THE GDR PREPARES 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 and practice.

The Ph.D. is offered through ten courses of study:

For more detailed information on the courses of study, click on the Programs link on the left side of this page.

Students concentrate their work in a course of study toward the end of developing mastery of it and pursuing advanced research in it.  Doctoral students also must pursue interdisciplinary competence.  These two goals are connected.  The GDR believes that one cannot know one's own research field without understanding its relation to other fields; and one cannot significantly engage other fields of inquiry without substantial work in one's own.  Moreover, mastery of a field of inquiry and interdisciplinary fluency are essential to the comparative work that is part of the study of religion.

Residence

The Ph.D. program requires two years of coursework (48 credit hours at the Advanced Standing level).  While specific requirements vary according to the course of study, all students must take at least five doctoral seminars during the two years of coursework.  Individual courses of study 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 preliminary examination in that area.  All coursework must be completed with a letter grade of B- or higher.

First Year Colloquy

In the first year, there is a non-graded colloquium, run by the GDR directors, which serves as an introduction to both the GDR and to the professional study of religion and theology.

Doctoral Examinations and Dissertation Committee

In the third year, students take doctoral (preliminary) examinations, proceed to a dissertation prospectus, and, by the fourth year, should be writing the dissertation.  Dissertation committees are composed of at least 3 faculty members of the  GDR, not all of whom need to be in the student's particular course of study.  Research funds are available to support travel and other expenses necessary for completing the dissertation.

Modern Languages

Students in the Ph.D. program must demonstrate their ability to read two modern languages (other than English), normally German, Spanish or French, but another modern language may be substituted if appropriate to the student's research and approved by the student's course of study.  Competence is 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 courses of study have additional requirements in the pertinent primary languages.  Funds are available to support additional language training.

Teaching Assistant Training and Teaching Opportunity

The academic program is supplemented by rigorous teacher training and ample teaching opportunity.  All students participate in the Teaching Assistant Training and Teaching Opportunity (TATTO) program as part of their course of study.  The program involves:

• a summer workshop, run by the Graduate School, held in August before entering the GDR;
• a specialized teaching seminar/workshop taken in the second year; and
• two required Teaching Assistantships, and one Teaching Associateship, normally started in the second semester of the first year (generally connected to classes in either the Department of Religion or the Candler School of Theology).

Additional Opportunities

There are also increasing numbers of special workshops and lunches being offered for exploration of specific professional issues, including writing practices, conference presentation, and pedagogical questions.