PhD FAQs

What makes a PhD different than a master’s degree?

• Doctoral study at the University of Chicago Divinity School is a significant investment of time, energy, learning, and creativity toward the cultivation of researchers, teachers, and leaders in academia and beyond. Through coursework, comprehensive exams, and the research and writing of a dissertation, doctoral students emerge from the program with an uncommon capacity for understanding, synthesizing, and producing original ideas, supported by the arguments and evidence. Completing a PhD is not simply more schooling. While much of this is true of our master’s programs, too, including the development of highly refined skills in description, comparison, interpretation, and explanation, doctoral study requires significantly more independence and clarity of purpose. As such, applicants should carefully consider and articulate how their particular goals and interests require doctoral study. Admission to the PhD program represents an agreement between the Divinity School and the applicant. The applicant will take advantage of the resources provided to pursue cutting-edge research questions, pedagogical experiences, and leadership opportunities, ensuring they lead the vanguard in their field in ways that will endure. 

What is a typical course of study for PhD students? 

• PhD students are admitted to the Divinity School as a whole and, in their first year, are often mentored and advised by several faculty as they chart their course of study. At the end of the first year, doctoral students submit a course of study petition in which they formally declare an area of research and an advisor, outline proposed qualifying exams and teaching plans, and chart a course through the PhD. Typically, PhD students complete two to three years of coursework, take qualifying examinations in the third or fourth year, complete a dissertation proposal colloquium in their fourth or fifth year, and then write their dissertation. Many factors influence this timeline, including prior preparation, familial obligations, language learning needs, and the nature of one’s research (e.g., fieldwork, archival research, etc.). Students should meet at least annually with their faculty adviser to discuss degree milestones, research timeline, and progress to completion. For a more detailed sample course of study, please see the PhD Student Handbook. 

What kind of advising do PhD students receive?

• PhD students develop a close relationship with the faculty member who will be their primary advisor and generally guides them through the process of selecting courses, preparing for qualifying examinations, and frequently (though not always) serves as chair of their dissertation committee (if you have questions about faculty who can serve as advisors, please consult the application). Students also develop relationships with their qualifying examinations committee, their dissertation readers, and other Divinity School faculty through cross-disciplinary workshops and seminars. Students frequently include at least one faculty member from another Division of the University (e.g. Social Sciences or Humanities) and/or from outside the University as a member of their dissertation committee.
• As students progress through their program, we also provide support and guidance toward next career steps in the form of skill-building workshops, panels with experts and practitioners, internship opportunities, and professional advising from both the Divinity School and UChicagoGRAD. These resources, supported by initiatives like the Colman Program for the Craft of Teaching, Leadership, and Service and the Martin Marty Center for the Public Understanding of Religion, are constantly adapting to the needs of students and the world around us, but always aim to provide frameworks and applicable skills that demystify whatever comes next. Finally, the BONDS Peer Mentor Program offers practical guidance and a built-in community for Divinity School students. This program helps make the University more legible and welcoming, no matter the individual's need or question. 

What is the relationship between the Area of Study and the kind of interdisciplinary research the Divinity School promotes? I have interests in more than one area of study, and I’m worried that I won’t be able to do the kind of interdisciplinary work that I imagine. 

• Interdisciplinarity is a central feature of life and work in the Divinity School. You can think of an area of study as an intellectual or methodological “home” within the Divinity School. Like any home, you should occasionally leave it, so the Areas are not restrictive and nearly all faculty and students in an area work across areas and even across University Divisions (e.g., in the Arts and Humanities or Social Sciences). All doctoral students are required to take at least one Qualifying Examination outside of their area. PhD students may take courses in other graduate divisions at the University, and may consult faculty in different divisions and at other universities as dissertation readers. Informally, students participate in  interdisciplinary workshops that convene students and faculty from the Divinity School, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Can I pursue a joint PhD with another department?

• Yes. As you might imagine from the previous FAQ, Divinity students can petition to do a joint PhD in another division of the University, and students from other Divisions can petition to do a joint PhD in the Divinity School. Coursework and exam requirements for both departments or divisions must be completed, though only one dissertation needs to be written. For more information on joint PhD degrees, please contact the Dean of Students.

How does teaching work for doctoral students

• Doctoral students must complete a Pedagogical Training Plan as part of their course of study. Typically, this includes three TAships and one standalone course. However, students propose a plan at the end of their first year as part of their course of study petition, outlining the types of mentored teaching experiences they will pursue. Opportunities for teaching standalone classes include languages (e.g., Greek or Hebrew within the Divinity School) and new courses designed through the Alma Wilson Teaching Fellowship in the Undergraduate Program in Religious Studies.  

What are the language requirements for the PhD? 

• Language study is foundational for conducting serious, primary source research in nearly every field of study at the Divinity School, and the ability to engage seriously with scholarship in languages besides English is crucial for our enterprise. As such, applicants to the PhD are expected to have already received substantial training in the languages needed to analyze sources in the area of their research by the time they enter the program. During the coursework stage and beyond, students continue to study languages, both at the University of Chicago and often abroad to hone their skills and expand the range of materials at their scholarly command.
• Formally, the PhD program requires a high pass in two secondary research languages (often French and German, but several additional options are commonly available) via the Academic Reading Comprehension Assessment(ARCA). Beyond this requirement, individual areas of study and individual advisors may have additional expectations of their students, depending, in most cases, on their research. Applicants are encouraged to consider the MA program at the Divinity School before applying to the PhD if they have concerns about language preparation. Contact the Dean of Students Office at divinityadmissions@uchicago.edu or prospective doctoral advisors with additional questions.