Fall 2021 MTS

[Sleepless in skellefteå]

Just accepted my offer from HDS and will decline the offer from Chicago tomorrow. I feel a little sick to my stomach about declining a really great school that gave me a fantastic offer. I also have a paranoid fear that Harvard suddenly will inform me that a mistake was made and that I was not really admitted, as part of some really strange moral lesson from the universe. Anyway, I hope that this can help someone get admitted to Chicago or get increased funding!

[LakeSuperior]

Anyone hear from Yale yet? MAR results are supposed to be out today.

[Joey_Jawad]

8 minutes ago, LakeSuperior said:

Anyone hear from Yale yet? MAR results are supposed to be out today.

Nah still waiting.

[MaryHildegard]

There was a BU accepted students day today and I know if it had been in person everyone else would go have lunch with their friends and partners and I’d be at the Comm ave Subway/convenience store being sad as hell and sitting on a bench eating by myself and then taking the trolley home and being sad. I hope I get rejected from Yale because I know if I got in I’d feel obligated to go there for prestige reasons but then I’d have to come home every weekend so I wouldn’t be lonely, and Amtrak tickets aren’t cheap. I’m just worried everyone else is already going to have friends and I’m going to be spending thirty minutes on the train to hang out with people I met when I was 15.

[Chicago Guy]

Yale results are up. Accepted.

[LakeSuperior]

8 minutes ago, Chicago Guy said:

Yale results are up. Accepted.

Congrats!

Make that two. Funding emails will be out this afternoon.

[MaryHildegard]

Rejected from Yale, but I didn’t want to go there, so I’m fine with it.

I have zero interest in attending Catholic University but come on, give me a decision already. 

 

[Joey_Jawad]

Just got an email informing me I got full tuition for Yale. I'm immensely grateful but without a stipend I'm not sure I can be persuaded to live in New Haven over Boston (which I know is an insanely superficial reason but there it is.) Could someone please kindly educate me on why Yale is often ranked higher(at least on this website)/considered better suited for a phD preparation than HDS?

Edited March 15, 2021 by Joey_Jawad

[Chicago Guy]

Full ride at Yale as well. Would be curious to hear how people stack them up against ND in ethics. My inclination remains that ND is tops but I’d like to hear the argument for Yale. 

[RaraAvis]

Accepted at YDS with scholarship as well!

@Joey_Jawad I would also choose Boston over New Haven, but I prefer the program at YDS because I think it's better suited for my concentration/field (arts).

Edited March 15, 2021 by RaraAvis

[RaraAvis]

3 hours ago, MaryHildegard said:

There was a BU accepted students day today and I know if it had been in person everyone else would go have lunch with their friends and partners and I’d be at the Comm ave Subway/convenience store being sad as hell and sitting on a bench eating by myself and then taking the trolley home and being sad. I hope I get rejected from Yale because I know if I got in I’d feel obligated to go there for prestige reasons but then I’d have to come home every weekend so I wouldn’t be lonely, and Amtrak tickets aren’t cheap. I’m just worried everyone else is already going to have friends and I’m going to be spending thirty minutes on the train to hang out with people I met when I was 15.

Is there a facebook group you can join for admitted students? Maybe you can introduce yourself there and chat with people before school starts!

[LakeSuperior]

Near-full tuition scholarship from Yale (94%). Just when I thought I was Duke-bound, here I am reassessing my direction. All said, I'm very grateful.

40 minutes ago, Joey_Jawad said:

Could someone please kindly educate me on why Yale is often ranked higher(at least on this website)/considered better suited for a phD preparation than HDS?

Following on Joey's coattail, I'd love to hear thoughts on how Yale (MARc) ranks for PhD prep compared to Duke (MDiv).

[True_hope]

1 hour ago, LakeSuperior said:

Near-full tuition scholarship from Yale (94%). Just when I thought I was Duke-bound, here I am reassessing my direction. All said, I'm very grateful.

Following on Joey's coattail, I'd love to hear thoughts on how Yale (MARc) ranks for PhD prep compared to Duke (MDiv).

I just want to drop some quick comment on the question. I had two master's degrees (Th.M and M.div) in different schools. However, every degree was designed for the specific academic purposes. For example, MARc or Th.M were developed by academic interests for nurturing scholars. However, M.div and MTS were designed for ministers. In particular, M.div is more general degree for ordination over various denominations, but MTS is originally developed by Methodist tradition to ordain deacons  not for elders. If you belong to Methodist tradition, you may recognize the differences between deacons and elders. 
Therefore, M.div and STM (MTS) might be considered for the pre-step for D.Min or other ministries. 

MAR, MARc, MA.x, amd Master of Theology are more proper to pursue Ph.D or Th.D. 

 

Edited March 15, 2021 by LUCASH

[Chicago Guy]

1 minute ago, LUCASH said:

I just want to drop some quick comment on the question. I had two master's degrees (Th.M and M.div) in different schools. However, every degree was designed for the specific academic purposes. For example, MARc or Th.M were developed by academic interests for nurturing scholars. However, M.div and MTS were designed for ministers. In particular, M.div is more general degree for ordination over various denominations, but MTS is originally developed by Methodist tradition to ordain deacons  not for elders. If you belong to Methodist tradition, you may recognize the differences between deacon and elders. 
Therefore, M.div and MTS might be considered for the pre-step for D.Min or other ministries. 

MAR, MARc, MA.x, Master of Theology, Master of Sacred Theology (STM), Master of Theological Studies (MTS) are more proper to pursue Ph.D or Th.D. 

 

You really think that's true in practice? Notre Dame's MTS program is a PhD feeder.

[True_hope]

Just now, Chicago Guy said:

You really think that's true in practice? Notre Dame's MTS program is a PhD feeder.

You are right, Notre Dame and Boston College's MTS program have a same posture because both are Catholic schools. I suggests a generic guideline for differences among many degrees. MTS and STM could take both track (ministry and doctoral program). However, as you know, M.A. in Theology and M.A. in Early Christianity at Notre Dame are inclined to Ph.D. rather than M.Div.  

[LakeSuperior]

43 minutes ago, LUCASH said:

I just want to drop some quick comment on the question. I had two master's degrees (Th.M and M.div) in different schools. However, every degree was designed for the specific academic purposes. For example, MARc or Th.M were developed by academic interests for nurturing scholars. However, M.div and MTS were designed for ministers. In particular, M.div is more general degree for ordination over various denominations, but MTS is originally developed by Methodist tradition to ordain deacons  not for elders. If you belong to Methodist tradition, you may recognize the differences between deacons and elders. 
Therefore, M.div and STM (MTS) might be considered for the pre-step for D.Min or other ministries. 

MAR, MARc, MA.x, amd Master of Theology are more proper to pursue Ph.D or Th.D. 

 

Thanks for your description. That's also my understanding, in principle. I just wasn't sure if there was a difference in practice, considering how a sizable number of PhD scholars arrived there via an MDiv. My goal is neither formal ministry nor academia, but somewhere in the middle, so either M* could possibly push me that direction.

[True_hope]

14 minutes ago, LakeSuperior said:

Thanks for your description. That's also my understanding, in principle. I just wasn't sure if there was a difference in practice, considering how a sizable number of PhD scholars arrived there via an MDiv. My goal is neither formal ministry nor academia, but somewhere in the middle, so either M* could possibly push me that direction.

In particular, I barely have seen doctoral students who only hold one M.Div in NT or Hebrew Bible study. This is because they cannot absorb enough language trainings through one degree program... I saw some students have three or four M*degrees such as M.Div, MA in Near Eastern Study, MTS or Th.M... and have a strong capacity in Greek, Ancient and Modern Hebrew,  Akkadian, Arabic, Aramaic, etc. If you want to pursue Ph.D in privileged schools (Full tuition+Stipends at least for 5 years), one masters degree might not be enough to get in..   

[FrancesHa]

Hi everyone! I’ve been following this thread for a bit, but decided to finally comment. I’ve been waitlisted for Yale MAR theology, and just wondering if anyone has any insight on the waitlist process for Yale? I’m really hoping to get accepted as Yale is my top choice. Congrats to everyone who has been accepted to their programs so far, and good luck to those still hoping to get their top choices.  

[FrancesHa]

Also, sorry for the double post but wanted to share somethings I’ve gathered from professors I’ve had. I did my undergrad at UT Austin and many of my professors have an MDiv degree from Harvard, and all continued at Harvard for their PhD. They hold their MDiv degree from Harvard in the highest regards and loved the program. Harvard was a top choice for me as well, as my professors really encouraged me to go, but Yale seems to have a better program for me since I’m wanting to study how religion is portrayed in modern media (I double majored in religious studies and radio tv film for my undergrad). Hope this helps for anyone thinking about the MDiv from Harvard. 

[Joey_Jawad]

2 hours ago, LUCASH said:

If you want to pursue Ph.D in privileged schools (Full tuition+Stipends at least for 5 years), one masters degree might not be enough to get in..

I think I've seen plenty of doctoral students at top phd programs with just one MA or MTS or MDIV but the degree inflation(?) seems to be a real phenomenon because my TA this summer at Harvard said that of his cohort at the committee for the study of religion, half had 2 masters degrees or more so.. yeah... tough market out there?

[_Athena_]

More than two master's degrees seems crazy to me. You have to ask yourself at which point the academia is just not worth it...there is life outside the ivory tower.

[Chicago Guy]

I would be very interested to hear first-hand accounts from current or former Yale MARc students of the PhD application process (successes/frustrations). Please reach out on DM if that is you and you're wiling to share. 

[Impostor]

15 hours ago, LUCASH said:

In particular, I barely have seen doctoral students who only hold one M.Div in NT or Hebrew Bible study. This is because they cannot absorb enough language trainings through one degree program... I saw some students have three or four M*degrees such as M.Div, MA in Near Eastern Study, MTS or Th.M... and have a strong capacity in Greek, Ancient and Modern Hebrew,  Akkadian, Arabic, Aramaic, etc. If you want to pursue Ph.D in privileged schools (Full tuition+Stipends at least for 5 years), one masters degree might not be enough to get in..   

The majority of doctoral students I know in NT or HB/OT have one masters degree

[notpartofyoursystem]

1 hour ago, Impostor said:

The majority of doctoral students I know in NT or HB/OT have one masters degree

Same--and a sizable number of those degrees are MDivs. (This is at top tier schools with full funding packages.)

[Deep Fried Angst]

1 hour ago, notpartofyoursystem said:

Same--and a sizable number of those degrees are MDivs. (This is at top tier schools with full funding packages.)

Those of us with two often did an MA and another degree, resulting in closer to the hours of an MDiv. Also, degrees from non-academic focused seminaries tend to be full of not PhD preparing courses (Foundations in Missions, Vocation of Ministry, etc.) so multiple degrees can be needed to get all the courses one needs to be ready. Thus the MDiv + Thm method for some when the MDiv didn't have a lot of room for upper level electives in HB/NT and Second Temple if one is in the biblical studies area of things.