Chances at History MA/PhD programs

[inprogress]

Hello, all, 

I am currently a student in an MA program at a small, evangelical seminary and am thinking about pursuing a different subject after I graduate. I have been planning on pursuing a PhD in religion and focusing on Second Temple Judaism/Early Christianity, but recently I've started to wonder if I'd be better off in a different discipline. I realize that the job market is competitive for history PhDs (and all fields for that matter), but the job prospects for religion PhDs are absolute crap. I feel as though I would have a better chance of landing a teaching position with a history PhD, especially since I will also have an MA in religion (e.g., I could teach introductory courses in religion and history at a community college). I was wondering if any of you would be willing to critique my comments above, and/or suggest some programs to consider. My work in biblical studies has exposed me to both the ancient Near East and Greco-Roman civilization; those are my primary fields of interest. 

I have a B.A. in Biblical Studies from a small Christian college attached to the seminary I now attend (4 semesters of introductory history classes, 2 of religious history) and will finish an M.A. in Christian Thought (about 12 credits in religious history) next December. My seminary did not require GRE scores and I have yet to take the exam. My undergrad GPA was 3.96 (I also received two academic achievement awards), and my current graduate GPA is 4.0. 

Do you think this resume (plus decent GRE scores) would be enough to get me into a PhD program in Greco-Roman or ANE history, or should I consider doing a history M.A. first? Additionally, if you think I should do an M.A., is the prestige of one's M.A. school as important in history as it is in religion? I am willing to relocate for an M.A., but there happens to be a state university (Iowa State) 15 minutes from my home. It is by no means a powerhouse in the humanities, but they do have a PhD-track M.A. program and a faculty member who works in Greco-Roman history (It would be nice to remain at home before relocating for a PhD and I will get in-state tuition if funding does not come through.). 

I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions that you might have. Also, if you could steer me toward programs that are strong in my areas of interest, I would greatly appreciate it. 

Thanks!

[pro Augustis]

Ancient History is an extremely hard field to get into. The reason for that is simple: languages. Any worthwhile PHD program is going to want to see years of training in Greek (not just koine) and Latin. So: how are your ancient languages? 

Also, while I love ancient history dearly and we would love to have you, I feel obligated to point out that, after all the doom and gloom talks about historical job prospects I've got, going to the field because of career considerations sounds daring. 

Edited December 13, 2015 by pro Augustis