oudeis

Some insider information for those applying to PhD programs in New Testament this cycle: The U of C Divinity school is most likely going to be taking two NT students this year. Two students in one year is rare for the U of C. Last year one person was admitted but that person opted to go another program and no other offers were extended and in the previous three years before that only 2 total students were admitted. So two in one year is a big deal. Both slots would come with the new standard funding package which includes 5 years tuition, about $20K stipend per annum for 5 years, and health insurance. Good luck, all.

This is my experience with language expectations for Anc. Chris. and NT. If you are applying to PhD programs you should know that various programs will define proficiency differently. Greek proficiency for a colleague of mine at Princeton was based off of a test which covered 3 documents (selected in consultation with the examiner) from the NT. Greek proficiency at other schools is determined by grades earned in coursework. Greek proficiency at Chicago means passing an exam which in the first section covers the whole NT by sight (no lexicon) and in the second covers 50 Oxford Classical pages of Classical (Plato, Aristotle, Xenophon, etc.) or Hellenistic Greek (Philo, Josephus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Apostolic Fathers, etc.) (lexicon permitted). I know this last one intimately since I studied for and took it twice (a painful, searing experience, but worthwhile in hindsight). Likewise, modern language exams vary by program. A friend at Rice in NT has to translate an article in his field to be deemed proficient in German/French. Another colleague has to pass a German/French research reading course. Another has to pass a university wide exam (administered to all students in Humanities programs) for German/French. Some programs will expect NT students to be able to take Greek courses along with grad students in Classics while others will expect students to focus specifically on the NT and closely related texts. Some programs will demand German and French secondary sources be read for qualifying exams and others won't. Generally speaking, the more rigorous the program the more language skills are required of the student. That being said, very few people, the freak geniuses alone, enter into PhD programs requiring 4, 5, and 6 languages fully proficient in all of them.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but for those who have applied to the U of C NT program this year there will be no new admissions. The one person who was offered admission declined the offer and will go elsewhere. There is no waitlist this year. This is bad news for you all and for the program in general. One reason is that Margaret Mitchell was recently named the new Dean of Divinty effective July, 2010. So her ability to take on new students is pretty much gone. Again, sorry to bear ill tidings. Good luck to you all.

I think that a few important aspects have been overlooked in this little debate. I do not doubt that great training can be obtained from lesser known programs at lesser known institutions and sometimes the "fit" at these places make going there the best choice. However, there is a difference in the rigor demanded by programs and professors. Compare the language examinations at places such as Princeton, Duke, UChicago, and Yale and even among these there is a broad spectrum of what is required of the student (e.g. Princeton actually has the easiest Greek exams of these four while UChicago has the most difficult). Then compare these exams to the those from lesser known programs and the gap is notable. Also, you must compare the comprehensive/qualifying exams, oral exams, qualifying papers, etc. to determine 1) what kind of training you will be receiving 2) what is demanded of students and 3) the kind of career you will be prepared for (not every PhD student is trained for, desires, or is cut out for a research institution type career). This is not to say that lesser known programs may not have very exacting exams etc., but during my 5 years of grad student life (2 yrs MA, 3 yrs of PhD, many more to come) I have learned that such programs are pretty rare. I am not criticizing the lesser known programs or the students in them, I am just saying that there is more to the issue than mentors and names.