Early Christianity MA program with financial aid?

[sankuan]

So I've spent some time digging around and don't have a clue right now. My interests are in second temple Judaism/Early Christianity, but the problem is I discovered that interests quite late in my undergraduate career, so I have absolutely no knowledge on any of the languages. But I've taken about five or more courses on that topic. Still, I feel like it would simply be a waste of time to apply for phd right now. 

I am starting one language course in my final year; developing a writing sample through independent research with my professor.

Can anyone recommend a MA program that offers funding that can at least cover up the tuition? I would greatly appreciate your help. I know the program at Norte Dame offers full funding, but how competitive can that program be? 

[sacklunch]

That's a tough one. Without any languages and with so few courses you will have a hard time getting into fully funded programs. As you mentioned, go ahead and apply for ND's Early Christian Studies program; it's very competitive though. You might check U of Arizona's MA in Classics (or similar programs that don't require language work), which are known for giving full rides; possibly University of Kansas's MA in Religious Studies, which I think can also come with full funding. I would suggest you do a post-bacc in classics (e.g. at UPenn), but none of them to my knowledge come with any funding. You may also look into the big name divinity schools: Harvard and Yale are known for good funding (Princeton Theological is also known for good funding, but since it is technically unaffiliated with the University I would steer clear unless you have some interest in theology--I assume you don't because you didn't mention it); Duke and Chicago and known for not giving much money. You could stay at your current school for an extra year and taking an ancient language, but even this may not be enough to get into a fully funded MA. Or alternatively, if there is a local community college that offers Greek or Latin, you could do a year or better yet two before applying to fully funded MAs. I should also mention what may or may not be obvious to you at your stage: it is very rare for anyone to get into a decent (i.e. funded) PhD program in religion with a focus in ancient religion without a) at least one masters degree and b) without substantial language coursework (usually at least one ancient language at the advanced level and another at the intermediate; and at least reading proficiency in one modern language, usually German). If you hope to make it into a good/funded PhD program, you need to focus as much as possible on languages. Do not even consider an MA program that does not allow you to focus largely or even solely on languages (unless of course it is fully funded--but even in that case be prepared to do another masters before applying to PhD programs). Good luck my friend. 

[NTAC321]

Hi there,

 

@sacklunch makes several good points above. I think you, like most everyone in our field, will need a rigorous MA program before applying to PhDs. Ancient languages are the bedrock of our field, and you won’t get any consideration from PhD programs without them. It seems like you already suspect this is the case, but I want to emphasize this point due to the time and money needed to apply for PhD programs. Wait a couple (or three) years after a masters degree.

 

The following programs don’t usually come with full funding (unless you go to a prestigious undergrad institution and have a great GPA + recommenders), but they typically offer strong packages:

 

Harvard Divinity School - they have good faculty for both STJ and NT/AC, with a later focus for both (i.e. second-fourth centuries C.E.).

 

Yale Divinity School - Yale has some strong connections and a history of really good placement in PhDs (I’d say a majority of my friends in STJ and NT PhD programs went to YDS). They also have an optional third year of MA study, and I think the third year is funded? I’m not sure.

 

Vanderbilt Divinity School - I know they can give really competitive funding offers and they have some strong faculty. Also, Nashville is a great place to live for a couple of years.

 

Kansas, as @sacklunch mentioned, also has a terminal MA in religious studies with really good funding. The University of Washington at Seattle has an interesting MA program, as well. Not sure about your ideological commitments, but these are the major non-theological programs that have funding. Most MA programs with money tied to them are situated in Christian theological institutions (divinity schools, schools of theology, etc), though some (e.g. Harvard) are more pluralistic than others (Princeton Seminary).

 

You should apply to a handful of places if funding is a priority, since you never know what you’re going to get. Other options might include Boston University School of Theology, Princeton Seminary, Emory’s Candler School of Theology, Boston College School of Theology, etc. Oregon State and Tulane also have funded MA programs in Classics, as do others, I’m sure, and you could get a lot of language prep there.

 

Hope this helps. Best of luck.

[sankuan]

On 10/12/2018 at 10:27 PM, sacklunch said:

That's a tough one. Without any languages and with so few courses you will have a hard time getting into fully funded programs. As you mentioned, go ahead and apply for ND's Early Christian Studies program; it's very competitive though. You might check U of Arizona's MA in Classics (or similar programs that don't require language work), which are known for giving full rides; possibly University of Kansas's MA in Religious Studies, which I think can also come with full funding. I would suggest you do a post-bacc in classics (e.g. at UPenn), but none of them to my knowledge come with any funding. You may also look into the big name divinity schools: Harvard and Yale are known for good funding (Princeton Theological is also known for good funding, but since it is technically unaffiliated with the University I would steer clear unless you have some interest in theology--I assume you don't because you didn't mention it); Duke and Chicago and known for not giving much money. You could stay at your current school for an extra year and taking an ancient language, but even this may not be enough to get into a fully funded MA. Or alternatively, if there is a local community college that offers Greek or Latin, you could do a year or better yet two before applying to fully funded MAs. I should also mention what may or may not be obvious to you at your stage: it is very rare for anyone to get into a decent (i.e. funded) PhD program in religion with a focus in ancient religion without a) at least one masters degree and b) without substantial language coursework (usually at least one ancient language at the advanced level and another at the intermediate; and at least reading proficiency in one modern language, usually German). If you hope to make it into a good/funded PhD program, you need to focus as much as possible on languages. Do not even consider an MA program that does not allow you to focus largely or even solely on languages (unless of course it is fully funded--but even in that case be prepared to do another masters before applying to PhD programs). Good luck my friend. 

Thanks so much for the suggestion. I am an international student, and going into graduate school on early christianity had never been on my mind until my junior year. I guess I should have figure out my interests earlier.... 

[psstein]

You might want to consider Emory's Candler School of Theology. I recall them having a decent funding package when I visited their campus in 2016. 

[toby42]

The Notre Dame ECS is an excellent program that sounds perfect for you, and it's fully funded (last I checked), but it's also pretty competitive. But's it can't hurt to apply (https://classics.nd.edu/graduate-students/ma-in-early-christian-studies/). Plus, you are interested in PhD, there's a perfect program for your interests as well:

https://theology.nd.edu/graduate-programs/ph-d/areas-of-concentration/christianity-and-judaism-in-antiquity/

Edited October 16, 2018 by toby42
Correction