Program Overview

Program Overview

The PhD in Religious Studies Program is a joint program between the University of Waterloo and Wilfred Laurier University, focusing on the diverse nature of and interactions among religious traditions and movements in Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean. The program draws on the combined resources of both universities, providing a multidisciplinary context with faculty expertise in religious studies and related disciplines such as anthropology, history, philosophy, psychology, and sociology.

Research Fields

• Religious Diversity in North America

Program Details

The program is offered on-campus, with a full-time registration option and a thesis study option. The length of the program is 48 months.

Admission Requirements

• Only graduates of accredited universities and colleges are eligible for admission.
• Students apply to the joint program, designating one of the two universities as the preferred home institution.
• Students must normally have a master's degree or its equivalent in religious studies or a closely allied field with an 80% overall standing.
• Completion of a master’s thesis is strongly preferred.
• If the MA is in an allied field, the candidate must have a minimum of 10 one-term (half-credit) courses, or their equivalent, in the academic study of religion.
• Students lacking the necessary qualifications may be required to complete additional qualifying work to establish academic eligibility to apply for the program.

Degree Requirements

• Review the degree requirements on the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar, including the courses that you can anticipate taking as part of completing the degree.
• Check out the institutional thesis repository to see recent submissions from the Department of Religious Studies graduate students.

Application Materials

• Resume/Curriculum vitae
• Program-specific questions (PSQ)
• Transcript(s)
• Writing sample
• References
  • Three academic references are required.
• Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable
  • TOEFL 100 (writing 26, speaking 26), IELTS 7.5 (writing 7.0, speaking 7.0)

Tuition and Fees

• Visit the graduate program tuition page to determine the tuition and incidental fees per term for your program.
• Review living costs and housing.
• Learn about the PhD housing guarantee program for admitted students.

Application Deadlines

• February 1 (for admission in September)

Supervisors

• Review finding a supervisor resources.

Key Contacts

• Priti Nayak

Program Type and Length

• The program is a Doctoral, Joint, Research program.
• The length of the program is 48 months (full-time).

Delivery Mode and Registration Option

• The program is delivered on-campus.
• The registration option is full-time.

Study Option

• The study option is thesis.