I’m an English major as an undergraduate but I’m interested in getting a master’s degree in theology (specifically the Princeton Theological Seminary). Do I need to take theology classes in order to apply (have any theology background)? I was wondering if being an English major will somehow help me get into Theological Seminary (if there’s any useful correlation) and how strenuous the application process is and how hard it is to get in overall? Thanks in advance!
You can be any undergraduate major. D is in master program in theology. Some places didn’t even care about GRE, so mostly grades and recommendations and personal statement. She must have supplied a writing to sample to at least one program because they mentioned her writing when they accepted her. Some theology programs are pretty affordable compared to other programs, especially where there are divinity schools - I think they have large endowments. She didn’t apply to PTS so can’t speak to that school.
Being a good writer will definitely help in your studies, but no sure necessarily in application other than you should have a good writing sample if asked.
The Princeton master’s in theology (ThM) program requires you to have already received a master’s in divinity (MDiv) from somewhere. It’s designed as a program to improve or deepen your preparation for the ministry above and beyond the MDiv.
http://www.ptsem.edu/academics/degrees/master-of-theology
And actually that seems to be the case at most places. Yale Divinity School also has this requirement, as does Duke. The ThM specifically is designed for post-graduate study.
If you want to prepare for the ministry, the MDiv seems to be the standard first graduate degree that you would get right after having a BA (in any undergraduate field).
Many schools have master’s programs where you can learn about theology without preparing for the ministry. For example, Emory’s Candler School of Theology has a Masters of Theological Studies program that is designed for students who don’t want to prepare for ministry but want to learn more about theology. That would also be the kind of program you’d be looking for. PTS has one of those as well.
Depends on degree you want and the school. D is doing MAR at Yale in YDS. No MDIV required. She was accepted directly from undergrad into masters in religion (theology track) at Emory, UChicago, Duke, Yale and Harvard. Several do have the one year kind of “add on” degree as @Juillet noted. But if you want initial masters, you can get it without another master’s at several schools. Now Princeton may be different - I think that the only option for masters in the Divinity school is MDiv (D has professor that did that and then PhD). That’s why D didn’t apply there.
Be aware that at some schools degrees are in different areas - may be masters options in Graduate Arts & Sciences departments (religion, philosophy, etc) that may get you the same place depending on career goals.
It seems to all be very school specific. But bottom line is you can get a masters in theology straight from UG. If you’re interested in ministry, an MDiv may be worth considering.
^Well, yes. When I said you would need an MDiv first, I was speaking specifically about the Master’s in Theology (Th.M.), which in general was specifically designed to be a one-year addition to an MDiv or another graduate degree in theology. It’s actually considered a doctoral-level degree in North America, despite the name, which makes sense: The M.Div usually takes about 3 years and then the Th.M would take 1-2 additional years, making the total time 4-5 years. It’s the minimum qualification for teaching at schools of divinity or theology, and as a result, most schools actually do not allow you to do that straight from undergrad.
-from the Wikipedia page about the Th.M.
You can look at the pages of all the divinity schools and seminaries - Duke, Yale, and PTS as I mentioned above; Harvard, Emory, Dallas TS, Southern Baptist TS, Fuller, Pittsburgh, etc. - to see that’s the case. This, at least, does not seem to be school specific.
A master’s of arts in theological studies or in religion on a theology track is different from a Th.M. degree. That’s why I said you can study/learn about theology in a master’s program without doing a specific Master’s in Theology (Th.M.) UChicago’s Divinity School, for example, has a master’s of arts, a master’s of arts in religious studies, and an MDiv, all of which you can get with only a BA, but they don’t have a Master’s in Theology (Th.M.) program.
Emory’s ThM program does not admit students without an MDiv or an equivalent degree in theology, but they do have a Master of Theological Studies (MTS) you can get with a BA. Duke, Yale, and Harvard are similar - they have degrees other than the ThM in which you can study theology with a BA (at Harvard and Duke - and the Princeton Theological Seminary - it is also a Master of Theological Studies; at Yale, it’s an MA in religion).
And, as was said above - if you want to engage in the general academic study of religion - you can also look in religion departments and maybe philosophy departments that are not in divinity schools.
The distinction is important for when you start doing Internet searches and research on these programs.