Marcion

None of the NT people have been asked for interviews yet if people are wondering.

I was chatting with one of my professor's today and Stanford called him and my two other advisers. Apparently they are interested in me and wanted to know more. I am taking this as a good sign, but trying (and failing) not to get my hopes up.

I would also look into GWU's program. It has a pretty impressive faculty list within the realm of Islamic studies: https://religion.columbian.gwu.edu/master-arts-islamic-studies

I was wondering if people could give me some insights into Ph.D. programs in American History. My training and background is in Religious Studies but I have moved more into American History but still with a heavy focus to religion. I am looking at American History Ph.D. programs and looking for ones that have interest in religion. Some schools I have contacted that advised me to look to more Religious Studies departments. Any recommendations? I am mostly interested in the American Revolution and the Great Awakening.

One of the issues I am funding with going with the Ph.D. in History as opposed to Ph.D. in Religious Studies is that a lot of the faculty I have contacted assume I am a religion only person and simply say "we are not that interested in religion" or "we do not specialize in that field." In other cases it has been an asset because they have said "you would bring something unique/different." Just depends who, where, and what.

They have just hired someone, announced last week, Dr. Yil-Jan Lin (Ph.D. Yale University) at Yale Divinity School http://www.psr.edu/portfolio/dr-yii-jan-lin/

That is a good piece of advice. I did this myself and sadly, in this new environment the common features are Harvard, Yale, UNC, Standford, Brown, UVA. There are exceptions but the market is just tough for everyone. I would also look at Community College teachers, and see what schools they have in common and such. More than anything, you want to find out what there placement and funding is like. Also, if you are married and have children, find out what they get as well. I have a horror story of a friend of mine's partner getting sick and the university did not cover her, so they were out of pocket for a lot of money.

Coming from Religous Studies and Religious History, I can tell you that the brand your degree is associated with matters. Now, your brand is two things. One, it is the name of the school on your degree, but it is also the names of the scholars you studied under. Almost naturally, the top tier schools and the ivy league has the best of both worlds, but there are plenty of schools that have amazing scholars. One of my teacher's, Kenneth P. Minkema is a good example of this. Minkema went to the University of Connecticut for his Ph.D. Not that Connecticut is a bad school, but being a New England school, this is the same part of the country that had Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, etc. But he went there because Harry S. Stout was there at the time. Stout got his Ph.D. from Kent State University of all places, but was becoming one of, if not, the best authority on New England Puritans, Jonathan Edwards, and the Great Awakening in the country. So Minkema went to study under Stout. Now they are both teaching at Yale University. While the brand can help, Minkema and Stout in my meetings with them have really emphasised the need to work with the best in the field. So if Texas A&M has a person or people you are dying to work with and are scholars people respect, that can go a long way. But I also agree that publishing and presenting quality work is really going to matter the most in the long run.

I have not! Any recommendations?

I am a MA History of Christianity student at Yale Divinity School, focusing on American Religious History. I am currently taking a class with Harry S. Stout on American Puritans and Jonathan Edwards and have been fascinated by the connections between the Puritans, the First Great Awakening and the American Revolution. I was wondering if people could offer me some insights or advice. There is an intensive class being offered over the summer at Yale on the American Revolution (4 weeks, 5 hours a day, 4 days a week) and I would really love to take it. Sadly, being a Summer School class it is unfunded and it costs $3800. Does anyone know of any groups, societies, funds, or people who might be able to help? If anyone has any advice or insights into these sorts of matters, I would love to know!

Hey guys, I am a Student at Yale Divinity School in the MAR History of Christianity program (Religion in North America focus). Over the summer there is an intensive class being offered on the American Revolution. Being a summer class, my scholarship does not cover the cost, which is $3700. I have contacted the financial aid but sadly there is nothing available for me in my situation. I have been reaching out to different historical associations and asking about scholarships, grants, and funding but once again I am having no luck. I am wondering if anyone has any advice, experience, or insights into helping me. Anything would be great.

I emailed Stephen Prothero about BU and he basically told me not to bother due to the job market... Nice and encouraging...

I have friends at Claremont who adore the school, the faculty, and their learning but are facing a massive amount of debt. The school is in big trouble when it comes to funding. One of my friends at Claremont got a his tuition waivered but no stipend, another two got 50% scholarships, and one is looking at full fee paying.

Yes, David Holland would be great but Harvard is... well Harvard. I am going to give it a crack but I am going to try and be realistic (not that any Ph.D. program is easy to get into). As for Utah State, they seem to have a center for Mormon Studies which is open to PostDocs and such, but I cannot a Ph.D. program there that does History/Religious Studies.

American History High School Teacher. Education is just too rooted within me.

@Donstantine10 I am from Australia, there were a lot of things that jarred me but most of it is the same. I was offered a roughly 75% scholarship from Yale in the MAR program. Pretty much everyone I have talked to you got about that as well in the MAR program. I know two people who got full rides and that was because (so it seems) they had impeccable GPA scores and glowing letters of recommendation but they also came from stellar undergrad schools such as Bard and Harvard. I have not met a single M.Div who got a full ride. Most of them seem to have gotten 50 to 75%. If someone dig, I do not know them but then again, I do not really hang out with many M.Div students. In terms of why Yale, it was for two main reasons. I got into Emory, the University of Kansas, Claremont, Missouri, Duke Divinity. Despite Yale being one of the more expensive schools, they offered me the most in terms of funding. So that was a good sign. They also had an amazing ground of faculty members, scholars I had been reading for years and wanted the opportunity to work with. But not only that but Yale's brand name really called me as well because.. well it's Yale! In terms of getting into a solid Ph.D program, I knew all of these factors were going to really help me. In terms of the Divinity school its self, we are removed from the main campus, which has its pros and cons. We are a small community of all different sorts (Christians from all dominations, other religion faiths, as well as non-religious people as well). The Divinity School is still Christian and is not as pluralist as somewhere like Harvard, but it does welcome a variety of people. There is a divide between the MARs and the M.Divs, not a serious one, just generally they take different classes. What is also great is that you can take classes "down the hill" at the main campus, including the Humanities department, Law School, and more. One of my mates who is an M.Div who wants to focus on Human Rights is taking a class at the Law School and loves it. Our food is also pretty decent at the cafeteria (you get $500 a semester to spend via your tuition on your student ID card). New Haven is an interesting place to live... there is a huge wage gap in the city, and while Yale is stunning, go down a few streets and you will be faced with horrific poverty (can be a bit jarring). The cost of living is high here as well but not as high as other places. I am still happy with my choice.

I go to Yale Divinity if you have any questions.

M.Div, you will be fine. As for funding, as a student at Yale Divinity School who came in last year, talking with close friends over coffee, it seems that most of the M.Divs got 50% to 75%. All of the MARs got roughly 75%.

Amen to that.

Dr. Wenger has told me this, but I value your emphasis. The main thing I have been told to make sure that the school is actually interested in and the faculty wont bully you to do something else.

Yes, that does look promising. I am planning to look further into it and have contacted the school for more information. Will let you know!

That is the challenge I am finding, however, something I am discovering if that plenty of faculty members are "interested" in Mormonism but do not have expertise in the area. It is a bit tricky negativing it all. Claremont looked promising but Dr. Mason has informed me that it has little to no funding. UVA seems like the best bet so far. Dr. Wenger has told me that if the school would allow an interested person in Mormonism, then a lot of it might just have to be up to me to research. Another solution might be an American History program that allows people to research American Religious History, such as the University of Utah, George Washington University, University of Missouri, University of Kansas, etc. I have contacted Dr. Givens but no response yet. Yes, I did consider that UVA and Richmond were close by! Dr. Flake tells me they have a really good working relationship.

Thanks menge. Dr. Wenger is my academic advisor actually She is great. I have not spoken to her about this just yet, but a few clear choices have emerged: Harvard, Yale, Claremont, the University of Virginia, the University of Utah, and the University of Southern California is developing a program as well.

I have recently made the switch from Biblical studies within my MAR program to the History of Christianity at Yale Divinity School. What has really gotten my attention lately has been early Mormonism and the transformation of Mormon thought over the years. I am aware Claremont has a PhD that allows you to focus on Mormonism (with Patrick Mason), and UVA has Kathleen Flake but does anyone else have any recommendations or schools I should look into? I am also not LDS.

For what its worth, I was rejected by HDS but accepted by YDS and love it there.