Febronia

That's a fun question....! By the end of our current degree? (I don't even want to think about how log the list could be by the end of a PhD!) Syriac-3 years Greek-2 years Coptic-1.5 years Classical Armenian-1/2 year Latin-high school, have continued to use it as a research language since, but no formal coursework I can read French with ease and German with (very) frequent reference to a dictionary.... What I really need now is Arabic. Hopefully over the summer....I've been scared off by the fact that most places require you to start with modern. I don't want to learn how to speak it! I just want to read theological texts.... Of course, while doing research in China last summer, I also discovered (rather to my own dismay!) that China is really very interesting. What a terrible realization! Now I may have to break down and learn Classical Chinese at some point..... But mostly I need to keep working at Syriac, pick up Arabic and Sogdian and Garshuni, and do quite a bit more Armenian...And if I decide to be responsible and stop getting distracted by pretty, shiny things (Ethiopic! Old Udi!), then I should really do a good deal more Greek also...

I still haven't heard anything either. I keep thinking about calling, but then wonder if there would be any point. If they received it, they received it. If not, then I will just be frustrated and sad, but I don't think there is anything to be done about it.... But I'm a bit relieved to know that someone else hasn't heard back from them also. If you call them, do let me know!

Well, this won't break the tie for you, but all of the professors I have had in both undergrad and grad school have said that they don't care which style we use as long as we pick one and use it consistently. (Definitely no combining styles in the same paper! Which I know from working in a writing center is surprisingly common...) Obviously journals all have their preferred format, but for a writing sample I really don't think it matters as long as you cite things correctly according to some recognized system.

This certainly varies a great deal by school. Most (not all) of the more competitive doctoral programs in early Christianity will expect you to have an MA/MTS/MDiv before applying, and there will still be usually two years of coursework upon entering the doctoral program. People who don't already possess an MA are often awarded one after the coursework and exams portion of the doctorate is completed. While there are some programs that will allow you to be exempt from coursework on the basis of a previous degree, it's not terribly common. Most programs still want you to take classes in their department, with their faculty. Which, on the whole, I think is a great thing. One of the more unfortunate aspects of academia (I think) is that we often force people to specialize way too quickly, and I really think that there is a lot to be said for just playing in the sandbox of coursework for as long as you can get away with it! I'm currently working on my third degree in theology and only now applying for doctoral programs for the first time...which in one sense is a little absurd (8 years of theology classes?!? with another 2 to go?!?), but I don't remotely regret it. I've gotten to study with so many different interesting people, and have stumbled upon completely new research interests that I never would have discovered if I had settled upon a pathway sooner...

Well....I actually did an M.Phil. in ecumenical studies before the M.Div., which is pretty much equivalent to an MA. That's pretty unusual, though. Applying to both and weighing your options is never a bad thing, but I think I would still probably recommend the M.Div. first if you are sure you want an M.Div. at some point. Most M.Div. programs require a certain amount of introductory coursework, which you would probably find frustrating if you had a previous master's degree in a related area. (I must confess that I certainly did....) And you would most likely need the M.Div. since you want to be ordained, whereas with the MA, it might be best to wait and see whether you felt the M.Div. had given you sufficient preparation in early Christianity or if you still wanted more.

I thought I would start a new thread for those of us who applied this year, since there was one last year, even if this may not get used much until next semester. I'm wondering, though, whether anyone else has received the confirmation that their application was received? The application materials say in one place that you should call after 15 days if you haven't (which have passed), but in another place of the application it says 15 business days (which have not yet passed). Of course, this is the same application that says three times to submit originals and 2 copies of the application materials, and says two times to submit the originals and 3 copies of the application materials. All within the same document. Seriously... I'm thinking that perhaps I should call next week, but I don't want to nag them. (And if for some reason they didn't receive it, I don't know that there is anything to be done about that anyway....)

I'm not actually convinced that the MA would have you on a better track for the PhD. It looks like their program is normally only 1 year, and while you can stretch it out to 2 years, it's only by going part time. One year is not very long to prepare for doctoral programs. You would need to be applying during your very first semester of the program! Also, while their website doesn't say this (based on a brief glance, anyway), my suspicion would be that there would be more financial aid available through the divinity school, since departments of religion very often reserve most of their money for their doctoral students. Even with the six introductory courses, since the MTS prorgam is 2 years long you would still get to take more non-introductory courses than you would in the MA, and if you're able to opt out of some of them, so much the better! And a two year program would give you more time to get to know faculty and a full year's worth of grades at the graduate level by the time you are applying for doctoral programs, both of which would certainly be a great help...

I think your best bet would be a very flexible M.Div. program. Some programs have so many requirements that you don't have many electives, but other programs (such as Harvard, where I am currently an M.Div. student) are much more flexible. If you go in with a clear focus and choose your electives accordingly, you can still end up with very solid and extensive preparation in early Christianity through the M.Div. Most programs will require a certain amount of coursework in that area anyway, in addition to theology. Now, admittedly, I am quite possibly the strangest M.Div. student ever, focusing on Syriac Christianity, with smaller amounts of Coptic, Armenian, and Byzantine stuff, and I haven't taken any ministry related classes beyond the required ones. But you wouldn't have to go to that extreme (!), and could still put together an M.Div. program that was very focused in a particular area.

I don't think that making contact with professors is at all expected of an M.Div. applicant. I didn't do so (and was accepted everywhere), and don't know of anyone else who did so before applying. I'm sure this various by school, but usually doctoral applications are read first by faculty in your area of interest, who decide whether to pass them on, and M.Div. applications usually go straight to an M.Div. admissions committee. Thus even if you want to work with specific faculty members, they might not even see your application, let alone be in a position to influence things. At this point, the biggest advantage in contacting faculty members would be simply if you weren't sure about applying somewhere, and were trying to decide if a school would be a good place for you. If someone gives you different advice about a specific school, by all means listen to them. But in general, I haven't heard of M.Div. applicants being expected to write to faculty members or to choose an advisor. Usually your advisor will be assigned to you based upon the general field of interest you indicate.

I must confess that I hadn't actually realized that they had started a doctoral program, but it looks like it might be a very good fit for me. I have a previous master's degree in ecumenical and interfaith relations, and religious pluralism is an emphasis of their program. And they have cross-registration with CUA, so that I could still take seminars on awesome Syriac figures like Narsai while having a broader context for that work... Definitely a real possibility to consider...Thanks for the suggestion!

Okay, I'll bite instead of waiting for someone else to go first! I think I'll be applying to (in alphabetical order): CUA, Duke, Harvard, Marquette, Notre Dame, and Yale. I study Syriac Christianity, and am especially interested in the 5th-9th centuries. (However, I'm mostly looking at programs that would give me a very broad foundation in historical theology, both because I have pretty wide, interdisciplinary interests and because I might actually want a job someday, and only being an expert on early medieval Syriac Christianity is not particularly marketable!) I'm currently finishing up a master's program. This will be my first (and hopefully only!) round of doctoral applications, but we'll see how things go...