Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies

The doctoral program in the Department of Religious Studies trains participants to become advanced practitioners of the study of religion as researchers, scholars, teachers, and facilitators of informed public discourse. Some graduates become professors at colleges or universities while others bring a nuanced, critical understanding of religion and its influences to such careers as health care, law, diplomacy, ministry, social advocacy, journalism, counseling, and informatics.

PhD students train to analyze the ways in which diverse religious traditions originate, develop, and interact over time, and learn to identify and use multiple methods for the study of religion, including historical, philosophical, ethical, literary, linguistic, psychological, ethnographic, and digital approaches. Students typically draw on the expertise of several different members of the religious studies faculty and also are encouraged to work with faculty members in other UI departments who specialize in their areas of interest. Many PhD students work, for example, with scholars in the departments of Anthropology, Asian and Slavic Languages, Classics, Communication Studies, English, Gender, Women's, and Sexuality Studies, and History.

The following are required materials:

Completed application form
Verbal, quantitative, and analytical scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (up to 5 years old are acceptable)
If you are from a country where English is not the first language, please submit a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score
Three letters of recommendation submitted by persons familiar with your academic performance (written on the referee's letterhead when possible)
Transcript(s) of all undergraduate and graduate work (Official transcripts required following acceptance of admission)
A brief Personal Essay that explains your objectives for graduate study in light of existing faculty expertise in the Department of Religious Studies and other relevant departments
A writing sample demonstrating the ability to engage in critical thinking
Application (or Waiver of Consideration) for Graduate Assistantships
Applicants to the Ph.D. program ordinarily must have a verbal reasoning score of at least 158 and a quantitative reasoning score of at least 147 on the revised GRE General Test (verbal reasoning score of at least 580 and quantitative reasoning score of at least 580 on the old GRE General Test) and a g.p.a. of at least 3.40.


Regarding the TOEFL Exam, Ph.D. applicants are normally expected to achieve a minimum score of 600 on the paper version or 100 on the internet-based version, M.A. applicants are expected to score at least 560 on the paper-based version or 83 on the internet-based version.