Going from History MA to Religion PhD

[AGingeryGinger]

Hello all,

First of all I just wanted to say thank you for all the help and support you have provided.

In looking at my current school options, the best bet I have for schooling right now is attending a Master's in History. This is not to say that the MDiv programs were not good, merely that the funding for the masters program in History (includes full tuition and $12k/year graduate assistantship) is financially the best option I have. The assistantship with stipend has been a major deal maker.

However, the question I have is this, how feasible is it to go from an MA in History to a Religion PhD? The school in which I will most likely do my History MA has a very good track rate of placing students in PhD programs at Northwestern University.

Citing Northwestern as an example. They have a combined MA/PhD in religion. I will currently have a BA in History and Religion and an MA in History. would making the jump to religion afterwards be feasible? I know there are places such as Harvard and Yale that do an MPhil along the way.

My field would be in history of christianity, and I've been told by several professors that having the MA as a groundwork would serve greatly as a background when pursuing a religion phd. I was just unsure how feasible that jump is.

Thanks!

[xypathos]

Transitioning from History to Religion (vice versa, etc) happens but the logistics of it largely depends on the politics of the department. Anecdotal but when inquiring at Syracuse University I was told by several Departmental Chairs that the university will not admit the acceptance of a Ph.D. student that does not have a secular M.A. degree in the field. For example, it does not matter if you have a M.Div or MTS from Harvard, you will not be accepted into the Ph.D. without first doing a secular M.A. specifically in that field. The Department Chair in History and elsewhere confirmed it as well. Local universities from what I've gathered have similar official and unofficial policies. Again though, there are secular universities that have no problem taking in a M.Div or MTS grad, so it just depends.

In short, you're really just best served to contact the Chair or better yet the Secretary (my experience - they often know the rules better than most faculty and are often willing to talk more freely) on any potential complications of having a M* in one field while transitioning to another. Some faculty aren't interested in working with someone transitioning fields, not wanting to work with "confessional students," etc.

[nevermind]

I don't think it would be insurmountable, given that you would have the requisite language background. It seems like a logical progression to do history > history of Christianity. I did the opposite...I have a Master's degree in Jewish Studies and was admitted to a Ph.D. in History and my background only helped. 

As the previous poster noted, I do think it would be difficult going from an M.Div to a Ph.D. in Religion, as an M.Div is a more ministry-oriented degree, and not necessarily a research-oriented one. 

[sacklunch]

You shouldn't have any issues. As the others have already noted, the opposite is generally more of a concern for departments. My experience with 'secular' schools verifies this when I was applying. At the time two of my degrees listed 'theology' even though I had never studied theology (what one does in that field the gods only know). When I interviewed at UVA the scholar I was speaking with straight up said 'we are a secular religious studies department.' I suspect she assumed I had theological interests and wanted to bring out any potential problems with me in their department. Those situations are a bit awkward. I saw no problem shouting from the rooftops my disinterest in theology, but I also knew going out of my way to mention it could also be harmful. It's tricky navigating these issues and it's different for every department. 

[menge]

For what its worth, I think a history MA could serve you well in doing a religious studies PhD. A lot of programs have historically grounded subfields, and some like Chicago explicitly do 'History of Religions'. 

[Ted Chicago]

10 hours ago, menge said:

For what its worth, I think a history MA could serve you well in doing a religious studies PhD. A lot of programs have historically grounded subfields, and some like Chicago explicitly do 'History of Religions'. 

I agree that doing a history MA would serve you well within most areas in religious studies. Watch out though with these field designations. At UChicago, "History of Christianity," rooted in what used to be called "church history," is very historically inclined (as is History of Judaism and a lot of people working in Bible, Islamic Studies, etc.). "History of Religions" is a very different discipline, going back to Mircea Eliade and much closer to what would be called "comparative religion" elsewhere. It also, for some reason serves as the institutional home for work on Buddhism and Hinduism at Chicago--and obviously you could do historical work on those traditions.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Ted Chicago

[menge]

On 2/27/2016 at 7:06 PM, Ted Chicago said:

I agree that doing a history MA would serve you well within most areas in religious studies. Watch out though with these field designations. At UChicago, "History of Christianity," rooted in what used to be called "church history," is very historically inclined (as is History of Judaism and a lot of people working in Bible, Islamic Studies, etc.). "History of Religions" is a very different discipline, going back to Mircea Eliade and much closer to what would be called "comparative religion" elsewhere. It also, for some reason serves as the institutional home for work on Buddhism and Hinduism at Chicago--and obviously you could do historical work on those traditions.

You do make a good point. I should have clarified that a bit more, especially using Chicago as an example. That said, you can do history there- a professor in our department did work on 'Viking religion' in the History of Rel subfield at Chicago.

Edited February 28, 2016 by menge

[AGingeryGinger]

Thank you all greatly for your help and comments, they have been extremely insightful and quite helpful.

it is true that many schools are a department by department basis. Depending upon the school, an MDiv is encouraged, such as Vanderbilt. Yet there are other schools where an MA is the preferred option.

having the MA in history will allow me transition into a PhD in religion rather easily, or failing that a good MA in religion. So it is good to hear having the MA in history will be beneficial to either an MA/MDiv in religion or straight to a PhD program. 

So in two years time when I apply, applying to both competitive MA programs (like Indiana Univeristy) as well as PhD programs (such as northwestern, or Vanderbilt) will allow me to greatly strengthen my applications and work. 

For I am either accepted into a good MA religion program (which already having an MA helps) then onto a PhD, or transitioning straight into a religion PhD. Either way it seems like a win.

Thank you all!