Boston University Graduate School
Division of Religious and Theological Studies
PhD and MA in Theology
For the CURRENT PROGRAM, see PhD in
Religious Thought.
Beginning in Fall 2009, Boston University's Division of Religious and
Theological Studies (DRTS) offers PhD and MA degrees specializing in
Christian Theology or Comparative Theology
through
Track II: Religious Thought. Boston University's School of Theology
offers ThD majors and minors in Theology and a variety of masters degrees
specializing in Theology. See General
Information (below) for details.
Information on this page is for DRTS and STH doctoral students in
Theology covered by old rules, in place prior to Fall 2009.
Contents
General Information
Purpose of the PhD and
MA in Theology
Requirements of the
PhD and MA in Theology
[included_phd_general.htm]
The PhD and MA degrees offered by DRTS are academic degrees.
The doctoral programs in theology are designed to prepare students to
understand and assess theological issues, and to pursue truth concerning
them, in conversation with religious or secular traditions that might take
an interest in them, or in which they might be interested.
The PhD and MA specializations in Theology are two: Christian Theology and
Comparative Theology. Both specializations in the Theology PhD have a double emphasis on accumulating historical
knowledge of philosophical and systematic theology (especially within
Christianity for the Christianity track, and in two traditions for the
Comparative track), and on building constructive skills needed to
formulate and argue for theological positions.
For a more detailed account of the style and purpose of Boston
University's doctoral programs Theology, see the appropriate section of the Theology
Red Book.
Included in the exciting mass of literature intended to guide you through your PhD
degree program in theology is the so-called Theology
Red Book. Note that, though this publication has a similar name to the
DRTS "Virtual Red Book", it is a different document, older, and
specific to the Theology programs. The similar names are evidence of the
popularity of red covers for written documents, which is the form both took
when they were first produced. Almost everything you need to know about the way the
theology program works as far as requirements are concerned is discussed in gripping fashion within the pages
of the Theology Red Book.
The theology PhD program comes in two specializations:
Christianity and Comparative. Both degrees include a big dose of
comparative theology, but the comparative track involves specializing in two traditions
instead of one and so has different qualifying examinations and language requirements.
If you are interested in sample qualifying examination questions, you
will find questions organized by period and type in the Web
Archive.
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Wildman (basic information here), unless otherwise
noted.
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