Program Overview

Ph.D. in Theology Program Overview

The Ph.D. in Theology program at Fordham University is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in theological studies. Upon entering the program, students will be assigned an advisor working in their intended field of study, who will assist in selecting courses, monitoring progress, and fulfilling other necessary roles.

Program Structure and Requirements

• The program is divided into five fields of study:
  • Bible
  • Judaism and Christianity in Antiquity
  • History of Christianity
  • Systematic Theology
  • Theological and Social Ethics
• Students will take responsibility for planning a curriculum of study that is both broad and specialized, with the consultation of an advisor.
• Coursework at the doctoral level demands a more active role on the part of the student, including contributing to the encounter with texts and ideas, designing projects, and pursuing independent study.
• In addition to specific requirements within the field of study, students must complete a zero-credit course, Teaching Theology, before they are permitted to teach courses for the department.

Language Proficiency

• All students will be called upon to demonstrate reading proficiency in two modern languages, which are typically French and German, unless otherwise specified.
• For some students, a similar knowledge of ancient languages will need to be demonstrated, depending on their proposed field of study.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships

• As part of the Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) program, every second-year Ph.D. student will have an opportunity to work with at least one faculty member in a Fordham undergraduate classroom prior to teaching on their own in the third year.

Comprehensive Exams

• The student is required to choose two general areas of research within their primary field of study and one area in a related field of study, which will constitute the minor exam.
• The fourth exam will be more narrowly focused and should reflect the student's intended subfield of dissertation research.
• Ordinarily, a student will take the exams during the sixth semester.

Dissertation

• A doctoral dissertation is the literary exposition of a thesis, which includes some degree of research and argument and judgment regarding the theological relevance of one's data.
• The dissertation must be methodologically self-conscious, justifying its method and structure and continually demonstrating their presence.

Matriculation Patterns and Funding

• The Fordham University Theology Department began offering Ph.D. students full funding for their doctoral studies in 2009.
• The average time from first enrollment to graduation for students who graduated (began program after 2009) is approximately 6 years, with an average time to degree of 7 years for students who started the program after 2009.