Overview of Curriculum

 

Degree Programs

Committees of the Faculty and Areas of Study

 

Introduction

The Divinity School curriculum reflects the distinctive nature of the academic work at the School, work that encompasses the full range of the academic study of religion, religion in all times and places approached from multiple theoretical and methodological perspectives. The scholarly work of the School is organized through the work of three faculty committees, each of which is further subdivided into areas of study. Ph.D. students concentrate their work in one of the ten areas of study. Students in the various master’s programs combine study in these areas with courses specific to their programs.

For more information about any of the programs offered by the Divinity School, contact us at:

The Dean of Students’ Office
The University of Chicago Divinity School
1025 East 58th Street
Chicago, IL 60637

Phone: 773-702-8217
Fax: 773-834-4581
E-mail: sdowler@uchicago.edu

 

Degree Programs

The Divinity School offers the following programs of study:

The Master of Arts in Divinity (A.M.)
The foundational program for students without a graduate degree who wish to pursue the Ph.D. in the Divinity School.

The Master of Arts in Religious Studies (A.M.R.S.)
For students who seek a general introduction to the academic study of religion, but who do not plan to pursue Ph.D. work in the Divinity School.

The Master of Divinity (M.Div.)
Prepares students for traditional, well-defined ministerial professions as well as new and emerging forms of ministry.

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Prepares students for scholarship, teaching, and research in the study of religion.

Dual Degrees
The Divinity School offers dual degree programs with the University’s Irving B. Harris School of Public Policy Studies, Law School, and School of Social Service Administration.

 

Special Programs

In addition to its graduate degree programs, the Divinity School sponsors a number of other special courses and programs, including an Undergraduate Program in Religious Studies; a Certification in Ministerial Studies for Ph.D. Students; an M.Div./Ph.D. Program for Hyde Park Seminary Students; the Jerald Brauer Seminar for interdisciplinary research on religion; and non-degree programs for Graduate Students-at-Large (administered through the Graham School of General Studies), Visiting Students from Foreign Universities and postdoctoral Senior Research Fellows.

It also encourages students to supplement their work at the Divinity School with work in other areas of the University, when appropriate. In addition to the various departments of the graduate divisions of the University, specialized work in religion may be pursued through the Committee on Jewish Studies, the Department of New Testament and Early Christian Literature, and the Graduate Workshops in the Humanities.

When necessary, it supports students in outside programs, such as those in the Traveling Scholar and Exchange Scholar Programs and Clinical Pastoral Education.

 

Committees of the Faculty and Areas of Study

The Divinity School is organized into three committees of the faculty and ten areas of study that support the School’s degree programs. Click on the following links for brief descriptions of the committees of the faculty and areas of study, including faculty resources, general guidelines, area Ph.D. written examinations, and sample course offerings.

Constructive Studies in Religion Religious Ethics Philosophy of Religion Theology	Historical Studies in Religion Biblical Studies History of Christianity History of Judaism
Religion and the Human Sciences History of Religions Anthropology and Sociology of Religion Religion and Literature	Islamic Studies

Please note that the courses listed in the above links are illustrative, and there may be additions, deletions, or changes as the faculty deems advisable. Some of the courses listed in a specific area may be cross-listed in other areas.

Not listed in the above links are the small number of courses designed to serve specific program requirements, like the sequence “The Study of Religion” for the A.M. program, the sequences “The Public Church” and “Arts of Ministry” for the M.Div. program, and reading courses for Ph.D. examination preparation and dissertation research. Go to Course Descriptions for a complete listing of courses being offered in the current academic year, as well as for an archive of past courses.

The courses of instruction in the various areas of study are numbered as follows:

30000–39900 Basic courses at the graduate level
40000–49900 Advanced and specialized courses at the graduate level
50000–59900 Reading, seminar, research, and dissertation courses

These courses are preceded by the following abbreviations for their areas of study:

AASR	Anthropology and Sociology of Religion
BIBL	Biblical Studies
HCHR	History of Christianity
HIJD	History of Judaism
HREL	History of Religions
ISLM	Islamic Studies
DVPR	Philosophy of Religion
RLIT	Religion and Literature
RETH	Religious Ethics
THEO	Theology

The academic year at the University of Chicago is divided into four quarters of approximately three months each, but the Divinity School offers formal courses only in the autumn, winter, and spring quarters. Students normally matriculate in the autumn quarter. Because the Divinity School is one of the academic units of the University of Chicago, its students have available to them, in addition to courses offered in the Divinity School, a wide range of courses in other divisions and schools. The Divinity School encourages all students to make use of these offerings in view of their specific research interests.

In addition to accommodating students in its degree programs, the Divinity School can make arrangements to accommodate senior research fellows and nondegree students. Scholars holding the Ph.D. degree may apply to be in residence as senior fellows in the Martin Marty Center. For more information, contact the Director of the Martin Marty Center. A student pursuing a doctoral degree at a foreign university may apply to be in residence as a non-degree student if that student is sponsored by a Divinity School faculty member. For more information, contact the Dean of Students.

One of the accrediting bodies for the Divinity School is the American Theological Association (ATS). Students who are concerned that the Divinity School may not be in accord with the guidelines established by the ATS are invited to contact the ATS.