Advice for going from a lit degree to a religious studies degree

[Em2406]

Hello.

I am currently working on my MA in literature (I'll graduate in the spring of 2027) but am considering getting a PhD or MA in religious studies/philosophy, as I'm interested in investigating religious and philosophical thought in literature and would like to focus more on this. I'm mainly looking for general advice for moving forward. 

1. What are some good programs that focus on religion, philosophy, and literature? So far, I've found the "Religion and Literature" program at the University of Edinburgh and the "Religion, Literature, and Culture" program at the University of Virginia. 

2. What do religious programs usually look for in an applicant? Or, in other words, what should I be doing now to make my future application stronger? Should I be trying to take some classes with the religion program at my school? 

3. Anyone who has gone from a literature degree to a religious studies degree, could you tell me a little about that experience? 

4. Since my background is literature, not religion, should I be applying to PhD programs or MA programs? 

5. Are there any scholars that you all know of that I should look into/read up on? 

Sorry. I know these are kind of vague questions. I just feel like I'm going into this blindly and want as much info as possible

Thanks

[dialogical]

I'd recommend finding religious studies programs that have faculty who employ literary perspectives. I'm sure you can find scholars who focus, say,  on the literary composition of the Book of Job or Bhavagadgita or medieval Islamic poetry. I wanted to give examples from different religious traditions to cast the net wide but you can let your interests help you narrow the focus on the right scholars/program. I'd also imagine it'd be a great plus to have profeciency in a research language other than English. I'd think there would be plenty doctoral programs in religious studies that would be open to applicants with a BA or MA in literature and no MA in religion.

Edited February 9 by dialogical

[Em2406]

Thank you!

[friendly-beghard]

Use your current MA to get as strong a background as you can in religious studies, philosophy, theology, or something of the like. If you can cross-register with other departments or other schools to beef up your studies in religion, then that would be good. I studied literature in undergrad then pivoted to religion. I have found it very easy to apply the skills I learned studying literature to the study of religion. Being really good at analyzing texts comes in handy! The problem is with background knowledge. There are a lot of facts, methods, and scholars that I had never learned about, and it felt like I had to catch up to my peers. 

I found that reading scholarship about medieval religious texts has been very useful in learning how to bridge the gap. Scholars of medieval literature engage with the religious and theological context of the text, and often blend the study of religion with literary analysis. Also, it's interesting to read.

[prayingmantis]

uchicago divinity school has a religion, literature, and visual culture concentration! i suggest looking into it

[ER2026]

On 2/7/2026 at 2:47 PM, Em2406 said:

Hello.

I am currently working on my MA in literature (I'll graduate in the spring of 2027) but am considering getting a PhD or MA in religious studies/philosophy, as I'm interested in investigating religious and philosophical thought in literature and would like to focus more on this. I'm mainly looking for general advice for moving forward. 

1. What are some good programs that focus on religion, philosophy, and literature? So far, I've found the "Religion and Literature" program at the University of Edinburgh and the "Religion, Literature, and Culture" program at the University of Virginia. 

2. What do religious programs usually look for in an applicant? Or, in other words, what should I be doing now to make my future application stronger? Should I be trying to take some classes with the religion program at my school? 

3. Anyone who has gone from a literature degree to a religious studies degree, could you tell me a little about that experience? 

4. Since my background is literature, not religion, should I be applying to PhD programs or MA programs? 

5. Are there any scholars that you all know of that I should look into/read up on? 

Sorry. I know these are kind of vague questions. I just feel like I'm going into this blindly and want as much info as possible

Thanks

This sounds like me! I have an MA in Literature and am in the admissions cycle for my transition to religious studies. I chose to apply to M* program because my desired outcome is to work in some ministry context, but I think it would be very difficult to get into a PhD with my having no academic experience in religion. I'm basing this off of the level of questioning asked of me in interviews and visits, and if your goal is a PhD, I would either pursue one in literature and concentrate on religion/culture or go the M* route for a later religion-related PhD. If that's similar to your goal, I would recommend a master's program of some sort. Many schools have great funding for M* programs in Divinity, which is such a blessing. 

 

In my interviews, I provided context for how my background in literature will support me in my transition to religious studies, and it seemed to resonate, as I've only received acceptances so far. I have taken no classes at all in religion and that did not seem to hinder my application process, but I do have a lots of mutual aid, community organizing, leadership, academic and professional awards, a couple publications/presentations etc., that I think helped my case as to how I can be a successful student in the transition. If you are planning to apply to something like an MDiv which are usually 3-4 year programs, I think these kids of things can really help you to show that you are a compelling and competitive candidate. I don't have any experience applying to MTS programs or similar, but I know that there are all sorts of concentrations/classes at the universities in which I've applied that make some schools much more exciting to me than others. University of Chicago, for example, has many courses and concentrations in things relating to culture, media, etc., and it is my top choice for this reason. Their program is absolutely incredible and you can take classes in the broader university that suit your independent interests. 

 

My advice to you would be to have a strong sense of purpose and to really understand why you want to transition to religious studies, what career outcomes are desirable, and become generally familiar with what programs are like so that you can find one that best suits you. It has been one of the most stressful, but fun and exciting, things I've done in my adult life! Let me know if you have any questions!