Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in the doctoral program in Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. A recently updated description follows this letter. The most commonly pursued areas of study are listed there. If your area of interest is not included, please contact me to discuss whether our program is appropriate for your needs.

We seek to enroll students of superior quality based on four primary areas of evaluation: academic training and records, recommendations, "fit" (compatibility of academic interest in relation to our resources), and GRE scores.

You may be interested in some information about recent applicants, their numbers and qualifications. Since 2000, 45 to 55 persons have applied annually to the PhD program. About half have had extensive previous training in religious studies (as undergraduate majors and/or through post-baccalaureate study). Applicants’ GREV scores have averaged 680 - 720 over the past 5 years; and each year we have admitted 3-4 students into the program.

The total number of students in our doctoral program at any given time varies. Usually there are about 3 dozen students overall, of whom 40% are women: about 1/3 in residence, actively taking courses; the rest engaged in dissertation research either on campus or elsewhere. 75% of our students pursue their degrees full-time. You will find further information of this kind in the first part of the program description below. And, in a separate section, we list recent program dissertations by title and author.

If you decide to apply, please keep the following in mind:

        (1) It is extremely important to include in your personal statement an explanation of why our doctoral program is appropriate for your interests and level of preparation. This speaks to the “fit” criterion.

        (2) We only admit “fully funded” students to the PhD program. That is, unless you are awarded a 5-year Benjamin Franklin Fellowship (covering tuition, fees, insurance, and stipend), you must demonstrate that you will be able to fund your PhD studies entirely from your own resources. Benjamin Franklin Fellowships are highly competitive and relatively few in number. If you wish to be considered for that award, be sure to meet the December 15 deadline.

        (3) You must submit recent (= within 5 years) GRE scores. For GRE registration forms, contact the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ 08514-0001.

        (4) We encourage serious applicants to visit the campus to meet with us personally, to talk with current graduate students, and to get an idea of the campus and facilities. Normally, Thursday is the best time for a visit. Most Thursday afternoons, faculty and graduate students gather for our weekly colloquium. Appointments with me and with faculty (and students) who work in your area should be arranged in advance (e.g., by email.)

If you have further questions, please contact me on the Internet or at the Department address, or by telephone (215) 898-5441. The Department URL is http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rs

Electronic applications are encouraged, https://sentry.isc.upenn.edu/ws/expressapp.

Sincerely,

Stephen N. Dunning , Chair
Graduate Group in Religious Studies

The Graduate Program in
Religious Studies

        The graduate program in Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania offers unique opportunities to those who wish to become scholars and teachers in the field. The program is situated within one of the largest research universities in the country, and provides resources – a fine library complex, a major archaeological/anthropological museum, courses in many ancient and non-western languages and cultures, outstanding faculties in related fields, and strong computer support -- that are not usually available in smaller institutions. At the same time, the Department of Religious Studies is a small body in which students receive a great deal of individual attention from faculty members and the opportunity to interact with students from diverse subfields. Within this context of extensive resources and personalized guidance, each student works with an advisor to design his or her own course of study.
        The dual character of the program is evidenced by the existence of two official bodies:

• the Department of Religious Studies, with 8 full-time faculty, from which the committee that administers the graduate program is chosen; and
• the Graduate Group in Religious Studies, comprising an additional thirty or so scholars at Penn whose research and teaching significantly involve the study of religion, and who have agreed to participate in the training of graduate students in the religious studies program.

• appreciation of the ways in which geographically diverse cultures from ancient times to the present have interpreted their own religious symbols and actions;
• sophistication with regard to the methodological difficulties confronting those trained in modern, western scholarship as they attempt to interpret other traditions;
• understanding of the challenges that face the historian who attempts to establish the text, context, and authorship of a document or event for which evidence is scanty or conflicting; and
• awareness of the variety of theories that are employed by modern interpreters of religion and the philosophical presuppositions and scholarly ramifications that are implied by them.

The Graduate Group in Religious Studies offers a PhD program consisting in four stages. At present, the MA degree is awarded only to fully matriculated PhD students and Penn undergraduates who successfully complete the submatriculation program (a joint BA/MA). The four stages are:

A. Application, Admission, and Matriculation B. Course Work and Qualifications Evaluation C. Preliminary Examination in Area of Specialization D. Dissertation and Oral Defense

There are two time limits set by the University. All students must pass the Preliminary Examination within seven years of matriculation. In actual practice, however, the expectation is that full time students will do this within three years. There is also a five year limit on full time status after the completion of course work. (Half time students are not eligible for student health insurance and must begin to repay all student loans.)


A. Application, Admission, and Matriculation

Materials and instructions for application are now available through the internet by contacting

Applications are welcome from students from various academic backgrounds. Usually, about half of the entering students have already done extensive work in Religious Studies, either as undergraduates or in post-baccalaureate programs elsewhere. Other applicants often will have majored in classics, philosophy, history, a modern language and literature, or area studies. Those students who enter the program with graduate level credits at other comparable institutions may petition (after completing one year at Penn) to receive transfer credit for up to a maximum of eight courses.

Applicants are asked in their application to indicate what field of specialization they intend to pursue within Religious Studies. The Department especially encourages graduate applications in the following areas: Judaism in late antiquity, the classical period, and the modern period; Christian origins; medieval and modern Christianity; Islamic history and thought; religions of South and East Asia; modern western religious thought; and methodology. Applications from students with other primary interests will be considered, with regard to both extra-departmental resources in the Graduate Group and the flexibility of the applicant's projected plan. Applications from those who wish to do comparative studies on the basis of solid linguistic and historical foundations in the traditions to be compared will also be given serious consideration.

In evaluating applications, the greatest weight is given to the student's academic achievement, as attested by transcripts and letters of recommendation; maturity and clarity in the articulation of professional goals, as demonstrated in the applicant's Personal Statement; and general intellectual aptitude, as demonstrated by the Graduate Record Examinations. Preparation in the following areas is also desirable: world religions, methods for the study of religion, modern philosophy, and the language(s) relevant to the tradition the applicant plans to study -- both the languages of that tradition and those employed in scholarly literature about it.

Applicants for submatriculation (i.e. undergraduates at the University of Pennsylvania) are expected to have completed several courses in Religious Studies before application. Of these, at least one must be in their intended special area (see below) and one must be in methodology. A 3.5 average in department courses and a 3.0 general GPA will normally be the minimum expected of applicants for submatriculation.

Language requirement. All candidates in the program must demonstrate the ability to read modern scholarly literature (with the aid of a dictionary) in at least two languages other than English -- ordinarily German and French. This requirement must be satisfied before the Qualifications Evaluation can be certified. Submatriculants and those switching from the PhD to an MA program may fulfill the language requirement by passing the examination in either French or German. For submatriculants, the College language requirement will be accepted in lieu of the reading exam.

Non-credit courses designed to prepare students for these language examinations are offered by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences periodically at no cost to registered PhD students. The examination given with such a course may be supplemented by a reading comprehension exam stipulated by the Religious Studies Graduate Group. When necessary, re-examination is possible, up to a maximum of three attempts.


B. Course Work and Qualifications Evaluation,

        The first 2 to 3 years in the program are devoted to course work. Courses should be selected in order to facilitate completion of requirements for the Qualifications Evaluation, which is prerequisite to formal admission to PhD candidacy. Students should meet at least once each term to discuss their course programs with both the Chair of the Graduate Group and that member of the Graduate Group with whom they plan to work most closely. Course programs vary enormously, and can be determined only on an individual basis. For some students, the majority of courses may be in the languages necessary to their dissertation research. For others, extensive work in philosophy or the social sciences may be more appropriate.

Six aspects of this stage of the program are expected of all students:
1. regular participation in the weekly Religious Studies Colloquium;
2. successful completion of the methodology and diversity course requirements;
3. student teaching at some time during residency;
4. facility in the use of computers for writing and research;
5. the first year academic review; and
6. the Qualifications Evaluation (including certification of competence in 2 modern research languages [commonly French and German]).

        1. The Religious Studies Colloquium meets 3 out of every 4 weeks during Fall and Spring Terms. All available Departmental faculty members and graduate students who are currently in residence attend. The schedule for the Colloquium is determined by the Graduate Chair in consultation with faculty and graduate students. Although it is not a course and does not carry academic credit, it is considered a vital part of every student's program. The Colloquium is an opportunity for the entire Department to gather to learn about the work being done by faculty both within and from outside the Department, recent graduates and advanced graduate students, and guests from other institutions.
        It is a forum in which each doctoral student is expected to offer at least two presentations during his or her graduate program:

• In particular, all second year PhD students must formally present one paper (usually based on a course term paper); and
• advanced students are expected to present their Dissertation Proposals or a chapter from their dissertation drafts.

The Colloquium is also a working group in which recent scholarly books and periodical literature may be reviewed. Upon occasion, it is a time for faculty and graduate students to discuss the program and to exchange ideas upon a wide range of matters of concern to the Department and the University.

        2. The methodology and diversity course requirements are intended to insure that all students achieve a thorough grasp of both the scholarly difficulties and debates involved in the study of religion and the variety of traditions that are studied within the field.

        a. Methodological sophistication entails both a critical understanding of modern scholarly approaches to the study of religion and an ability to reflect critically upon assumptions and methods employed in one's own academic work. Entering PhD students without equivalent training should enroll in RelS 500, "Theories of Religion," a seminar on major modern understandings of religion. All students are required to take two graduate level (500 and above) seminars on methodology. One of these must be chosen from among those listed as Religious Studies courses, while the other may be selected from among the variety of appropriate courses offered by other departments (with prior approval by the Graduate Chair). Submatriculants are expected to take RelS 500 plus one Religious Studies graduate level seminar on methodology.

        b. The diversity course requirement is satisfied

• by demonstrating a basic command of the material covered in the two introductory history of religions courses offered by the Department (RelS 001 and 002). Competence will be certified either by the Graduate Chair on the basis of work done elsewhere or by the respective faculty members in charge of each course at Penn.
• In addition, each student must take at least one course at the 400 level or above that deals with a tradition other than those that overlap significantly with his or her area of specialization. For this requirement, the possible areas are: Tribal Religions, Ancient Middle Eastern Religions, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Ancient Greek & Roman Religions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Religions of Japan.

        3. All doctoral students are expected to engage in student teaching during their residency at the University. For most, this will include apprenticing to a faculty member in the instruction of an introductory course for undergraduates. More advanced doctoral students may be invited to offer a course on their own, normally in the University's summer or evening programs.

        4. The Department has had a long-standing involvement in developing the use of computers for humanistic research and scholarship. This originated with a focus upon ancient Jewish and Christian texts, and will certainly be central to all students who specialize in those areas. Other graduate students are urged to take advantage of the opportunity to learn to use the computer to help them in their own research projects. At the very least, all students are expected to be able to utilize the word/text processing capabilities of computers and to use internet resources to advantage.

        5. Every doctoral student will participate in a First Year Review. At the end of the Spring term, each first-year student will select, in consultation with her/his academic advisor and subject to the approval of the Graduate Chair, two other faculty members to form a conference committee. Each conference committee shall consist of at least three faculty members (of whom two must be members of the Graduate Group in Religious Studies.) Students are responsible for planning a meeting of their conference committee, and all conference committees will meet with first-year students sometime before June 1. In these conference committee meetings, remaining course requirements will be discussed, precise fields of study determined, and further language and methodological study requirements specified where necessary. It is also the function of these conference committees to evaluate the academic performance of graduate students and to make recommendations.
        A report on this meeting will be prepared by the presiding principal academic advisor and then signed by all other faculty members present. Thereafter a copy is given to the student, and another is placed in the student's file.

        6. The purpose of the Qualifications Evaluation is to determine whether a student should proceed to formal PhD candidacy and to provide the student with further guidance for the successful completion of her/his degree. The student will be called upon to situate her/himself within a subfield of Religious Studies as both a researcher and teacher, and therefore must be able to relate issues arising in that subfield to matters studied in courses on methodology and on other traditions. It is important to note that the student’s specialization is not the primary topic of the Qualifications Evaluation.
        The Qualifications Evaluation is not a simple pass/fail exam, nor even primarily a test; rather it is meant to assess the student’s qualifications in Religious Studies and to strengthen the student’s self-awareness concerning strengths and also any lacunae in her/his academic preparation. The faculty may provide specific recommendations for future work and necessary competencies that may be underdeveloped at this time.
        The Qualifications Evaluation must be taken at the end of the second year by June 1 and consists of a one-and-a-half (1.5) hour conversation conducted by no fewer than three members of the Faculty and the student. This conversation will be chaired by the Graduate Chair or her/his representative. The QE’s outcome will not be officially recorded before the modern language requirements have been certified.
        By May 1st preceding the QE, the 2nd Year Student will prepare 2 documents:
        1. a complete listing of all relevant courses (including work done prior to enrollment at Penn) with instructors’ names, grades, dates taken, and grades; and
        2. a concise Intellectual Autobiography, which will be a 1,000 word essay on the student’s development in methodological sophistication, breadth of studies, and field of specialization. To illustrate relevant points in this essay, students may append up to 3 papers. This Intellectual Autobiography will serve as the starting point of the conversation between the faculty and student during the actual Qualifications Evaluation.


C. PhD Preliminary Examinations

        The Preliminary (or "Field") Examinations demonstrate that a student is ready to begin work on a dissertation. They are taken when the candidate has identified a dissertation topic and begun to research it, normally by the end of the third year in residence. All course and general language requirements must be satisfied beforehand. Candidates sit for four exams within two weeks. Each set of exams is tailored to the student's individual area of specialization.

        A proposal for examination subjects (including issues and bibliography) must be approved by the student's advisor(s) three months prior to taking the exams. This proposal should be accompanied by a dissertation pre-proposal of 3-5 pages, outlining a topic for original research within the area of specialization covered by the other exams. Both the pre-proposal and the examination proposals are normally worked out in close consultation with those members of the faculty who will be setting the exams. One examination must focus directly upon the subject matter and methodological problems of the dissertation. Students often choose to take this dissertation exam orally, in order to be able to engage in discussion with the examiner/advisors at the same time about the best ways to pursue the project. (Others may be taken orally also, upon petition to the Graduate Chair.)

        The Preliminary Examination is the appropriate context for testing the student's competency in any special language and computer skills deemed necessary to complete the research for the proposed dissertation. In the event that the student decides to change the subject of the dissertation after the Preliminary Examination has been passed, one or more of the examinations may need to be redefined and taken over again.


D. Dissertation and Oral Defense

        There are three criteria by which dissertations are evaluated:
• the originality and significance of the contribution to scholarship;
• the thoroughness and accuracy of the independent research done by the candidate and reported in the dissertation; and
• the clarity and fluency of English prose used throughout the dissertation.

        The subject and methods of the dissertation are to be outlined in some detail in a formal dissertation proposal (normally 7-10 pages, including bibliography), which should be submitted to the faculty for approval not more than one year after passing the Preliminary Examination. Remaining work on the dissertation usually requires one additional year. Students should be aware that extensive revisions of drafts may be required, and plan their schedules accordingly.

        The dissertation must be submitted to all readers in its final form at least one month before the Oral Defense, which is open to the public. Certification for graduation cannot be processed until after a successful Oral Defense, which should therefore occur a few weeks before the student hopes to receive the PhD degree. Information about the specific deadlines pertaining to the granting of degrees in May, August, and December can be obtained from the Graduate Office.

Outline of a Typical PhD Program in Religious Studies*

	F A L L   T E R M	S P R I N G   T E R M
1st YEAR	Course work (4 c.u.): Methodology, Specialization (inc relevant language training), Diversity (secondary traditions).	Courses (4 c.u.) [as in Fall]. 1st Year Review (in May)
2nd YEAR	Courses (3 c.u.); Teaching apprenticeship; Present Colloquium paper.	Courses (3 c.u.); Teaching apprenticeship; Qualifications Evaluation.
3rd YEAR	Courses (3 c.u.); Teaching apprenticeship; Set topics and bibliographies for PhD Prelim/Field Exam.	Courses (3 c.u.); Teaching apprenticeship; PhD Prelim/Field Exams [or in 4th year Fall Term].
4th YEAR	[PhD Prelim/Field Exam if not previous Spring]; Formal Dissertation proposal: 1. Submit to Diss. Committee; 2. Present in Colloquium. Dissertation research (field research where appropriate).	Dissertation research.
5th YEAR	Dissertation research/writing.	Complete/Defend Dissertation; Graduation.

*Specific, individual programs could take more time. This outline assumes a student who enters the program directly from the Baccalaureate. Students who arrive with a Master’s Degree or comparable advanced training may receive up to 8 c.u. toward the PhD residency requirement and could complete the program in 4 rather than 5 years.

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