Applicants for graduate study must have completed with distinction an undergraduate degree in an accredited college or university and will normally be expected to have taken at least 18 credit hours (six courses) in religious studies at the under-graduate level. In addition, applicants must submit scores on the Graduate Record Examination (aptitude portion only). Admission will depend not only on the achievement and promise of the applicant as attested through transcripts, 3 letters of recommendation, and GRE scores, (GRE scores cannont be over 5 years old, generally) but also on the clarity of the applicant's statement of interest and aims and on the compatibility of the applicant's interests with resources of the department.
Application deadline is December 3rd for the following Fall.
We do not accept Spring and Summer applications.
When writing your "personal statement," please mention on the first line which program you are applying to.
Please do not call the Department to request an application. All Graduate applications to the University of Virginia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are handled by the Admissions Office of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and not from the Department of Religious Studies.
Our GRE's Institution Code is 5820, Department Code: 2904. The Department of Religious Studies does not provide any other printed information about its Graduate Program other than what is found on this web site. If you have questions, please contact the graduate secretary
December 3
Yes. In the years 2002 and 2004, 24 students received the Ph.D., 9 found teaching appointments in religious studies or theology departments, 4 appointments were tenure-track, 5 were temporary. Of the rest, 7 went on to a post-doc appointment or another degree program, 3 took administrative jobs in higher education, and 4 returned to service as members of the clergy. Most finishing M.A. students entered a Ph.D. program in theology or religious studies.
We accept about 12 doctoral students a year out of an applicant pool of over 170. The typical admitted student has a GRE Verbal between 650 and 750, a GPA over 3.7 from a competitive university or college, and very strong letters of recommendation. Applicants admitted into the MA program (15 or so a year, out of 40 or so) are occasionally a bit weaker but often have scores comparable to those of the PhD applicants.
No. We regularly turn down students with 800 GRE verbal scores and 4.0 grade point averages. This is true for both the MA and PhD programs.
Two things are crucial. First, "fit," that is, compatibility between the student's interests and the scholarly competence of the faculty. Second, a strong statement of purpose that shows engagement with the proposed area of study and the critical acumen needed to undertake significant original research. Since MA students work more generally, the fit can be a bit looser in their case, but the statement remains crucial, even if less narrowly research oriented.
Very. It can make or break an application.
For PhD applicants, propose a course of study outside the research specialization of the faculty, for MA applicants, propose one outside their areas of academic competence.
Consult the descriptions of their interests on the faculty web page; or, better, read their books and articles.
Yes. Historical Studies does not usually accept students without a masters degree. Historical Studies and History of Religions regularly reject PhD applicants who lack necessary languages.
You are familiar with the research of one of the faculty members and it excites you. Students applying to a PhD program are really applying to undertake their studies under one or more faculty members, not to simply take classes in a program. On a broader scale, the same is true for MA applicants.
At the doctoral level it is our policy to provide a tuition waver and a fellowship or teaching assistantship (usually between $8,200 and $16,000) for every student admitted. Support is for four years for those who already have an MA, five for those without.
No. As said above, we normally fund all students accepted to the doctoral program.
No. We only fund PhD students.
No. All applicants who have an MA are evaluated according to the same criteria.
Go to the faculty web page
(http://www.virginia.edu/religiousstudies/admin/faculty.html) and identify a faculty member or two whose interests parallel your own. Then write, email, or call that professor.