2007-2008 Admissions Brochure

The Graduate Division of Religion prepares students to be scholars and teachers of religion and theology, requiring mastery of a specialized field in the context of a general knowledge of the study of religion and the varieties of religious expression. All programs include interdisciplinary inquiry and encourage crossdisciplinary work. The academic program is supplemented by rigorous teacher training and ample teaching opportunity.

The Ph.D. is offered through ten courses of study: American Religious Cultures; Comparative Literature and Religion; Ethics and Society; Hebrew Bible; Historical Studies in Theology and Religion; New Testament; Person, Community, and Religious Life; Theological Studies; and West and South Asian Religions. In addition, the Graduate Division has specialized program possibilities that combine resources from more than one course of study and from other graduate faculties in the university. A concentration in Religious Practices and Practical Theology is available within any program, as well as a joint J.D./Ph.D. program. Students may also work with Emory's strong course of study in Jewish Studies and Religion and Law. The Course of Studies, the concentration in Religious Practices and Practical Theology, and the joint J.D./Ph.D. option are described in more detail below.

As part of gaining general knowledge all entering students take the year-long colloquy, "Mapping the Landscape of Religion and Theology," which introduces students to a broad spectrum of disciplines and modes of inquiry in the study of religion and to a variety of religious traditions and cultural forms of religious expression. The work of this colloquy carries through all the in several ways: It generates cross-disciplinary discussion among students and faculty; its questions frame work in more specialized fields; and some issues are carried forward in the "Teaching Religion" seminar, required at the beginning of the second year as part of the teacher training program.

The Ph.D. program requires two years of course work (forty-eight hours). All students who receive a stipend from the Graduate School must be enrolled full-time for the duration of the stipend. In the third year, students take doctoral (qualifying) examinations, proceed to a dissertation prospectus, and, by the fourth year, should be writing the dissertation.

While requirements vary from in each course of study, all students must take at least five doctoral seminars during the two years of course work. Individual programs may have certain required seminars, and independent studies may be arranged with professors. The equivalent of two seminars must be taken in an area of study outside one's field of specialization, leading to a qualifying exam in that area. All students participate in the Teaching Assistant Training and Teaching Opportunity (TATTO) Program as part of their course of study. The program entails specialized teaching seminars, plus Teaching Assistantships, and a Teaching Associateship.

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Language Requirement

Students in the Ph.D. program must demonstrate their ability to read two modern languages (other than English), normally German and French. Another modern language may be substituted if appropriate to the student's research and approved by the student's department. (In the Program in West and South Asian Religions, for example, Arabic or Hindi may be appropriate as one of the modern languages.) Statistics/computer language competence as a substitute for the second language is possible in Religion and Society, and in some cases in the Program in Person, Community, and Religious Life, but only by petition through the student's program to the policy and curriculum committee. Competence in a first language is to be demonstrated by written examination at the beginning of the first semester in residence, and competence in a second must be demonstrated before preliminary examinations are administered. The biblical programs have additional requirements in the pertinent primary languages.

International Students
Applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in English by achieving a score of 240 or higher on the computer-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). For applicants who take the paper-based version of the test, this would be roughly equivalent to a score of 550 or higher. If accepted, English would then count as the first foreign language. As with other applicants, international applicants must also submit an example of academic work written in English to be evaluated by the division's admissions and awards committee.

Emory University offers full-tuition fellowships and living stipends, currently at $15,500 annually, renewable for a total of five years contingent upon satisfactory academic performance.

In addition, the Graduate School has three competitive programs with higher stipends: the Arts and Sciences Fellowship, currently $19,500 annually, the Emory Graduate Diversity Fellowship (EGDF), currently $20,000 annually, and the George W. Woodruff Fellowship, currently $20,500 annually. These three fellowship awards are made on the basis of merit and are renewable for a total of five years contingent upon satisfactory academic performance.

Finally, the Dean's Teaching Fellowship for dissertation work is awarded competitively to students as part of the teaching program. The Graduate Division of Religion also offers support for qualified summer study and travel to professional meetings for students presenting papers.

The Application Process

The work of the Graduate Division of Religion is oriented entirely toward the doctor of philosophy degree. Thus, admission to one of the programs presupposes a master's-level degree related to the field. Students wishing to do master's-level degrees are encouraged to consider the Master of Theological Studies program in Emory's Candler School of Theology or the master's degree offered by Jewish Studies in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

All applicants are required to submit GRE scores prior to the departmental application deadline. Scores that are more than five years old are not considered valid, and the ETS will not report them. Applicants who have not taken the test within the last five years should plan to take it early enough for scores to arrive by the GDR application deadline. Score reports should be sent to Emory using Emory's Institution Code (R5187). Please do not use the code for Candler School of Theology (5198) as the score report will be sent to the wrong place. For the Department/Major Field Code, you may use Religion (4901) or Religious Studies (2904). Please do not use the code for Theology (4902) or Ordained Ministry/Rabbinate (4903), as the score report may be sent to Candler School of Theology instead of to the Graduate School.

In addition to the GRE, international applicants whose native language is not English must submit TOEFL scores by the GDR application deadline. TOEFL scores that are more than two years old are not considered valid, and the ETS will not report them. Applicants who have not taken the test within the last two years should plan to take it early enough for scores to arrive on time. Please order a score report to be sent to Emory using Emory's Institution Code (5187), and the Department Code for Religion/Religious Studies (21).

For further information regarding the graduate application process, you may contact the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at (404) 727-6028 or visit www.emory.edu/GSOAS/. The Graduate School prefers that you use their online application, which may be accessed at www.emory.edu/GSOAS/prospective/admissions_info/online_application/. If you have special needs and require a paper application, you may download one from this site or, for a $15 fee, you may have a paper application mailed to you. Please submit your request for a paper application via email to gsoas@listserve.cc.emory.edu.

A full statement of purpose is required, and this will serve as application for the Arts and Sciences, Woodruff, and EGDF fellowships. This statement should include a brief intellectual autobiography describing the formation of the applicant's academic interests and present concerns, an indication of tentative plans for research and the general area into which this fits, and an explanation of how Emory's graduate program is appropriate for these particular academic interests. If appropriate, include in your statement any ways in which you as a student at Emory would contribute to the diversity of the program to which you are applying. A statement of four to six pages is suggested.

The Arts and Sciences, Woodruff, and Diversity fellowships are awarded by graduate school selection committees. Applicants in religion should keep in mind that these committees will be interested primarily in applicants' intellectual strengths, academic interest in religion, and potential contributions to the humanities.

The Graduate Division of Religion also requires that each applicant submit a sample of his or her academic writing, a research paper or academic essay of about twenty pages. A photocopy, which will not be returned, should be sent to the Graduate Division of Religion.

For additional information, please contact the Graduate School office of the University, at (404) 727-6028, or contact Pescha Penso, at (404) 727-6333 or by email (ppenso@emory.edu).

Application Deadline

The Graduate Division of Religion application deadline is January 3. This is also the deadline for receipt of all supporting documents, including:

Preference is given to applicants whose files are complete. To insure full consideration of your application, please insure that all supporting documents arrive at the GDR office by the application deadline.

Graduate Division of Religion
Emory University
S214 Callaway Center
Atlanta, GA 30322

404-727-6333
gdr.emory.edu