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Frequently Asked Questions about the Division
of Religious and Theological Studies
(DRTS) Admissions Process
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Visiting the Division of Religious and
Theological Studies
January 1 is the application deadline
for September admission. There is no spring admission.
To apply, the following materials must be submitted directly to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS) Admissions Office (*unless otherwise noted) by January 1st:
(1) application forms;
(2) official transcripts of all college or university
work;
(3) three letters of reference (academic preferred);
(4)*a two-to-three page statement of purpose;
(5)*academic writing sample of no more than 20 pages;
(6) recent GRE scores (from a test taken within the last five years).
International
applicants must also submit TOEFL scores (from a test taken within the last five years).
*can be sent via email to drts@bu.edu
An applicant must indicate the track into which he or
she seeks admission, as well as the proposed area of specialization. The DRTS does not
offer a general MA or PhD in religious
studies; it does not offer ThD and DMin
degrees. These are offered through the School of Theology.
For questions about the
admissions process, you may call 617-353-4427
and leave a voicemail, or email. OUr Admissions Coordinator will return your call
or email within 48 hours. We request that
before emailing or phoning, you review
our Web site thoroughly.
All applicants are reminded
that notices regarding the completion or
incompletion of applications will be sent
out at the end of January for the upcoming
fall. If applicants want immediate information
regarding applications items currently
on file they can contact the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences Department
of Admisssions.
An applicant to the MA or
MA/PhD (post-Bachelor's PhD) program should
hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in an area
related to the proposed area of specialization.
An applicant to the post-Master's PhD program
should hold an accredited Master of Arts
or Master of Divinity, or equivalent degree in an area
related to the area of specialization.
The Master's degree program must have included
at least four courses in the proposed field.
All entering students should show transcript evidence of having studied at least one religous tradition at the advanced Bachelor's or Master's level. Students should also show transcript evidence of having studied a variety of religous traditions at the introductory level. If this prerequisite has not been met before admission, it may be met during the course of study by taking courses approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. This prerequisite may also be met by successfully completing the Core Texts and Motifs sequence (RN 723-724). Any courses used to satisfy this prerequisite (other than Core Texts and Motifs) will not be counted toward the minimum course requirement for the PhD degree.
For additional, Track specific, prerequisite information please visit the page of the individual track that you are interested in.
Master’s students
have 3 years to complete their degree.
Post-master's doctoral students have 7
years to complete their degree, while post-bachelor's
students have 8. After this time limit
has been reached, students must successfully
petition the Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences for an extension. If the extension
is granted, the student will continue in
the program, but will be charged the Graduate
School rate for continuing student fees.
Students whose continuation in the program extends to seven years beyond the completion of their comprehensive examinations may be required to retake one or more of their comprehensive examinations in order to insure that they remian well informed of current issues in the field.
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Students who do not wish or expect to pursue the PhD at Boston University may develop an individualized program to suit their needs irrespective of the curricular requirements of the particular tracks, provided the general rules described in this section are followed.
Course Requirements
In addition to the prerequisites required upon admission, eight 4-hour semester
courses (32 credit hours) are required
as a minimum for the Master of Arts degree.
Additional courses may be required at the
discretion of the Advisor and the Director. All students in the Division must successfully complete two 4-credit coourses in Approaches to Religous Studies. These courses in most cases will be selected form the following: Humanities Approaches to Religion (RN 795); Social Science Approaches to Religion (RN 796); Philosophical and Theological Approaches to Religion (RN 797). Students are encouraged, but not required, to take all three. Students with a particularly strong background in one of these areas will not normally be exempted from this requirement, but may be encouraged to take the other two courses. These courses count toward the required credits for the MA degree.
Language
French, German, or another relevant modern foreign language is required of all MA candidates. This requirement may be satisfied by transcript evidence of having passed two years of undergraduate study of the language, by Division examination, or by passing GRS LG 621 (German) or GRS LF 621 (French). These are non-credit courses offered by the Department of Modern Languages and Comparative Literature (German) and Romance Studies (French). Additional languages may be required at the discretion of the Advisor, in consultation with the Director.
Comprehensive Examination or Thesis
Doctor of Philosophy After fulfilling course requirements, an MA candidate must write and defend a thesis or pass a comprehensive examination in the student’s area of specialization. The contours of the exam or thesis will be determined in the first case by the student’s advisor, in consultation with related faculty, and with the approval of the Director of Graduate Study.
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Students who hope to pursue the PhD at Boston University should carefully attend to the curricular requirements of the relevant doctoral tracks, as described below.
Admission is to PhD candidacy,
but the MA may be awarded to a candidate
upon his or her petition when all MA requirements
have been fulfilled.
Course Requirements
In addition to any prerequisites required upon admission, 64 semester hours (normally sixteen 4-hour semester courses) are required as a minimum for the post-bachelor’s PhD degree. The required two courses in Approaches to Religion count toward this minimum course requirement. Additional courses may be required at the discretion of the Advisor or Track Coordinator. All other requirements are the same as for the post-master’s PhD and are outlined below.
Course Requirements
A minimum of 32 semester hours (normally eight 4-hour semester courses) are required for the post-master’s PhD degree. In addition, students who have not already done so as part of a DRTS MA degree must successfully complete two 4-credit courses in Approaches to Religious Studies. These courses will in most cases be selected from the following: Humanities Approaches to Religion (RN 795); Social Science Approaches to Religion (RN 796); Philosophical and Theological Approaches to Religion (RN 797). Students with a particularly strong background in one of these areas will not normally be exempted from this requirement, but may be encouraged to take the other two courses.
Additional courses may be required at the discretion of the Advisor or Track Coordinator.
Some additional course requirements are determined by the student’s track, please visit the page of the individual track that you are interested in for additional track specific course requirements.
Language and Research Competence Requirements
During the first two years of graduate study, PhD candidates are required to demonstrate a reading knowledge of two modern foreign languages, one of which will usually be French or German. The second language, if not French or German, should be a modern foreign language clearly related
to the dissertation research. Fulfillment of this requirement will be demonstrated by reading examinations administered by faculty in the Division or the relevant GRS department (e.g., Modern Languages & Comparative Literature, Romance Studies). The Department of Modern Languages & Comparative Literature offers a free non-credit course in German reading for graduate students. The Department of Romance Studies offers a free non-credit course in French reading for graduate students. The first language examination must be passed by the end of the first year of study. The second language requirement must be met by the end of the second year. Passed language exams must be reported to the Division office at 145 Bay State Road, Room 302 and a Report of Examination form must be filed with the GRS in order to record fulfillment of each language requirement on the transcript.
Please visit the page of the individual track that you are interested in for additional track specific language and research competence requirements. Some tracks may require and/or permit substitutions and/or may have additional requirements.
Qualifying Examinations
Before proceeding to the dissertation, students are required to pass three or four separate qualifying examinations. The precise number and nature of the exams is determined by the student’s track and particular research focus, but will generally follow the guidelines indicated below for each track. At least one of these examinations should have an oral component. At least two of these examinations must have a written component. Questions for all comprehensive examinations will be shared among faculty in the appropriate track. PhD candidates may schedule qualifying examinations after successful completion of all coursework and language requirements. One retake may be allowed for each examination. Qualifying examinations may not be extended longer than one year, unless an extension of time is approved by the Director. At least two faculty members in the student’s area of research must be closely involved in the preparation and evaluation of each examination. Completed written examinations should also be reviewed by the Track Coordinator. Passage of each qualifying exam must be reported to the Division office located at 145 Bay State Road, room 302. Upon completion of all qualifying examinations a Report of Examination form must be filed with the GRS in order to record fulfillment of the qualifying examination requirement on the transcript. Copies of completed written examinations will be placed in the student’s file.
Please visit the page of the individual track that you are interested in for more detailed, track-specific information on the basic structure of qualifying examinations in the Division.
Prospectus (Dissertation
Outline)
After passing qualifying examinations,
the student must present a formal proposal
for the dissertation, which, after approval
by the Committee on Academic Programs,
is filed in the Graduate School Records
Office.
Dissertation and Final
Oral Examination
For more information please see the General
Requirements for the PhD section of the GRS Bulletin.
For fuller description of DRTS degree guidelines and procedures, please consult the DRTS Student Handbook.
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Through the Boston Theological
Institute, DRTS students may register for
courses in the consortium which includes
Andover-Newton Theological School, Boston
College, Harvard Divinity School, Gordon-Conwell
School of Theology, St. John's Seminary,
and Weston School of Theology. Access to
the libraries of the consortium members
is available to all DRTS PhD students,
whether or not they are enrolled in courses
there.
When it is beneficial to
their academic programs, students in the
DRTS may take courses in other departments/schools,
including but not limited to the following:
Anthropology
Art History
Classical
Studies
English
History
Modern
Languages and Comparative Literature
Philosophy
Romance
Studies
Sociology
School
of Theology
University
Professors
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