Religion
http://www.duke.edu/web/gradreligion/
General Information
Degree offered:
A.M., Ph.D., JD/MA (Note: Applicants interested in the JD/MA will make application to the Law School rather than to the Graduate School.)
Faculty working with students:
38
Students: 88
Students receiving Financial Aid:
82%
Deadline for Fall 2008 Application: December 15 (priority deadline)
Spring Application:
no
Part time study available:
yes
Test required:
GRE General
Program Description
The Graduate Program in Religion offers degrees in the following sub-fields: Hebrew Bible/Old Testament; New Testament; Early Christianity; European Christianity (Reformation Europe and Modern European Christianity); American Religious History; History of Judaism; Islamic Studies; Christian Theological Studies; Religion and Modernity; and Asian Religions. Each sub-field is described in detail on the web site where a convener also is listed (http://www.duke.edu/web/gradreligion). Inquiries related to specific sub-fields should be directed to that individual. Applicants should make clear the area in which they wish to concentrate (for example, Medieval Islam, early Judaism, contemporary Christian ethics).
Most students are required to take an internal and an external minor, which gives them the opportunity to work in areas that complement their primary intellectual agenda, both within the religion program as well as in areas outside the program (see GPR website for details by field). This structure allows students not only to strengthen their dissertation area, but also prepares them to be teachers and scholars in the modern university. Because the program draws on the Department of Religion, the Divinity School, and other departments and professional schools in the University, it offers one of the most rigorous and wide-ranging Ph.D.'s in the country. An excellent job placement record has helped graduates obtain positions not only in teaching, but also in ministry, in publishing, and in administration.