kor_to_nola

I'm a current student, and I work at one of the offices of VDS. I'm happy to help you. I'm also happy to tell you our recent funding packages have been higher than before. Give me a personal message.

Divinity Schools tend to have higher admitting rate over other graduate programs. I would thought recommend you to cast your net bit wider. Schools differ on what kind of student they are looking for. Look through their websites, email and try to talk to current students to get the feel of what each school seems to be looking for. If you can show them you are a competent applicant through other measures, like SOP, references, resume, etc., a school that fits your criteria will pick you up.

I would believe you to be already in good shape. The key would be to come up with a good SOP, and to have it match with your application materials like CV, recommendation letters etc. Every school has different focus and measure, so make sure you check them out. I would also recommend to look further and deeper around, since there are lots of Middle Eastern departments. One thing I would ask is that, what are you exactly wanting to do after you get the degree? Do you want to go into the academic field of Critical academic study of Islamic history or Modern Islamic history and international relations? Or do you want to do work for Muslim non-profits? I'm not well versed around Islam topics and studies, but I would imagine an academic research job and a non-profit job to be very different fields which would require very different skill sets and knowledge. This also has great impact on how you should present yourself as an applicant, since it has effect in how you form your SOP story. If you want to do Muslim non-profit, simply describing what you've been doing, and presenting yourself wanting to do similar work in the future would suffice, but if you want to do research work, then that would take some extra thinking to make your non-profit work experience and research work as a coherent trajectory. If you want to do non-profit work, then finding a Divinity School that could offer you some training opportunities might be more crucial. Applying to Divinity schools will probably be your best bet, since they have lower admissions competition, more scholarship, and often times lower tuition rates compared to other MA programs that are held within Middle Eastern Graduate Schools. When you look for programs, make sure to look at their course offerings, the actual amount of courses offered might be different, and may not meet your needs.

PTS would definitely keep your living expenses lower if you could live in one of their own housing apartments. On the other hand, you might be able to enjoy the diverse religious conversations outside of Christianity and various course offerings from Harvard outside of HDS. I've heard good stories from HDS folks that they have enjoyed taking courses outside of HDS. I know that PTS does have an agreement with Princeton U where you could take some classes, but I would think that process has much more limits compared to the gig at HDS. Also if you are looking to be ordained, check to see how both schools help out with that process.

Congratulations! I did not get into UChicago However, I was admitted to Vanderbilt Divinity School with Full Scholarship, but no stipend. just waiting for other schools!

Well, just received a status update from Duke Div. I've been accepted to their ThM program. The letter doesn't include scholarship details, and they normally don't fund ThM students. They do select one international ThM student for a full-tuition scholarship, and I hoped they would select me as one. Not sure if that email would come later or not, but I'm thinking about emailing them for that information.

Hello everyone, since the PhD thread has started, thought that I might should start this one. I am applying for a mix of 2 year and 1 year programs. 2 Year degrees: Yale MARc, Notre Dame's MA in ECS, UChicago MA, Vanderbilt MTS 1 Year degrees: PTS ThM, Candler ThM, Duke ThM I'm an international, so I'm trying to finish them before priority deadlines. I originally attended a Southern Baptist seminary for a ThM, but decided to take a leave of absence and move schools. I realized that I have grown out of my fundamentalist background and want to experience different education at a different background. Wishing best of luck to everybody!

I'm almost in the exact same boat as you. I'm in the process of moving schools currently. From what I have heard and from the information that I've gathered, getting accepted to those one-year programs is not really the issue. In fact, with that kind of GPA, I am almost sure that you will get in. The problem will be scholarship.

I get why you are contemplating, but this is hands down UChicago. Harvard's reputation is definitely glamorous. But among religious studies and theology academia, Chicago's reputation is just on par, if not better in certain fields over Harvard. Just consider what kind of stress you'd have to handle with the extra amount of costs in Cambridge, MA. I don't know much about Feminist Theology specifically, but Chicago will prepare you with just about any field. Yes, Schüssler-Fiorenza and King, they are big names, and if I were in your place, I would also be contemplating. However, I'm not sure exactly what you plan on after your M* degree, but reputation of a single scholar does not affect your career in the long run. It's better to have a faculty member with a warm heart supporting you, and guiding you through your studies. A lot of PhD grads and junior faculty members on this forum have given similar recommendations in terms of reputation of the school and faculty members.

Hebrew Bible Programs prioritize extensive knowledge and coursework in various languages. For this reason, it's not unheard of to pursue 2nd M*. Actually, it might have been getting more popular in recent years. I personally am seeking to pursue NT and Early Christianity PhD, and I've chosen to pursue a 2nd M* for more coursework in languages. After talking with faculty members, PhD students, and some folks in this forum, I personally give you the following few advices. Don't get into debt for grad-school. When finishing your 1st M* degree, apply to few PhD programs along with 2nd M* degrees. Among Top Tier Divinity schools, some of them offer highly customizable or concentrated MTS or MA degrees. These degrees usually require 48 hours, and only 3 or 4 classes are required core courses, then the rest is customizable with your focus of studies. Yale's concentrated MAR is a great example. Consider these options as your 2nd M* degree. To my knowledge, Duke, Vanderbilt, HDS, YDS, and UChicago offers M* degree highly customizable. Some schools say they offer "concentrated" M* degrees. But make sure you check their Course Requirements. After searching through extensively, I have noticed some of them require almost 20 hours of core courses, then 3 or 4 in Thesis, leaving only 6 to 8 courses to your own choice. You could go to programs with ThM or STM. But note that ThM and STM degrees usually come with very small amount of scholarship. Some of these will say you can finish in 1 year, but that differs by every school. Hebrew PhD programs will require you to get extensive knowledge not just in Hebrew, but also other languages. Some of those are Ugaritic, Akkadic, Aramaic, Syriac, etc. Greek is also a given. When applying to a 2nd M*, make sure you go to a school that would offer variety of language courses.

Well in that case, I would guess that your own experience will greatly serve for your partner! If you do have any specific questions about East Asian countries, then PM me.

I understand what you are saying. I am glad to see two Americans showing interests to live internationally. Do you guys have experience living internationally? When you do have the opportunity, I would recommend you to give it a try for a short period of time like one or two years. Making a long-term move is definitely a big step. Also consider what type of language your target country might speak. As an international myself, I just wanted to clearly tell you what religious education looks like in the rest of the world. The rest of world, at least Asia, leans toward theological education over religious studies. Korea is one of the most advanced nations in Asia with religious education, and only handful of schools have well respected religious studies program. Other institutions with certain level of scholarship are confessional institutions looking for theological education. I'm not sure what exactly you expect with interfaith dialogues, do you mind sharing some details? Do you mean interfaith dialogues between different religions, like Christianity and Buddhism? Or different traditions and denominations within similar religions, like a dialogue between Catholics and Protestants in Christianity? If you mean the former, then I would advise your partner to be extremely cautious. Not a lot of countries are used to hearing interfaith dialogues, as to the point of having civil war in certain countries. Again, I'm glad to see you guys showing interests, but international space is not the most safe place to do interfaith dialogues. If your partner already has the experience, then I may be speaking non-sense to an expert, but I just wanted to chime in and give my piece of advice.

TST Grads seem like they have a better chance at American institutions. But they are not much known in Asia. I can’t speak for Europe, but I would guess that Oxbridge grads are better represented in Europe. For international schools, you have to take note on what denomination or tradition those schools come from. At least to my judgement, most schools in Asia and Africa are confessional institutions. Religious studies is big in America and maybe Europe, but certainly not in other parts of the world. As Chicago, along with other Top-Tier institutions, they are well-known institutions, with a great track record for being Professors in Religious Studies, and that is definitely true for international schools also. However, if you don’t come from a similar tradition or denomination, certain international schools will not take you. A lot of international schools in Christian tradition usually take their own graduates with PhDs from well respected US, UK, or German institutions. What is your reason of interests for UK schools? Shorter time? Prestige and great history? Higher acceptance rate? If you aim for American positions, I don’t think spending longer time in a doctoral program isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Well funded PhD programs are safe places to grow your prospect, skills, knowledge, and connections while you are young.

Thank you. Thank you for the details. Didn't know certain schools had denomination houses. I'm trying to consider options for PhD, which will be different than M* level students, but this is very helpful to discern what type of effort is necessary.

Was this situation on a full-tuition + stipend?

Hi, I just wanted to see what kinds of situation students are in when it comes to high cost of living. At first thought, schools in Boston, NY or California area come into my mind. Seems like graduate housing & health insurance is usually the biggest two factor that affects your living conditions. If you do go to a school in a big city, what kind of elements do you enjoy in your funding, and do you find that to be enough? If not, what are you doing to fulfill the gap in your finance?

I've also heard horror stories on PhD from UChicago. Not just the length of the program, but also the amount of stress going through it. Wonderful scholars seem to come out of it, but some of them have said those few years were some of the most painful periods of their life. If you have a great connection with somewhere in the US for a possible hire, then maybe go with the Austrian route. If not, with the job market being so tight, maybe it won't hurt so much to go to Chicago to take more than 6 years to finish

Div School MTS admission is known to be quite easy. PhD is where things get serious. Also contrary to your belief, div schools are also becoming very diverse. It is true that many religious circles are hostile towards LGBTQ communities, but some schools are trying to place safer environments. A philosophy major from a good liberal arts college will always be helpful for studying religion. In fact, I might even say it’s better to study philosophy in undergrad than going straight to religious studies in undergrad. Wishing you the best of luck!

Wow thanks for the info. What a bad time for an amazing institution

I would definitely email their office. But I also want to ask, why just Yale? Why not some other schools?

Does anybody know what’s happening with Vanderbilt’s NT and Early Christianity program? AJ Levine retired, and now Segovia seems to be their only professor. Any news on what’s happening with their program in the future?

I also come from a denomination who would get some eyebrows raised if I said I graduated from PTS, YDS or Notre Dame. If Fuller and Beeson are decent for your decision, why not other evangelical schools? Like DTS, TEDS, or even George W. Truett by Baylor? (Although I'm not sure if they have chaplaincy) Are you trying to stay around Cali? If location is not your problem, consider schools in other location. Biblical Inerrancy is a hindrance, but I do see quite a few PhD folks from TEDS, GCTS, and DTS over in Top Tier schools. If you come from an evangelical school, then try to show your diversity and openness to academia through academic writings, your SOP, and some other elements in the application process. If you are wanting stay within your denomination, consider UK schools also. UK PhDs come across acceptable(even honorable) around conservative denominations. Some well respected conservative professors come with UK PhDs. They are expensive, but consider it. An adequate route would be then to go into M.div, possibly do a ThM from one of those prestigious Top-Tier schools, then go into UK.

I'll first answer your question without giving my own advice. SBTS, Wheaton, Fuller, DTS, TEDS, GCTS is probably your list. Also look into Canadian schools. Now, before you consider them, think of these following questions. 1. What do you want to do with this degree? Are you looking for pastoral work? Do you want to go Academia? 2. Is money your problem? 3. Wherever you are placed with denomination affiliations, make sure to consider if your employers are ok with those schools. 4. Are you aiming to do any kind of interdisciplinary studies? If you want to do any kind of interdisciplinary studies, then Seminaries can't help with you that much 5. Are you ok with the political, social, and religious direction of those Evangelical Seminaries? 6. Are you wiling to sign a confession agreement from those schools? Also in my opinion, Southern Baptist Schools and other Evangelical schools are treated entirely different. I've seen graduates from TEDS, GCTS, DTS, FTS go into Top Tier PhDs, but not that much from SBC schools to Top Tier PhDs. Consider your options wisely.

You'll have to go to Evangelical Seminaries & SBC seminaries. University based religion programs mostly fund their Ph.D candidates, so they are looking for strong full time students. Most Evangelical Seminaries look for students eagerly, so they try to meet the needs of their students. What are your goals after Ph.D? If Academic is your path, I wouldn't recommend going into a program that is fully online. The online programs are just not that competitive. If pastoral work is your thing, and you want to stay at a church and also fulfill education, look for evangelical seminaries.

Not applying this season, but I'm looking forward to how the PhD cycle goes post-covid. I'll eventually apply for NT PhDs