PhD in Religious Studies in Evanston United States | Northwestern University

The Religious Studies Department at Northwestern provides a compact, adaptable interdisciplinary Ph.D. program that leverages both departmental faculty expertise and related disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. Embracing religious studies' cross-disciplinary nature, we educate scholars in both the historical development of religious studies theory/methodology and key complementary approaches including ethnography, textual analysis, philosophy, historical research, and art history. Our distinguished faculty's extensive training and varied specialties create a robust platform for future academic work and instruction in a field requiring both specialized knowledge and active participation in wider methodological and theoretical discussions relevant to the entire discipline.

Graduate candidates complete a minimum of two years of coursework encompassing seminars, tutorials, and independent research projects. All participants are required to take a two-quarter theory and methods sequence in religious studies plus at least one comparative religion course.