JDD

@DivSchoolHopeful1942 You have a very good chance at getting into those programs - but funding may be hit or miss. The MTS is will be significantly more competitive than the M.Div - but your background and academic experience could set you a part in a good way. I would try to be very clear on what type of research you are interested in and what work you've already done to bolster your perspective.

@slicer765 Yes everything you mentioned, but my source (a current mdiv there) would probably say it has more to do with the conservative faction in the UMC believing Duke should be one thing while progressives believe it should be something quite different. Also, there has been more than one account of minority students feeling less than welcome. Although I said this already, I’m not a student there. This is all word of mouth and should not be taken as gospel.

Speaking as an Mdiv student at PTS, I think you could find everything you are looking for here, so long as you feel the funding is adequate. That said, Duke also has an excellent reputation and placement record for Mdivs looking to do doctoral work in top tier programs. I’ve heard their div school is in a major state of transition that has left both sides feeling isolated and powerless. It could be overblown, but it could also be a legit red flag. Assuming money makes no difference, I would focus on which faculty members could best prepare you to do the type of doctoral research you aspire to. If you have specific questions about PTS, feel free to DM me.

I would also love to know what others have to say about this - I'll be in a similar situation. I would also like to know whether languages (similar to the GRE) every improve your application in terms of competitiveness. Or are they only used to eliminate applicants who don't meet the requirements?

I'm currently an MDiv student at Princeton Theological Seminary and a bit of a homer at that. It isn't the right school for everyone, but it might have some things of interest to you. The number one advantage is the ability to take graduate level courses for credit at Princeton University (the two schools have reciprocity but are not formally related). This means you could take public policy classes, graduate level german classes, or whatever else you can convince the registrar to allow (which in my experience is almost anything). Additionally, you might be interested in the National Capital Semester for Seminarians - description below: "This spring semester-long, intensive program of study in ethics, theology, and public policy is offered through Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington DC. The National Capital Semester for Seminarians (NCSS) is open to M.Div. students in their middler year and to dual-degree students in years two or three. NCSS brings together seminary students from accredited theological schools across the country for a combination of classroom experience, field visits, and internships. It offers seminar-style engagement with a changing array of questions in public life, exposure to those involved in policy formation, implementation, and critique, and the opportunity for hands-on experience in one of the wide range of organizations doing research, advocacy, and implementation. Participants retain their enrollment at and pay tuition to Princeton Seminary during the program, and are eligible for financial assistance. Housing and meal costs are paid directly to Wesley Seminary and students bear their own costs for books, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses. Students who apply and receive admission into the program will postpone their academic-year field education placement until their senior year." Also the financial aid is great. Not sure what tradition you are coming from, but PC(USA) students receive 100% scholarships that cover tuition. Let me know if you have any questions.

@xypathos I was hoping you would chime in! @Nate_jitsu11 you are in very capable hands.

No, not sure if that is possible in any of the programs mentioned. Generally concentrations are offered in MA(TS) or ThM programs.”

As I have been told many times, your chances of getting into the MA vs. the MDiv at the programs you mentioned are very different. (MDiv programs tend to be significantly less competitive in admissions.) That said, I think you have a good chance of getting into any of the MDiv programs listed. If you want to become an Episcopal priest, there are very specific requirements you will want to keep in mind from the outset. There are others on this forum who can speak to the specifics more directly, but at the very least I can say that any non episcopal seminary/divinity school you attend should satisfy the church’s “Anglican year” requirement. I go to PTS and we have plenty of episcopal students who are on the ordination track and are able to satisfy this requirement through the MDiv program.

@betsymercury I think you would have a decent chance of being accepted into the M.Div program at any of the schools you mentioned. If you're looking at MA programs, it will be more difficult - as these programs focus on creating scholars, not pastors. Moreover, your GPA could hurt your chances of getting large scholarships - which may or may not matter. I can't speak to whether undergrad GPA plays a large role in PhD applications - especially in light of the fact that you will have a more recent (M*) academic transcript. That said, you might have multiple masters degrees before you are ready to apply for a PhD, putting your undergrad record even further into the past.

FYI - The deadline for Princeton has already passed and every class appears to be filled.

This thread is cracking me up because, if it were possible to post this same thread topic 60 years ago - “is Harvard safe for Catholics?” - I assume you would get the same answers but for completely different reasons. Some things never change? My two cents: I agree with what everyone (especially @sacklunch) has said already. If you go academic - and want to do seriously catholic political thought, BC is better. And if you go non-academic and want to do something in the, let’s call it ‘religious’ as opposed to distinctly secular, political world then your team would probably prefer BC than Harvard. As previously mentioned, those who know religious higher education know HDS is not Harvard in the strictest sense. I encounter this going to PTS - which is even further removed from PU than HDS is from Harvard. The one point I will slightly disagree with is how an HDS degree might be perceived outside of academia. In my experience, people who don’t know better would prefer to believe you went to Harvard full stop, rather than a less competitive subset of the university. It makes for a better story if the recruiter can say they hired a Harvard grad. Still, I haven’t even graduated yet so take this with a grain of salt. Im primarily relying on my years in the corporate world before going to seminary.

@sktlab PTS is in a bit of a lockdown as everything is switching to an online format for the rest of the semester. I’ve also heard that non essential staff have been asked to work from home - all of which could delay admissions decisions.

I am assuming ThD - I will try to find out.

I know of one Duke NT phd acceptance who is waiting to hear back from another program - in case someone here is on the waitlist for that sub field. My understanding is that if they are accepted at another program, they will decline the Duke offer.

@NTGal If you are on the waitlist, you should hear back pretty soon (1 week or so).

Yes, but not at the same time. Also, not sure if every concentration is required.

This is a nit picky question: is it more likely that they check your social media before or after an interview? As in, does the social media screening process affect your ability to get an interview? Or would it come after the interview? I ask because, with such a common name, I don’t know how they would determine which social profile is mine without first seeing me in person/on skype.

@xypathos What if your name is "ungoogleable" - as in, it is so common, they would have great difficulty determining whether they have found the right person? Is this good/bad? Before graduate school, I worked in digital marketing where one's personal brand/online presence was heavily scrutinized - one of many reasons I fled that industry - so I'm hoping I don't have to begin the work of creating an online persona in order to get into a PhD program.

@PonderingPerson400 I know one PhD candidate who is currently working on his dissertation, and while he has a background in religious ethics - I don't believe he or his faculty advisory committee is explicitly analytic/continental or really anything. I definitely can't speak for all of their students, but his dissertation would just as easily fit into a Religion & Society or even Patristics concentration. Hope this helps.

For those waiting on Biblical Studies decisions from PTS, I've been told interviews are happening this week and next week, and decisions will be released Feb. 21 - with waitlist notifications coming a bit sooner.

@NTGal Admissions to PTS's PhD programs vary widely between disciplines and within the same disciplines from year to year. I've heard of some students still in their M* program being asked by faculty to apply for PhD studies when they graduate. Their experience is going to be far different from someone who has never attended/met their faculty person. For NT - who do you want to work with? That would help determine what you might expect.

@NTGal Sorry - I should have prefaced by saying that I'm in my second year of an MDiv at Princeton Seminary. So a lot of the core requirements (practical theology/ethics/homiletics) aren't directly related to Biblical Studies, but might still fall under the umbrella of religious studies. This is why I'm not sure whether there is any benefit to taking these classes for letter grades, or alternatively any harm in taking them pass/fail.

I have a somewhat random question. As someone who has decided to pursue a NT Phd, does it matter if I take classes pass/fail outside of NT? That is - is it better to "guard" my GPA by eliminating the risk of lower grades in classes outside of NT (by taking classes pass/fail instead of for a letter grade), or is it better to try and score well in every class, regardless of discipline?

@xypathos Thanks, as always. I guess I’m just trying to make the best of a weird situation. Adding a second degree appears to be common - perhaps due to some being declined to a PhD program on their first round of applications. If not the MTS, what other degree might be useful? I’m primarily interested in a NT/Early Christianity PhD.

For personal reasons, I won’t be able to pursue a PhD after completing my M.Div for at least 3 years. During that time, I would like to do everything possible to improve my chances of being admitted to a TT PhD program. I am wondering if an MTS from a place like Harvard is worth completing. Looking at recently admitted NT PhD students to TT programs, I realize a second M* degree is becoming somewhat normal - if not expected. So the question is, if I were admitted to HDS MTS with reasonable financial aid, would it the best use of my time in the intervening 3 years before I could apply to PhD programs? Note: I single out Harvard solely because I will likely be in Boston during the 3 years, but if I were somewhere else with a MTS, the question remains the same