Philosophy of Religion PhD programs?

[Thorongil]

I was reading the other recent thread in here and wanted to ask if anyone knows of any philosophy of religion PhD programs/tracks within religion/theology departments (as opposed to philosophy departments). 

 

I have googled this very question but that's kind of a crap shoot, and a lot of what turns up looks to be pretty prestigious looking programs which I probably wouldn't be able to get into. I realize there probably aren't that many, but I'm very curious, since I think this would best fit my interests. A list from someone in the know here would be much appreciated. 

[menge]

You might check Baylor out, my sense is they are amenable to Phil of Rel (I think they even host an annual conference on it) and their current students seem to come from a range of backgrounds/institutions. 

[Thorongil]

You might check Baylor out, my sense is they are amenable to Phil of Rel (I think they even host an annual conference on it) and their current students seem to come from a range of backgrounds/institutions. 

 

Possibly, but considering it would violate my rule about not living in the South. I'm also a little wary about its evangelical Christian identity, the backgrounds of its students notwithstanding. If I were to go to a denominationally affiliated school, I would probably want it to be Catholic. 

Edited July 16, 2015 by Thorongil

[menge]

Possibly, but considering it would violate my rule about not living in the South. I'm also a little wary about its evangelical Christian identity, the backgrounds of its students notwithstanding. If I were to go to a denominationally affiliated school, I would probably want it to be Catholic. 

Fair enough! Came to mind so I thought I'd throw it out there. What about a place like Northwestern? I don't know much about their program, but it seems quality and like it would allow for philosophical work.

[Thorongil]

Just looked at it and it seems it's one of those "you must be proficient in a dozen languages" kind of programs, which I doubt I'm qualified for. 

[Averroes MD]

Where do people with Phd's in Sociology of Religion usually end up working? Sociology or Religion department? Or either?

 

How does it compare with other religion PhD's as far as employment opportunities? (I'm not interested in going the sociology route, but just curious.)

 

Thanks!

Edited July 16, 2015 by Averroes MD

[Thorongil]

Where do people with Phd's in Sociology of Religion usually end up working? Sociology or Religion department? Or either?

 

How does it compare with other religion PhD's as far as employment opportunities? (I'm not interested in going the sociology route, but just curious.)

 

Thanks!

 

You do realize I wrote philosophy, not sociology, right? Just fyi. 

[Rabbit Run]

Do you have a Masters degree?

[Thorongil]

Do you have a Masters degree?

 

I'm about to get one.

[Averroes MD]

You do realize I wrote philosophy, not sociology, right? Just fyi.

Whoops! Read that completely wrong. I read the thread in the morning and posted at night, by that time mixing it up in my head.

Edited July 17, 2015 by Averroes MD

[Rabbit Run]

I think Villanova's philosophy program is strong for people with theological/religious questions. Boston College has a dual M.A. in philosophy and theology. I don't know what this means at the doctoral level, but it suggests they're amenable to this. Notre Dame is kinda a top dog in this as well. James K.A. Smith (who teaches at Calvin) actually has a blog out there assessing various philosophy of religion programs. Had trouble finding it or else I would have posted it here.

 

If you wanna work on languages or boost your app in another way doing a ThM or an STM in philosophy of religion at a place like Chicago or Yale might be a solid option as well.

[menge]

I think Villanova's philosophy program is strong for people with theological/religious questions. Boston College has a dual M.A. in philosophy and theology. I don't know what this means at the doctoral level, but it suggests they're amenable to this. Notre Dame is kinda a top dog in this as well. James K.A. Smith (who teaches at Calvin) actually has a blog out there assessing various philosophy of religion programs. Had trouble finding it or else I would have posted it here.

 

If you wanna work on languages or boost your app in another way doing a ThM or an STM in philosophy of religion at a place like Chicago or Yale might be a solid option as well.

I think this is the blog series you're referring to: http://forsclavigera.blogspot.com/2010/09/so-you-want-to-go-to-grad-school_08.html

Edited July 17, 2015 by menge

[Thorongil]

Those are all philosophy programs. I was curious about philosophy of religion as found in religion programs. 

[marXian]

Just looked at it and it seems it's one of those "you must be proficient in a dozen languages" kind of programs, which I doubt I'm qualified for. 

 

PM'd you.

[pcato1]

Just looked at it and it seems it's one of those "you must be proficient in a dozen languages" kind of programs, which I doubt I'm qualified for. 

Hi Thorongil. I applied to/got into Northwestern recently and I can tell you I only have knowledge of one language (Latin) and it isn't relevant to the project/topic of study I proposed in my SOP. The one caveat is that Northwestern's subsection on religious thought is theological, so you must keep this in mind when applying/considering the school. Christine Helmer is an amazing/renown scholar (they're doing a panel solely on her latest book at this American Academy of Religion conference) but she's primarily an expert in theology and Schleiermacher. While they certainly welcomed my interest in pursuing non-Christian topics/figures I certasinly took note of this. All in all I'd give them a shot yet keep this in mind. The school also seems to embrace work between departments so if there is someone in the philosophy department with whom you would also like to study, NU would be a good place for you.