what to do, where to go, what expect from programs in the United States, not to mention the GRE. Can anyone offer some insight? What programs? What ways to go?

Hey all members of Grad School Cafe! I am wondering if I can get some insight and advice from people... Straight up, my goal is to be a professor and scholar of the New Testament and Christian Origins. I want to be an academic, a teacher, and a scholar in the field. Yes, yes, yes. Before you warn me, I have read and heard it all. I know the job market is cut throat for academics at the moment, I know competition for placements within divinity schools and religious studies programs is tough, and I know there is not a lot of opportunities for me after I complete my studies and achieve my PhD eventually. Maybe I am delusional or just plain stupid, but I really cannot see myself doing anything else. It is what I want to devote my life too. I love education, I love scholarship, I love writing, and I love the exploring the world in which a backwater group of marginal Jews from Palestine grew to be the dominate religion of the Roman Empire in merely three centuries. I do not want to sound like an academic brat that things he "deserves" to be an academic and professor, as I know it is a deep privilege to be respected as a teacher and a scholar, but frankly I do not day dream of a high office in an ivy league university. I would be just as happy working in a community college, a state university, or private college with a pay cheque coming in week to week, so long as I was surrounded by colleagues who encouraged my work and students who engaged with the classes before them. An ideal dream perhaps, but as my aunts, uncles, brothers, and parents all work in education in one way or another, I guess you could say it is in my blood and I have raised on the power and privilege that education brings and gives. However... I have not had the best of times when it comes to this academic path, this what I need you help with. Allow me to explain. When I was an undergraduate, I began my Bachelor's of Theology at the Australian Catholic University. In my first two years, I was rocking my GPA, getting high praise from my professors, and working very hard on my on time to take in all the knowledge I could. However a deep lose struck me in my third year with the death of my grandmother, which was unexpected and quite shocking. Rather then being emotionally mature and seeking the aid of my professors, I foolishly avoided classes and just accepted failures for my assignments. Thus beginning my downward path... I then changed universities to Charles Sturt University and begin my studies as an Anglican Priest, which was what I desired to do with my life at that time. However, the university was dramatically different to my previous one and I loathed my time there. I was dirt poor as well, so I had to juggle working crazy hours into the night at a MacDonalds, along with seminary church training, as well as academics. By the end of the year, my GPA was trashed, my faith in God and the Church destroyed, and to top it all off one of my closest friends in another seminary program related to the university killed himself, this was the last straw and I said to hell with it all and I postponed the degree completely. I decided it was time to grow up and "get a real job", which I did for three years, working as a manager of a jewellery store, yet that was very unrewarding and in time, I felt drawn back to my academic life. I finished my degree via distance education with good grades and received my Bachelor's Degree with mediocre results, no biblical languages, and no shining scholarship. While being an agnostic now, I still loved reading and reviewing whatever pieces of literature came out, like Crossan's new work or Ehrman's. Seeing what debates were going on the SBL forums, and seeing what some of my favourite scholars were cooking up next. While I did not have faith, I had a desire for knowledge, and I knew I wanted to be an academic in the field. Wanting to be an academic now, I set my goal on that and started contacting various universities. All of them looked at my transcripts and might as well have laughed me off the phone or through their emails, apart from one professor from the University of Newcastle. I spoke with him over the phone and he was extremely impressed with how well read I was, how up to date I was on the scholarship in the field, and how many ideas I had when it came to Christian Origins and the New Testament. He told me to send in what I considered to be my best essay, I did, and he called me back within the hour and said he would fight for me to be accepted as an Honours Student. I do not know if you are familiar with Honours Programs, but it an extra year students are invited to take in relation to their Bachelor's Degree in which they produce a thesis of 15,000 words. I was accepted into the program and spend the year working hard on this thesis, being on "The Honour and Shame of Circumcision in 1 Corinthians within the Jewish-Roman Matrix". I received First Class Honours for my thesis, which basically the summa cum laude of Australia. I am not trying to blow my own horn, but after how low I was before, it was quite the feat to go from what in America would be a GPA of 1.00 to summa cum laude. In the mean time, I met a wonderful girl from Kansas, who stole my heart and we began a long distance relationship and eventually, I asked her to marry me. We are currently undergoing the process of the K1 Visa and we will be wed in September, where I will move to America and be with her. With one year left in Australia, I decided to take advantage of Australia's 'free' education system, and enrolled into a Masters of Theological Studies program that I could complete in a year. I have been rocking that as well, and will hopefully finish that program by the end of the year almost with great marks as well ready for grad school in America... However... this is the kicker, I still do not have any biblical languages under my belt. My undergrad years at ACU and CSU offered Greek and Hebrew, but they were in my low points so I failed both of those classes, and in my Masters program this year Greek or Hebrew was not being offered. I have emailed around PhD programs I have liked the look of but all understandably require extensive backgrounds in the biblical languages. It had been suggested I do another Masters, this time taking the time to focus on the languages and perhaps mix it up with more Old Testament studies as well or Classics or just Ancient History in general. I am at a lose and I do not know what to do, where to go, what expect from programs in the United States, not to mention the GRE. Can anyone offer some insight?