Religious Studies
Offered at IU Bloomington by College of Arts and Sciences.
About
The Ph.D. program in the Department of Religious Studies mentors future scholar-teachers who stand at the forefront of the contemporary study of religion. It combines the personal attention and flexibility of a smaller program with the resources of a large, public research university, including opportunities for language study, interdisciplinary collaboration, and teaching experience.
The department emphasizes doctoral work that combines guided and individualized research, so we look for creative, self-driven students who will work closely with the faculty.
Our available Ph.D. fields of study are as follows:
- Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Religions
- Buddhist Studies
- Chinese Thought
- Comparative and Transnational Studies of the Muslim Tradition
- Ethics, Philosophy, and Politics in the Study of Religion
- History of Christianity
- Jewish Thought and Culture
- Religion in the Americas
- Religions of South Asia
- Religion, Textuality, and Cultural Imagination
- Religion, Science, and Technology Studies
By cultivating a multidisciplinary, thematic approach to the study of religion, the department effectively prepares its graduate students for careers in higher education and in any profession that requires deep knowledge, broad-mindedness, critical engagement, and research and communications skills. Students become not only specialists in their areas of interest, but also well versed in an array of theories, topics, and traditions related to a key focus of the department: being human.
The Department of Religious Studies has a strong record of successfully placing our graduates in full-time teaching positions.