Jump to content

Applying to both the Phd and Thd programs at Duke.


Simbbo

Recommended Posts

It seems there is not much difference between the Phd and Thd programs at Duke.

Do you think applying to both the programs is a good idea? 
My concern is that the admission committee may see applying to both the programs as a sign of uncertainty. 

of course, it will not be a problem if there is no overlap between the Phd and Thd admission committees. 

Any thought? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

(Disclaimer: I am still an undergraduate and have not applied to any schools yet)

On the face of it, it sounds like this should be fine, unless there is somewhere on the departmental website explicitly discouraging applying for both. If you feel that both are truly relevant to what you want to do, you should be able to write strong SOPs for each, and with a good SOP the committees probably won't see applying to both as a sign of uncertainty (if they even notice).

May I ask what your proposed area of interest or research topic is? That may affect which one of the programs is a better fit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was talking this week to a friend who did a ThM at Duke. He made it sound like the faculty there actually encourages applying to both programs.

However, I've also been told that you'd want to submit a significantly different SOP for the ThD as compared to the PhD. The reason for this is that they're really looking for ThD applicants to be interested in interdisciplinary work. So if that seems like a good fit, it probably doesn't hurt to apply to both.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was accepted into Duke PhD in Religion (HB/OT). This is my first semester. When I applied I was actually directed by my faculty contact to apply to both—it ups your chances and they do not look down on it. One of my classmates who was denied for the PhD (NT) actually got in the ThD; needless to say he is happy. As for mechanics: my SOPs were largely the same but I did do some tweaking of the language. I didn't have all the same letter-writers for both degrees either, which meant that they got to see more than just the 3 required.

Edited by JDHomie
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, JDHomie said:

I was accepted into Duke PhD in Religion (HB/OT). This is my first semester. When I applied I was actually directed by my faculty contact to apply to both—it ups your chances and they do not look down on it. One of my classmates who was denied for the PhD (NT) actually got in the ThD; needless to say he is happy. As for mechanics: my SOPs were largely the same but I did do some tweaking of the language. I didn't have all the same letter-writers for both degrees either, which meant that they got to see more than just the 3 required.

Thank you! This settles the discussion. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was a ThM student at Duke, they encouraged people to apply to both. I did not because at that time the ThD stipend was far far lower than the PhD stipend. Not sure how it is today. I'd also say having a ThD instead of a PhD hurts your marketability when applying for jobs. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use