PhD in Study of Religion in Davis United States | University of California Davis

The PhD program in Religious Studies is structured as a six-year curriculum. Participants develop expertise in the textual traditions of specific faiths while exploring their connections to modern themes and regional dynamics, such as ethics and human rights, secularization and science, digital media and visual culture, linguistic expression and embodied practices, along with theoretical frameworks. Graduates acquire both qualitative and quantitative research competencies essential for academic careers in religious scholarship. Our program provides dual training: traditional textual analysis within specific religious canons combined with theoretical approaches that situate these traditions within contemporary regional contexts. The program features specialized research opportunities in three geographic areas: North American religious movements, ancient Mediterranean belief systems, and Asian spiritual traditions. Students also pursue a secondary regional focus for comparative analysis. Academic work is organized around thematic concentrations: Ethics and Human Values, Modernity and Scientific Thought, Digital Media and Visual Studies, Language and Performance Theory, Embodied Practices, and Methodological Approaches. This framework enables students to produce innovative, field-defining research that advances scholarly and public discourse on religion.