Our PhD program allows students latitude in pursuing their interests within the Department’s areas of concentration: Jewish Studies (Hebrew Bible & Jewish Literature, History, Thought, Culture) Christian Studies (Bible & Christian Literature, History, Thought, Culture) Islamic Studies (Quran & Islamic Literature, History, Thought, Culture) Asian Religions (Literature, History, Thought, Culture in Hinduism or Buddhism) Religion in America (Anthropology and American Religion, Southern Religion) Our PhD degree typically takes five years, though students construct an individualized timeline. All PhD students take graduate-level coursework that helps them dive more deeply into their chosen research area. They complete written and oral comprehensive exams and submit and defend a proposal (or prospectus) for a PhD dissertation before being admitted to candidacy. They write and defend a dissertation on a topic of their choice. Program of Study GradFIRST Seminar GRSC 7001 GradFIRST Seminar, an introduction to graduate study at UGA Teaching Seminar RELI 7770 Teaching Seminar (or GRSC 7770 or an equivalent UGA pedagogy seminar), required for all UGA students on a Teaching Assistantship Theories Seminar RELI 8770 Theories and Methods in the Study of Religion Seminar in Global or American Religion One of the following courses is required; the other may be taken as an elective: RELI 8000 Religion in Global Society or RELI 8100 Religion and Globalization RELI 8200 Religion in the Americas Graduate Electives In addition to the 8000-level seminars listed above, PhD students select at least 16 hours (typically 6 seminars) of graduate-level electives, allowing you to build a solid foundation of knowledge in your selected research area. You will discuss which electives to choose in consultation with your major professor. Individualized Requirements Major professors and students may consider the option of adding coursework to gain more advanced proficiency in particular research topics, methods, languages, or similar. This depends on the student's individualized research area and approach. Research Skills Requirement PhD students will discuss which research skills they need with their major professor and how to gain those skills. Our department's default policy is reading knowledge of two non-English secondary research languages plus any necessary primary research languages, though some PhD students may need more than two secondary languages, while others may need different types of research skills for their dissertation research. Research and Writing Hours for the Doctoral Dissertation In consultation with their major professor and other relevant faculty, PhD students will research, write, and defend an in-depth scholarly doctoral dissertation on a research topic that is of particular interest to them. RELI 9000, Doctoral Research RELI 9300, Doctoral Dissertation
