Search the Community

Hello Everyone! I'm looking to apply to some M.Div programs next Fall (2019) and need some advice regarding what schools would be a good fit and what my chances would be of getting into them. I've spoken with a couple of professors at a few different schools, but I'm hoping that this forum could help fill in the gaps. My criteria are the following: 1) Generous funding (*highest priority) 2) Solid academic reputation that would increase chances of getting into a funded Phd program in Theology/Historical Theology 3) Not hostile to conservatives (I'm a progressive evangelical of sorts) 4) Not evangelical (I'm really interested in more mainline theology--Neo-Orthodoxy, Post-liberlism, etc.) 5) Not in Texas or Florida : ) Relevant Info on Myself: B.A. - Pastoral Leadership & Biblical Exposition - 3.8 GPA M.A. - Executive Leadership (Business) - 3.9 GPA Research Interests: Contemporary/modern theology, existentialism, theology of Karl Barth/Emil Brunner, nature of Christian revelation, pneumatology Career Goal: professor, writer, pastor Current Career/Experience: Completed two ministry internships, substitute teacher at a high school, currently head of sales and marketing for a small start-up Current Church/Theological Affiliation: I'm attending an evangelical Presbyterian church (EPC), although my theology aligns much more with mainline Protestantism Programs I'm Interested In (order of interest): 1) Princeton Theological Seminary 2) Yale Divinity School 3) Boston University School of Theology 4) Candler School of Theology 5) Union Presbyterian Seminary

Hey all, Starting this thread to help each other and let one another know where we applied, got accepted, denied or wait-listed. Also feel free to provide any other information such as funding, choosing one school over another, reasons why rejecting etc. Here is my list of applications and updates so far: USA Yale Div - MARc Philosophical Theology/Philosophy of Religion (waiting) Duke Div - MTS (accepted w/ 25% funding) - any idea how to get more? Wake Forest Div - MDiv (rejected) - was surprised to find out I was rejected BU SoT - MTS (waiting) Canada Wycliffe College (UofT) - MTS (waiting) Regent College - MTS (waiting) UK U of Oxford (Wycliffe Hall) - MTh (waiting) U of Cambridge - MPhil in Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion (waiting) U Of Edinburgh - MPhil (waiting) U of St. Andrews - MTh (rejected) I'm also an international student, graduating with a B.A. in Theology from the historic Moody Bible Institute (Chicago, IL) Any ideas of funding available for international students? The idea of a loan kind of scares me. Best of luck everyone!

Dear Gradcafe Community, This is my first post as a newly registered member of gradcafe. I have followed several threads here and found helpful advice, so I thought I would try my own question. I am going into the final year of my M.Div. program, hoping to continue on to a Ph.D. in patristics. But I have a dilemma. I am not sure whether I would be a very viable candidate for a top-tier Ph.D. program and am wondering what to do. I say this for a couple reasons. First, my languages need some work. I have about four years of Greek between undergrad and divinity school, but it is almost exclusively in Koine. I will have one year of Latin, but will need to work on that. And, I have yet to learn French or German. Furthermore, I have almost no background in classical studies/ancient philosophy (excepting my own independent study). And finally, both of my degrees are from evangelical institutions. On the upside, I have extensive coursework in the history of Christian thought and have taken several graduate seminars on patristic figures in particular. I also have strong LOR's from profs with good connections to some of the schools I am applying to. With all of this in mind, should I go ahead and apply for competitive Ph.D. programs in early Christian history/theology or should I take a couple years to do a funded M.A. that will allow me to work on my languages and fill the lacuna of classical studies/philosophy background? Furthermore, if I do apply to doctoral programs and am rejected, will this negatively affect my chances if I apply after having completed an M.A. to the same programs? I apologize for the length of this, but wanted you to have the specifics. To make this already lengthy question even more tedious, here are my stats: B.A. from Christian liberal arts college (3.94 GPA) M.Div. from evangelical divinity school (3.97 GPA) GRE: 730V/760Q 5.0 Greek (NT) 4 years Biblical Hebrew 2 years Latin 1 year Spanish 2 years