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1. Who should
I talk to about whether or not I am qualified
for admission into the DRTS?
2. How do I apply?
3. What additional materials
need to be submitted with an application?
4. What are the minimum test
score requirements?
5. What if my test scores are
lower than the recommended minimum?
6. How do I apply for financial
aid?
7. Are there teaching opportunities
for graduate students?
8. Are there other financial
aid opportunities?
9. If I choose to take classes
part-time, can I finish my degree in a reasonable
amount of time?
10. How many students apply
to the DRTS each year? How many are admitted?
11. How is the student population
distributed among the specializations?
12. Can I take classes at other universities?
13. Does BU offer housing
for visiting students?
14. Does BU offer housing
for graduate students enrolled in the University?
15. I am an international
student. What special requirements and procedures
should I be aware of?
16. Can visits to the Division of Religion
be arranged?
1.
Who should I talk to about whether or not
I am qualified for admission into the DRTS?
Because applicants are required to choose
one of the twelve concentrations offered
by the DRTS, the Coordinator of a student’s
proposed concentration can best assess an
applicant’s qualifications, as well
as whether or not a student’s goals
are well-suited to our faculty and resources.
Concentration descriptions, and a list of
the Coordinators and their contact information,
is available
here.
2. How
do I apply?
You can view the Graduate School of Arts
and Sciences bulletin and apply
online. On this site you will also find
a link to a form where you can request these
materials in hard copy.
3. What additional materials
need to be submitted with an application?
- Official
transcripts from all colleges and universities
attended.
- letters of recommendation. While
we do accept professional letters of
recommendation, academic recommendations
are preferred.
- A writing sample of no more than 20
pages. Academic writing is preferred.
- A two-to-three page personal statement.
Personal statements are the place to
describe your qualifications for graduate
studies, including proposed area of study,
previous work related to that proposed
area of study, and resources at BU that
are particularly suited to your goals.
- GRE scores. Scores must be from a test
taken during the last five years.
- All international students must submit
TOEFL scores. Scores must be from a test
taken during the last three years.
4. What
are the minimum test score requirements?
The DRTS recommends that students have a
combined verbal/quantitative score of 1300
and a writing score of 5.5.
International students must submit TOEFL
scores. The Division recommends a minimum
score of 600 on the paper-based TOEFL, 250 on the computer-based TOEFL or 84 on the internet-based TOEFL. Optimally,
students’ scores will be evenly distributed
between the various sections of the test,
rather than significantly stronger in some
areas and weaker in others. Please refer directly to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for more detailed information regarding their TOEFL requirements. All scores submitted
must be from tests taken within the last
three years.
5. What
if my test scores are lower than the recommended
minimum?
Test scores are an important part of faculty
assessment of candidates for admission.
However, letters of recommendation, personal
statements, writing samples, and transcripts
are also carefully considered during application
review, and the Division will occasionally
admit students with lower scores if their
other application materials demonstrate
the likelihood of success in their chosen
program of study. Please note that the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences will not admit international applicants who have scored below their TOEFL minimums. For more information see the section titled "Internation Applicants" on the main Graduate School admissions page.
6. How
do I apply for financial aid?
All PhD applicants are considered for financial awards in varying amounts on the basis of academic merit. The DRTS also awards one Dean’s Fellowship with full tuition and a living stipend to an entering Ph.D. student each year. Please refer to our financial aid page for more information.
7. Are
there teaching opportunities for graduate
students?
PhD students in the DRTS are typically eligible for teaching positions in their second year of study. The DRTS funds an average of 5 teaching fellows and 4 teaching assistants each year. Teaching fellows receive full tuition and a living stipend. Teaching assistants receive part-time tuition and a living stipend equal to, or slightly less than, the stipend given to Teaching Fellows. There are also teaching opportunities for DRTS students in the School of Theology, the BU Writing Program, and the BU Metropolitan College.
8. Are
there other financial aid opportunities?
The DRTS has an additional system of financial assistance that applies to both M.A. and Ph.D. students. At BU, part-time students (11 credit hours or fewer per semester) are charged hourly tuition rates based on the school in which their courses are listed. The School of Theology (STH) tuition rates are significantly lower than Graduate School of Arts and Sciences rates, and the DRTS cross-lists all Religion courses in STH. Therefore students in the DRTS who register part-time and take courses listed in STH can benefit from this significantly cheaper tuition rate.
For more information, please see our “Stretching Your Dollars” fact sheet.
9. If
I choose to take classes part-time, can
I finish my degree in a reasonable amount
of time?
DRTS students who take 8 hours (2 classes)
per semester that are applicable to their
coursework requirements can complete 32
hours of coursework in 4 semesters and 64
hours of coursework in 8 semesters. Most
part-time students take 10 hours per semester,
thereby decreasing the amount of time required
to fulfill coursework requirements.
10.
How many students apply to the DRTS each
year? How many are admitted?
The DRTS receives over 200 M.A. and Ph.D.
applications each year, and offers admission
to approximately 35 students each fall.
CLICK HERE for up-to-date admissions
statistics.
11. How is the student
population distributed among the specializations?
For a breakdown of the DRTS student population, CLICK HERE .
12.
Can I take classes at other universities?
As part of the Boston Theological Institute the DRTS offers our students the opportunity to take courses at Harvard Divinity School, Boston College, and other member institutions. For a full listing of currently available courses see the BTI course catalogue.
13.
Does BU offer housing for visiting students?
Unfortunately we cannot offer housing for
visiting students. There are many hotels
and inns close to BU, and some offer a discount
to students visiting the university. CLICK
HERE for a quick guide to visiting campus.
14.
Does BU offer housing for graduate students
enrolled in the University?
BU offers limited graduate student housing,
right on the main campus (very close to
DRTS) in a newly built apartment complex.
The building is purely graduate housing
and has over 200 studios and 11 one bedroom
apartments. Prices range from $1050 to $1400.
There is more information about BU graduate
housing at www.bu.edu/orpm. Students can
contact the Office of Rental Property Management
at 617-353-4101, or the Office of Off-Campus
Services at 617-353-3523 or
oocs@bu.edu, for assistance finding
off-campus housing.
15.
I am an international student. What special
requirements and procedures should I be
aware of?
The Division of Religious and Theological
Studies at Boston University promotes diversity
and welcomes international students. As
an international student, there are several
special requirements and procedures of which
you should be aware. We encourage you to
review the international student application
procedures section of the Graduate School
website: www.bu.edu/grs/academics/admissions
All transcripts that are to be submitted
with the graduate application package MUST
be translated by an accredited translation
service. There are several services available,
but the best are those that offer not only
a translation but also an evaluation (qualitative
assessment of credits) of the international
transcript. Two websites that you might
visit include:
www.wes.org/index.asp
www.jsilny.com/
All incoming international
students, with the exception of students
from countries whose native language is
English, MUST have taken the TOEFL and have
achieved as minimum score of a 213 on the
computer-based test, a 550 on the paper-based
test, or an 84 on the internet-based test.
The internet-based TOEFL is not available
everywhere. To check on the availability
of the internet-based TOEFL, or for more
information on the exam itself, visit their
website at www.ets.org
We would also like to call your attention
to the ever-changing guidelines for obtaining
a United States student visa. For more information,
visit www.bu.edu/isso/
16.
Can visits to the Division of Religion be
arranged?
Click
here for information about visiting the
Division of Religious and Theological Studies.
We strongly recommend that students who choose to visit make an appointment to see the Coordinator of the concentration to which they are applying. To make appointments with Coordinators or other faculty members, contact them directly. Contact information for Area Coordinators is available here.
For further information about the DRTS please contact Karen Nardella, Administrator, at kcn@bu.edu or 617-353-2636. For information on full campus tours, please visit the Office of Graduate Admissions.
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