Penniman’s Series on PhD Programs

John Penniman, a former classmate of mine at Candler and PhD student in Theology at Fordham University, has just completed his series of posts on How to Get Accepted to a Theology/Religion PhD Program. John has clearly spent a good deal of time thinking over these issues and his posts reflect a very thoughtful and helpful guide to this mess. Though he focuses mainly on “theology,” this series is applicable to programs in biblical studies as well. This is the best blog series I’ve read on this topic, so if you’re interested in doing PhD work in religion or theology, make sure to give these a read. Well done, John.

• Part 1 – The Odds
• Part 2 – The Process
  • 2.1, Preparation
  • 2.2, Execution
  • 2.3, Community
• Part 3 – The Agony
• Part 4 – The Ecstasy
• Part 5 – Conclusion
• Appendix A – Walking the Tightrope? On Pursuing a Career in the Humanities
• Appendix B – Whose Ranking? Which Criteria? Where Theology is Done in America (and Beyond)