Master's Degrees in the Old Testament (Top Instuttions)

[Gravda]

I am wondering what institutions offer MAs in the Old Testament/Semitic languages, that have extensive amounts of Hebrew exegesis, ancient near eastern backgrounds, and even cognate languages (Ugaritic, Akkadian, etc)?

I have found very few programs that offer this kind of rigor/coursework on a master's level.  It seems like that you can't get to this level unless its on a PhD. Here's the ones I've found/am aware of. Any others? I'm giving a list of what I've found, but many may not meet what I am looking at (a pre-doctoral program you could go into straight from undergraduate; with possibly some Hebrew coursework in between).

https://www.tiu.edu/divinity/programs/master-old-testament-semitic-languages/ - Probably the best one I've found, but the financial troubles at school concern me.

https://semitics.catholic.edu/academics/graduate-programs/master-of-arts/index.html 

https://www.sebts.edu/academics/masters/MA_Research/MA-old-testament.aspx (not considered "prestigious" or "reputable" far as I'm aware).

https://nelc.sas.upenn.edu/index.php/hebrew-judaic-studies Think they have an MA, not just a PhD?

https://www.gordonconwell.edu/degrees/mats/ I think this degree would fit the academic rigor/reputation requirements? Believe that this previously offered program was folded into it?

https://divinity.yale.edu/academics/degree-and-certificate-requirements/concentrated-master-arts-religion-mar/hebrew-bible

https://www.brandeis.edu/near-eastern-judaic/graduate/masters/index.html

https://catalog.wheaton.edu/graduate/biblical-theological-studies/biblical-exegesis-ma/#requirementstext

Trying to focus on schools that would give education to prepare for academia, not necessarily pastoral ministry. Feedback on these programs I've found? Any reputable programs that I've missed? Any of these not what I think they are?

Also interested/willing to hear about PhD programs that have a master's degree en route (as long as one could go directly from undergraduate). 

Sorry for dumping all of this. Don't expect detailed review of all of these links. I'm just trying to see if I am looking at the right places/thinking about the right kind of programs and any of them stand out as good options or bad choices. 

 

 

[xypathos]

6 hours ago, Gravda said:

I am wondering what institutions offer MAs in the Old Testament/Semitic languages, that have extensive amounts of Hebrew exegesis, ancient near eastern backgrounds, and even cognate languages (Ugaritic, Akkadian, etc)?

I have found very few programs that offer this kind of rigor/coursework on a master's level.  It seems like that you can't get to this level unless its on a PhD. Here's the ones I've found/am aware of. Any others? I'm giving a list of what I've found, but many may not meet what I am looking at (a pre-doctoral program you could go into straight from undergraduate; with possibly some Hebrew coursework in between).

https://www.tiu.edu/divinity/programs/master-old-testament-semitic-languages/ - Probably the best one I've found, but the financial troubles at school concern me.

https://semitics.catholic.edu/academics/graduate-programs/master-of-arts/index.html 

https://www.sebts.edu/academics/masters/MA_Research/MA-old-testament.aspx (not considered "prestigious" or "reputable" far as I'm aware).

https://nelc.sas.upenn.edu/index.php/hebrew-judaic-studies Think they have an MA, not just a PhD?

https://www.gordonconwell.edu/degrees/mats/ I think this degree would fit the academic rigor/reputation requirements? Believe that this previously offered program was folded into it?

https://divinity.yale.edu/academics/degree-and-certificate-requirements/concentrated-master-arts-religion-mar/hebrew-bible

https://www.brandeis.edu/near-eastern-judaic/graduate/masters/index.html

https://catalog.wheaton.edu/graduate/biblical-theological-studies/biblical-exegesis-ma/#requirementstext

Trying to focus on schools that would give education to prepare for academia, not necessarily pastoral ministry. Feedback on these programs I've found? Any reputable programs that I've missed? Any of these not what I think they are?

Also interested/willing to hear about PhD programs that have a master's degree en route (as long as one could go directly from undergraduate). 

Sorry for dumping all of this. Don't expect detailed review of all of these links. I'm just trying to see if I am looking at the right places/thinking about the right kind of programs and any of them stand out as good options or bad choices. 

 

 

Of these schools, presuming mainstream academia, the only ones worth doing (assuming you have a choice) is Penn, Yale, and Brandeis. That said, I'm pretty sure Penn is shutting down their Biblical Studies field or at least no longer accepting students for it for a while.

The reality is that any of the top schools are capable of giving you more than sufficient preparation for a PhD program in the Hebrew Bible. This preparation of course becomes much more easy if you know you want to do that coming in and don't sway.

In reality, you should look at Harvard, Yale, Chicago, PTS, Duke, Vanderbilt, and maybe a few others. At the master's level, go where the money is.

[Jacko-Dark]

Don't do it!

[sacklunch]

22 hours ago, Gravda said:

I am wondering what institutions offer MAs in the Old Testament/Semitic languages, that have extensive amounts of Hebrew exegesis, ancient near eastern backgrounds, and even cognate languages (Ugaritic, Akkadian, etc)?

I have found very few programs that offer this kind of rigor/coursework on a master's level.  It seems like that you can't get to this level unless its on a PhD. Here's the ones I've found/am aware of. Any others? I'm giving a list of what I've found, but many may not meet what I am looking at (a pre-doctoral program you could go into straight from undergraduate; with possibly some Hebrew coursework in between).

https://www.tiu.edu/divinity/programs/master-old-testament-semitic-languages/ - Probably the best one I've found, but the financial troubles at school concern me.

https://semitics.catholic.edu/academics/graduate-programs/master-of-arts/index.html 

https://www.sebts.edu/academics/masters/MA_Research/MA-old-testament.aspx (not considered "prestigious" or "reputable" far as I'm aware).

https://nelc.sas.upenn.edu/index.php/hebrew-judaic-studies Think they have an MA, not just a PhD?

https://www.gordonconwell.edu/degrees/mats/ I think this degree would fit the academic rigor/reputation requirements? Believe that this previously offered program was folded into it?

https://divinity.yale.edu/academics/degree-and-certificate-requirements/concentrated-master-arts-religion-mar/hebrew-bible

https://www.brandeis.edu/near-eastern-judaic/graduate/masters/index.html

https://catalog.wheaton.edu/graduate/biblical-theological-studies/biblical-exegesis-ma/#requirementstext

Trying to focus on schools that would give education to prepare for academia, not necessarily pastoral ministry. Feedback on these programs I've found? Any reputable programs that I've missed? Any of these not what I think they are?

Also interested/willing to hear about PhD programs that have a master's degree en route (as long as one could go directly from undergraduate). 

Sorry for dumping all of this. Don't expect detailed review of all of these links. I'm just trying to see if I am looking at the right places/thinking about the right kind of programs and any of them stand out as good options or bad choices. 

 

 

As far as I know all US PhD programs will have (at least one) masters en route. It's been said countless times, but worth repeating. Your chances are very low of having a career in academia; jobs are so few and competition so fierce these days that you will probably find yourself, even after finishing a top doctoral program, pivoting careers. Plan accordingly. The dwindling/abysmal job market is also one of the reasons you are having a hard time finding masters programs that focus on ANE languages. There isn't much point training students in these dead languages, since they're perceived as basically useless outside of academia (and actually at the few of the tenure-track jobs that are actually popping up these days, such languages won't be received well, since, well, none of their undergraduates will want to learn them, making your skill set of questionable value for the few institutions hiring these days). For reputation, stick to the usual suspects. You won't been doing yourself a favor at most of the places cited, save Catholic, Penn (though they have been increasingly turning away from biblical studies in general over the past 20 years), Yale, and Brandeis. You may have better luck abroad. 

[Gravda]

@sacklunchThat is why I am trying to do the difficult balancing act of having a career (which I am going to focus on for a few years) while also leaving the door open for graduate studies.

The frustrating thing is, its virtually impossible to go about the course of ANE/HB academic studies and work full-time, since there's few places that offer such classes. Thinking of career-school-career-school/PhD  —career + academics/part-time adjunct or publishing on the side. 

[sacklunch]

On 4/18/2022 at 4:43 PM, Gravda said:

@sacklunchThat is why I am trying to do the difficult balancing act of having a career (which I am going to focus on for a few years) while also leaving the door open for graduate studies.

The frustrating thing is, its virtually impossible to go about the course of ANE/HB academic studies and work full-time, since there's few places that offer such classes. Thinking of career-school-career-school/PhD  —career + academics/part-time adjunct or publishing on the side. 

The reason is that it's basically impossible to be a successful academic in such fields without devoting yourself (almost) fully, including sacrificing your personal life and other career goals. If you end up going career + part-time adjunct, you will be working for pennies as an adjunct and sacrificing most of your free time to do so. And the classes you teach part time may be entirely virtual (many without any real teaching involved) and will almost certainly be teaching undergraduate survey courses. You can publish on the side, but it's extremely difficult to do so without being plugged into the academic world full time. It becomes more difficult year after year post PhD because you realize you're increasingly distanced from the secondary (and even primary) sources. That and without institutional support you can't quickly access sources if at all because of paywalls. 

[xypathos]

On 4/20/2022 at 10:33 AM, sacklunch said:

 If you end up going career + part-time adjunct, you will be working for pennies as an adjunct and sacrificing most of your free time to do so. 

I want to stress this one. My wife is a tenure-track professor in Education. Her extracurricular work is only sitting on the Curriculum Planning Committee. Otherwise she has a 2/2 load and advises 12 upper-level students that she might see for an hour 3 times a year.

Her salary? 85k

The adjunct pay for the professor teaching the same exact course as her? $3,500

EDIT: Adjunct also has a Ph.D.

Edited April 21, 2022 by xypathos