Applying to Ph.Ds without getting a masters first

[Switching Geertz]

Has anyone done this? What does it take to get in to a place like Harvard without a masters? I'm applying to masters programs right now, but all of my recommenders are trying to convince me to go straight to Ph.D. Are they as nuts as I think they are? I have excellent preparation in religious studies from undergrad. What I'm worried about is language preparation. I'm applying for Islam/Sufism, but have only just started studying Arabic. I'll have two semesters of accelerated Modern Standard Arabic before matriculation, but essentially none by the application deadline.

[Sparky]

In religion, it's pretty rare to jump straight into a PhD, though it can happen in some subfields at some programs. Many programs require a M*, straight-up; at others it is a de facto requirement ("Three students in the last ten years that I can think of, and all of them had to spend extra years in coursework anyway to catch up." -UNC grad admission liason). Do your LOR writers have experience with graduate-level religious studies?

With no proven Arabic at time of application, your app would almost certainly be tossed on those grounds alone. One of the reasons the M* requirement persists in theo, IMHO, is that it gives you extra time to get your languages in order (see also: why medievalists are the literature people most likely to come in with separate MAs; why medievalists are the historians most likely to come in with separate MAs).

[Perique69]

It's more the case that PhD applicants in religion have multiple master's degrees rather than none. Many get the MTS (2 years) while others have MDiv (3 years) or MDiv plus ThM (4 years). I can't imagine applying to a competitive program without a single master's degree. Although Harvard says it's possible to be accepted with a BA, you'd need an unusually spectacular BA to beat the majority of applicants with master's degrees: "

For the Ph.D., while a master's degree is not a requirement, it is a distinct advantage in the application process, and in fact, most students admitted to the Ph.D. program have already earned master's degrees. The background gained from one or two years of study beyond the undergraduate level allows a student to enter a doctoral program prepared to do the advanced work required for a Ph.D. It is important to add, however, that students with an undergraduate record of high quality and extensive academic preparation relevant to their proposed plan of study may be admitted with only a B.A."

At other competitive programs, no one gets in without a master's (or two).

[sacklunch]

I, too, can't imagine being considered without at least one masters. I'm on my second one and I even did theology/classics in UG with both Greek and Latin before my first masters. I didn't even apply to doctoral programs before my first masters because almost everyone I know in a doctoral program in bible has 3-5 years of masters work before they started.

[Switching Geertz]

Thanks, everyone. I thought as much. I spoke to a professor at Harvard today who pretty much confirmed this.

[bgh]

I just started a PhD program in Ancient Judaism straight from undergraduate. I had taken Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, and German, and I took Ancient Greek the summer before beginning my program. I had applied to 7 schools and only got into one, but I have full funding, and it's a highly regarded program. However, I'd definitely advise going for a masters first. I have to take five classes a semester in order to finish one time, and sometimes I feel like I'm playing a giant game of catch-up. 

[la sarar]

Well, two years ago I applied to Hebrew Bible/Semitics/Ancient Near East programs directly from an international undergrad institution. I applied to 9 PhD programs and 4 masters. 

I got accepted by only one PhD (UT Austin) and was rejected by all the rest. Although Brandeis accepted me to their master's program with partial funding. 

Concerning the master programs I was accepted by Harvard Div., U of Chicago Div. School and Jewish Theological Seminary. Rejected by Notre Dame.

 

I'm now enrolled in the Harvard MTS program and reapplying. It seems to me that one's chances don't get higher with a master's degree in hand, since so much depends on the candidates' pool of the year. I'm not even sure whether I'd get in UT Austin again if I applied to it again this time. Also, though I'm doing a master's at Harvard, I don't see any extra advantage when it comes to application. The worst thing with Religious Studies/Bible and the like is that each program accepts 0-3 students a year and they are OK with not accepting anyone into one specific program in a particular year (meaning no one was waitlisted, like Jewish Studies at Harvard, and HB at Brown last year if I recall correctly). So not that I'm being exceedingly pessimistic, but it is possible that if you are not among the top 5-8 candidates among all applicants applying to all major programs, you may end up not being able to get into any program. (If all the programs accept the same people and if some of them don't use a wait list, like what some professors told me when I emailed). 

 

So I'd say, give it a try to apply for PhD programs even if you don't have a master's. And accept the offer if you get lucky instead of reapplying, which feels much worse than the first time. Academically you can always take more courses while you already are in a PhD program so a master's is not necessary in that regard.