U Penn Religion PhD

[hildewijch]

Does anyone have info on U Penn's Religion PhD, or how it is generally perceived (if it all?) I know U Penn has a good reputation overall, and it seems like they have some fairly well-known scholars such as Annette Y Reed and E Anne Matter, but their program seems quiet tiny, and I don't know if their placement rate is even on the map...

[myfishpajamas]

I am also considering U Penn, largely based on its reputation and what its American Religion program looks like online. Also, one of my undergrad professors received his Ph.D. from U Penn, and he is an amazing scholar and fantastic person. But he also just turned 60, which means the program could have changed tremendously since he went through it. I would be interested to hear if anyone has info about the program too!

[11Q13]

I hadn't heard about the program until one of the students here got in. I asked one of the NT profs about it and they said the reputation is quite good.

[MasterK-Bob]

I plan to apply to Penn, but I do Bible in its ANE context, and they haven't been accepting students to the Biblical Studies section of their ANE program for at least the last two years (since I first checked). I'm also very interested in world religion and the study of religion, but my chief interest has always been the very ancient. Does anyone know:

A. If and when Penn will start accepting students again to their Bible division in their ANE program,

B. If I could ever get a job as a HB prof with a different ANE degree with a minor area in HB

or C: If the Religion program would suit someone like me with very broad interests, but with a focus in HB in its ANE context, or if an ANE program is my only option

(I have an MTS in Bible from Notre Dame and pretty good GRE scores/language repertoire already. Doing a year at Hebrew U right now)