Competence in two languages of modern critical discourse, normally German and French. For students who matriculate at the Ph.D. level, one language requirement must be completed prior to the beginning of classes, and the other must be completed before the beginning of the third semester of study.  Students will not be permitted to sit for comprehensive examinations before satisfying the language requirement.

A minimum of:

• three academic years of full time study beyond the B.A. degree, or
• the M.A. in religion (or its equivalent) and a minimum of 36 additional credits, fifty percent of which must be taken in the Department of Religion. In addition, 18 additional dissertation credits are required.

Comprehensive Examinations Guidelines:

The Ph.D examinations are designed to test students in specialized subjects within the framework of the areas of study listed above.  By emphasizing a diversity of topics, approaches and scope of study, the four-exam structure requires students to gain expertise in their chosen fields of study.  The Ph.D examinations also prepare students to develop competencies required for their future scholarship and teaching in religion.

The four comprehensive exams will be determined according to the candidate's research area of specialization in consultation with his or her advisor.   They must be approved by the Advisor and the Graduate Committee by the end of the candidate's second year of doctoral residency.

The four examinations must fall under the following headings:

• Period or movement: This examination will deal with a clearly demarcated time-period or a specified religious movement or an identifiable set of influential religious ideas within or across culture(s). Students must demonstrate a strong grasp of (a) the history of, (b) the cultural, intellectual, or religious context of, and (c) the secondary scholarship on the period or movement, and show the ability to think constructively and critically about its significance.
• Person: This examination will deal with either the completed literary corpus of a religious thinker or with the biography (including hagiography) and religious legacy of a key religious figure.  Students must (a) show familiarity with the person's life, (b) grapple with his/her body of works, and (c) demonstrate its influence on subsequent conceptions and/or religious practice or thought in the wider culture.
• Text: This examination will focus on a particular text or textual tradition that is regarded as sacred to a religious community or exemplifies the religious orientations of a society. Students must demonstrate knowledge of (a) the history of interpretation of their text(s), (b) textual-critical issues such as authorship, context, transmission, etc., and (c) arguments about their meanings and uses.
• Problem: This examination must articulate an issue or problem within an area that will ideally provide a transition to the topic of the Ph.D dissertation. An issue or a problem may be an event, idea, movement or scholarly position that has provoked debate. Students must demonstrate the ability
  • to formulate a problem,
  • to grasp and evaluate relevant theories and methodologies, and
  • to cogently address and systematically argue an issue, problem or thesis. 

The problem examination will be graded as a written examination, but in addition, there will be an "oral review" of the problem examination.  The results of the oral review will be taken into consideration in the grading of the examination.

The examinations taken together

• must fall within at least two historical periods,
• must reflect more than one area of study listed on page 1, and
• must include a diversity of religious traditions.

A dissertation prospectus setting forth the dissertation topic, justification of topic, argumentation, chapter-by-chapter projection of contents, and bibliography.

The dissertation and its oral defense.

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