Strength of a Program's Areas of Study

[Greenwood16]

When evaluating graduate programs (especially on the Masters level), I am having trouble differentiating which programs have strengths in which field. I am a philosophy/religion double interested in a few specialties, Bible (mostly New Testament), Theology, Philosophy of Religion, and maybe History of Christianity. How could I tell which masters programs best fit what I am interested in? I have been told certain schools to avoid (for instance my New Testament professor told me to avoid UChicago because he doesn't think they do New Testament very well) but am still having trouble judging a few things.

 

Specifically:
From what I pieced together Harvard and Chicago are strong in World Religions and Comparative Religions but less so in anything Bible or theological. Is that a fair assessment? How big of a distinction are we making here? Would there be a significant difference from masters-level study of Bible at Harvard compared to Duke, Yale, or Notre Dame?

 

With that in mind, which schools really stand out as being good New Testament schools? What about theology (most likely medieval), philosophy of religion, and History of Christiantiy? I realize the last two may be a bit vague.

 

Also, other than Notre Dame, are there any schools that are particularly well funded? Are MTS generally funded better or worse than MDiv and M.A. programs?

[sacklunch]

Search around a bit on the forum and you may find some useful measures for funding. But in brief the usual programs (I'm going off of MTS/MAR here) that fund well are ND (as you mentioned), HDS, and YDS. 'Middle' funding (c 50%) are VDS, Candler, BU, BC, Chicago, and Duke. As far as the 'best' M* programs in NT? I guess it depends on your interests within the field. Theological? Historical? Philological? All of those and more? At this stage you naturally have fairly broad interests (a good thing, I think), so I don't think it matters a great deal where you go, except to say that where you do end up will undoubtedly influence your interests thereafter. If you have theological or secular allegiances, you may not find yourself comfortable at some of the above places.

What do you want to do after the degree? Academia?

I should also mention it's important to look at what kind of students X department has. So, for example, if you would like to continue on to doctoral work, you may find a better home at a school with a more balanced number of MTS/MAR students to MDiv, while some programs with less MTS/MAR may have less of an emphasis on training hopeful/future academics. 

[Rabbit Run]

Honestly, I think you need to be a little clearer on your interests before we can say which school is better or worse for what you're interested in. For instance, Harvard might not be the best if you wanna study Reformed Systematic Theology, but it would be great for Feminist theology/Biblical interpretation with people like Amy Hollywood and Elisabeth Schussler-Fioerenza.

 

I'd say to start by looking at the big name schools, because they're gonna have strengths in a lot of areas. Look at the people you read and see where they teach/where they were trained for clues as to what schools are good for what as well.

[theophany]

I agree with all that sacklunch said, so I won't repeat any of that. One additional point is that where is "good" in a particular field are always biased by what people counts for "good" or "rigorous" or "interesting" work, so that's a hard question to answer in the abstract—especially when it comes to masters level education. With such broad levels of interest, getting a clear sense of where is the school that is "best" on whatever standards we're using is going to be murky.

 

So instead, I'll give you a loaded anecdote. I was similarly wide-ranging with my interests going into my masters. I think my SOP even said something about not knowing where in religion I will end up, just that these are the questions that keep drawing me back. And so, all things being more or less equal, I went with my gut. I went to a variety of schools, got a sense for daily life on campus, got a sense of the people I would have around me, and then asked the all-important question for choosing a school at any level: what is the fit? A friend of mine once put it, "We have our distinctive beat here. That beat is not something everyone can or wants to dance to. No judgment there. You shouldn't come here if this beat isn't for you." Fit is not important only because it will affect your personal well-being and sense of being intellectually "at home," but also—to take the metaphor further—you will be changed by the act of dancing to a particular school's beat. On the other side of my masters, I can see how my wide array of interests were affected by the questions the curriculum of the school, the faculty, and the student body were asking. I achieved clarity in response to that, and can say without a shadow of a doubt that I would not be in the field I am in today or the area of that field or asking the particular set of questions I am asking today if I hadn't done my masters where I did.

 

In short, look at some faculty research areas and recent publications. Look at student organizations on campus. Look at the religious life and ethos (or lack thereof). If you can, go visit campuses. And then ask: does this fit? 

[Greenwood16]

I agree with all that sacklunch said, so I won't repeat any of that. One additional point is that where is "good" in a particular field are always biased by what people counts for "good" or "rigorous" or "interesting" work, so that's a hard question to answer in the abstract—especially when it comes to masters level education. With such broad levels of interest, getting a clear sense of where is the school that is "best" on whatever standards we're using is going to be murky.

 

So instead, I'll give you a loaded anecdote. I was similarly wide-ranging with my interests going into my masters. I think my SOP even said something about not knowing where in religion I will end up, just that these are the questions that keep drawing me back. And so, all things being more or less equal, I went with my gut. I went to a variety of schools, got a sense for daily life on campus, got a sense of the people I would have around me, and then asked the all-important question for choosing a school at any level: what is the fit? A friend of mine once put it, "We have our distinctive beat here. That beat is not something everyone can or wants to dance to. No judgment there. You shouldn't come here if this beat isn't for you." Fit is not important only because it will affect your personal well-being and sense of being intellectually "at home," but also—to take the metaphor further—you will be changed by the act of dancing to a particular school's beat. On the other side of my masters, I can see how my wide array of interests were affected by the questions the curriculum of the school, the faculty, and the student body were asking. I achieved clarity in response to that, and can say without a shadow of a doubt that I would not be in the field I am in today or the area of that field or asking the particular set of questions I am asking today if I hadn't done my masters where I did.

 

In short, look at some faculty research areas and recent publications. Look at student organizations on campus. Look at the religious life and ethos (or lack thereof). If you can, go visit campuses. And then ask: does this fit? 

Thanks. That makes a lot of sense (especially the part about "you will be changed by the act of dancing to a particular school's beat"). I guess, then, I am still having a bit of trouble with limiting my scope to relevant schools from which I should find my fit. 

 

Honestly, I think you need to be a little clearer on your interests before we can say which school is better or worse for what you're interested in. For instance, Harvard might not be the best if you wanna study Reformed Systematic Theology, but it would be great for Feminist theology/Biblical interpretation with people like Amy Hollywood and Elisabeth Schussler-Fioerenza.

 

I'd say to start by looking at the big name schools, because they're gonna have strengths in a lot of areas. Look at the people you read and see where they teach/where they were trained for clues as to what schools are good for what as well.

 

Ya, I worried my first post may have been a bit vague. Umm, historically, I am generally interested with early church (the intersection with Greek philosophy is fun for the philosopher in me) through medieval (which I realize is pretty big). I don't mind reformation stuff but almost any church history after that I find rather boring. With regards to the modern era, my interests lie in philosophy of religion. I've done a decent amount of work with Plantinga and Hicks. Also, I like New Testament but as a means to an end. I feel as if modern philosophy of religion lacks any grounding and perhaps a understanding of the roots would better prepare myself for down the road. I am not very interested in New Testament history or philology. I am a philosopher at heart not a historian. But, as you noticed, I am still pretty broad. 

 

Search around a bit on the forum and you may find some useful measures for funding. But in brief the usual programs (I'm going off of MTS/MAR here) that fund well are ND (as you mentioned), HDS, and YDS. 'Middle' funding (c 50%) are VDS, Candler, BU, BC, Chicago, and Duke. As far as the 'best' M* programs in NT? I guess it depends on your interests within the field. Theological? Historical? Philological? All of those and more? At this stage you naturally have fairly broad interests (a good thing, I think), so I don't think it matters a great deal where you go, except to say that where you do end up will undoubtedly influence your interests thereafter. If you have theological or secular allegiances, you may not find yourself comfortable at some of the above places.

What do you want to do after the degree? Academia?

I should also mention it's important to look at what kind of students X department has. So, for example, if you would like to continue on to doctoral work, you may find a better home at a school with a more balanced number of MTS/MAR students to MDiv, while some programs with less MTS/MAR may have less of an emphasis on training hopeful/future academics. 

Thanks, I'll look around for funding. Quick question about BU, BC, and Duke: They all have graduate programs in religion and divinity schools. Which did you have in mind?

 

"where you do end up will undoubtedly influence your interests thereafter": I guess I am still stuck on this a little bit. I am not worried about being uncomfortable within a department so this isn't about that, but how could one tell which way a program will influence you? I feel like I may just not be looking in the right places.

[sacklunch]

^^ 

 

Generally speaking you are going to be better off (i.e. academically prepared) studying in a RS Department or in the case of BC/BU, 'theology' departments (many in these departments are of secular/other/nones vs. their 'divinity' graduate departments). Someone will have to speak for BU, as I don't know a ton about it (search the forum maybe). As for BC, your interests seem well suited to their new MA in Theology and Philosophy. You might also apply to the STM, as they are fairly generous with funding and allow an incredible amount of freedom in their MTS (you can take every single class for the degree through BC Theology Dept. if you'd like, and at least half of your degree can be from BTI schools). As for Duke, if you are applying for academic degrees (MTS), don't waste your time with the Divinity School. The RS department, overall offers better funding (at least 50% compared to the average of around 25% in the Div School) and only requires one course for the entirety of the degree (they don't even have to be in 'religion' so long as they apply to your interests, such as Classics, Lit, Philosophy, Languages, and also access to UNC-CH). 

[sacklunch]

Also, concerning your worries over my comment about fit and the like: refer to theophany's great reply. 

I was basically stating the obvious, namely, where you go will have a lot of impact on your interests. While this is somewhat obvious, I mentioned it because there are factors of impact that are often not considered. For example (as I initially mentioned), what kind of students does X department normally take? What courses are they (and will they) be teaching? What's the city like? Is your professor of interest available to work with you? What's the living situation like? As I discussed above, it's also really important to understand degree requirements. Some M* degrees require a great deal of coursework to round you off (this is often done because many students coming in have little to no background), while others allow you lots of freedom. Try to really think about these factors when making a decision. 

[AbrasaxEos]

Briefly on BU: 

 

BU has a School of Theology, which is like a traditional divinity school, offering MDivs as well as a MTS (and a smattering of others like MSM, STM, DMin and now PhDs instead of ThDs).  I tend to think that your stated interests would fit better at the School of Theology in that you seem mostly interested in Christian philosophy and thought (your invocation of Plantinga, Hicks, and the New Testament push me in this direction, but please correct me if I am wrong).

 

The other side of BU's religion program is the GDRS, which is not connected with the School of Theology, but rather with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.  This is the religious studies department, and mostly offers PhDs in five separate tracks.  They have recently started a small standalone M.A. in religion, but admission into it is slim as I think they want to place most of their focus on the PhD.  There are people studying things like Ancient Christianity (not really "New Testament" though), religious thought/philosophy, etc. but the GDRS tends to be wider in scope, and probably less focused on the specific areas that you mention.  Further, I tend to think that the focus of your interests on the Christian tradition might make you a poor fit (not saying this as a negative, just as an observation apropos to above comments).

 

Both programs do share faculty though, and you could take courses in either, so they aren't hermetically sealed from one another.

[theophany]

Umm, historically, I am generally interested with early church (the intersection with Greek philosophy is fun for the philosopher in me) through medieval (which I realize is pretty big). I don't mind reformation stuff but almost any church history after that I find rather boring. With regards to the modern era, my interests lie in philosophy of religion. I've done a decent amount of work with Plantinga and Hicks. Also, I like New Testament but as a means to an end. I feel as if modern philosophy of religion lacks any grounding and perhaps a understanding of the roots would better prepare myself for down the road. I am not very interested in New Testament history or philology. I am a philosopher at heart not a historian. But, as you noticed, I am still pretty broad.

 

 

I wouldn't say this is "broad" interest so much as it is specifically interested in different areas. From what I can tell, you have 2 fields of interest: ancient/medieval Western Christian history and Christian (Protestant?) analytic philosophy of religion. Because those are very different interests and are going to have little to no overlap in faculty teaching, more than likely, if you want to do both you will want a program whose curriculum is rather expansive at a school whose faculty are rather diverse. I'd say to look at Notre Dame, Yale, BU (GDRS), maybe BC, maybe Princeton TS, maybe Duke... (they are really good in NT, but not in the areas you are interested in...and I haven't really heard anything about their philosophy of religion). Some of this is going to depend on how confessional you are or want to be; just from what you've said, it seems like you're approaching philosophy of religion from a Protestant perspective, which changes things slightly. If that's the case, I would not suggest HDS or Chicago, and neither school (from what I know) is particularly keen on confessional commitments in philosophy of religion. Also, I'm not sure if so-called "analytic theology" is your thing, but if the wild assumptions I've made so far are correct, it sounds like you might have some sympathies with it—and you might look at places where it has a footing (in addition to Notre Dame: Fuller, SMU, etc.)

[Greenwood16]

I wouldn't say this is "broad" interest so much as it is specifically interested in different areas. From what I can tell, you have 2 fields of interest: ancient/medieval Western Christian history and Christian (Protestant?) analytic philosophy of religion. Because those are very different interests and are going to have little to no overlap in faculty teaching, more than likely, if you want to do both you will want a program whose curriculum is rather expansive at a school whose faculty are rather diverse. I'd say to look at Notre Dame, Yale, BU (GDRS), maybe BC, maybe Princeton TS, maybe Duke... (they are really good in NT, but not in the areas you are interested in...and I haven't really heard anything about their philosophy of religion). Some of this is going to depend on how confessional you are or want to be; just from what you've said, it seems like you're approaching philosophy of religion from a Protestant perspective, which changes things slightly. If that's the case, I would not suggest HDS or Chicago, and neither school (from what I know) is particularly keen on confessional commitments in philosophy of religion. Also, I'm not sure if so-called "analytic theology" is your thing, but if the wild assumptions I've made so far are correct, it sounds like you might have some sympathies with it—and you might look at places where it has a footing (in addition to Notre Dame: Fuller, SMU, etc.)

 

That was actually a pretty spot on assessment with the only exception being your take on my philosophy of religion may be a little too narrow. There is a weird way in which modern philosophy of religion interacts with medieval phil or religion, Plantinga's re-purposing of augustine's free will defense or Hick building his free will defense out of Irenaeus (although rather poorly), that I like a lot. In fact, those examples are a large part of my thesis.    

 

I don't know if my confirmation of that helps at all with what I am trying to accomplish (figuring out which schools "fit"). Maybe the question is this simple: who does "analytic theology" well (you gave me fuller and SMU which have yet to look into). Alternatively, who does ancient/medieval Christianity well (especially for someone interested in philosophy of religion, the interaction between philosophy and religion, etc)? 

 

Also, since this is only a master program, how much does this all really matter? Would any good school suffice at the masters level or is there a substantial benefit in attending a program strong in my (rather unclear) focus?

 

*Also, thanks to everyone who has answered my questions. This thread has given me a lot to think about.

Edited October 8, 2014 by Greenwood16

[theophany]

That was actually a pretty spot on assessment with the only exception being your take on my philosophy of religion may be a little too narrow. There is a weird way in which modern philosophy of religion interacts with medieval phil or religion, Plantinga's re-purposing of augustine's free will defense or Hick building his free will defense out of Irenaeus (although rather poorly), that I like a lot. In fact, those examples are a large part of my thesis.    

 

I don't know if my confirmation of that helps at all with what I am trying to accomplish (figuring out which schools "fit"). Maybe the question is this simple: who does "analytic theology" well (you gave me fuller and SMU which have yet to look into). Alternatively, who does ancient/medieval Christianity well (especially for someone interested in philosophy of religion, the interaction between philosophy and religion, etc)? 

 

Also, since this is only a master program, how much does this all really matter? Would any good school suffice at the masters level or is there a substantial benefit in attending a program strong in my (rather unclear) focus?

 

*Also, thanks to everyone who has answered my questions. This thread has given me a lot to think about.

 

There's an edited volume entitled simply Analytic Theology. With the exception of Sarah Coakley (off the top of my head), the rest of the authors find themselves in that camp. There were also a variety of essays on the topic in the Journal of the American Academy of Religion last year, vol. 18, no. 3, that you might check out to see if my hunch is right. It could be entirely wrong, too.

 

And you've predicted my repetition of my answer: these are questions one asks about doctoral applications, not so much about masters. Any of the schools that have been mentioned so far as suggestions are going to have enough resources to help you explore—which seems like what you're looking for. Again, I don't think that I'd look at Chicago or HDS for your particular interests. Check out some Catholic schools too, which generally have more teaching faculty in ancient and medieval Christian thought.