Religion

Religion: Introduction

Faculty Affiliation

Arts and Science

Degree Programs

Religion

MA and PhD

Collaborative Specializations

The following collaborative specializations are available to students in participating degree programs as listed below:

Overview

The Department for the Study of Religion offers Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy programs in the study of religion and facilitates research and publication on religion. The department consolidates the vast curricular and faculty resources that are distributed throughout the many departments and colleges of the University and enables its students to use any resource in the University which serves the study of religion.

The department conceives the academic study of religion in interdisciplinary terms and embraces humanistic, historical, and social scientific approaches and methods. Programs of study are constructed individually to fit the specific needs and interests of each student.

Contact and Address

Web: www.religion.utoronto.ca
Email: religion.grad@utoronto.ca
Telephone: (416) 978-3057
Fax: (416) 978-1610

Department for the Study of Religion
University of Toronto
Room 305, 170 St. George Street
Toronto, Ontario M5R 2M8
Canada

Graduate Faculty

Graduate faculty membership information will be coming soon.

Religion: Religion MA

The Master of Arts (MA) program provides a robust foundation in the academic study of religion, and thus can appeal to a variety of candidates. These include individuals with a BA in Religion who are exploring career paths or contemplating a PhD; those holding undergraduate degrees in other fields who are aiming to pursue advanced studies in religion; professionals who are interested in a better academic understanding of religion for their work; and anyone seeking to better understand the inescapable role of religion in our world today.

The MA program may be taken on a full-time or part-time basis. The department's Graduate Studies Handbook, available on the web and from the department, provides details on admissions and programs as well as the research and teaching interests of the faculty. Prospective students who lack a background in religion, seeking to improve their grades, or have lost touch with their academic references can take advantage of the University of Toronto's non-degree route to take undergraduate courses in the department to get a better sense of the study of religion and get to know faculty members.

MA Program

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Department for the Study of Religion's additional admission requirements stated below.

  • Normally, students admitted to the program have a B+ average or higher in their final year of their bachelor's degree.

Completion Requirements

  • Courses. Students must complete 4.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) including:

    • RLG2000Y Major Research Paper.

    • RLG1200H MA Method and Theory Workshop.

    • One Gateway Seminar (0.5 FCE).

    • One additional Religion course (0.5 FCE).

    • In some cases, students may be required to take additional courses, some of which may be at the undergraduate level. Students may be required to take more than 4.0 FCEs if their preparation is considered deficient in a subject required for their program.

    • Satisfactory performance requires the completion of all coursework taken for graduate credit with an average grade of at least A–.

  • Language(s). Reading knowledge of at least one language, in addition to English, selected from languages of modern scholarship and/or necessary source languages, as approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Mode of Delivery: In person
Program Length: 3 sessions full-time (typical registration sequence: FWS); 8 sessions part-time
Time Limit: 3 years full-time; 6 years part-time

 

Religion: Religion PhD

From the point of admission onward, doctoral student programs must be matched with the expertise of faculty who help supervise the student's work. The department's Graduate Studies Handbook, available on the web and from the department, provides details on admissions and programs as well as the research and teaching interests of the faculty. The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program is taken on a full-time basis.

PhD Program

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Department for the Study of Religion's additional admission requirements stated below.

  • Normally, completion of all requirements of the department's MA program, or a comparable program at another university, with an average of at least A– in coursework and with no individual course falling below B.

Completion Requirements

  • Courses. Students must complete a minimum of 4.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs), including the following:

    • RLG1000Y Method and Theory in the Study of Religion.

    • One Gateway Seminar (0.5 FCE).

    • Two additional Religion courses (1.0 FCE).

    • Students may be required to take more than 4.0 FCEs if their preparation is considered deficient in a subject required for their program.

    • Satisfactory performance requires the completion of all coursework taken for graduate credit with an average grade of at least A–.

  • Languages. Reading knowledge of at least two languages in addition to English, selected from languages of scholarship and necessary source languages, as approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. Classical and modern forms of the same language are not permitted. The language requirements must be fulfilled before writing the general examinations. Students who complete a language requirement in the department’s MA program with a grade of B+ or higher are exempt from having to repeat this language in the PhD program.

  • Professionalization seminar. Doctoral students must complete SRD4444Y Doctoral Seminar Series. This seminar consists of a series of workshops which must be completed to fulfil the requirement.

  • General examinations. Upon completion of coursework and language requirements, the student's supervisory committee will set General Examinations to assess the student's readiness for thesis research. There are three components in the General Examinations:

    • A four-hour written examination will cover the student’s broad area or subfield;

    • A four-hour written examination will cover material pertinent to the student's dissertation topic; and

    • A two-hour oral examination on all materials assigned for the General Examinations.

  • A student who fails any portion of the General Examinations may be re-examined once, no later than nine months after the date of the first examination. The General Examinations must be completed before the end of the third year of doctoral study.

  • Thesis proposal. Within three months of successful completion of the General Examinations, the student must submit a thesis proposal for approval by the student's supervisory committee.

  • Thesis. Upon approval of the thesis proposal by the student's supervisory committee, the candidate proceeds to research and write a doctoral thesis which must be defended successfully at a Doctoral Final Oral Examination.

  • Colloquium presentation. Once general examinations are completed, PhD candidates are required to present at least once in the Department for the Study of Religion's colloquium before undertaking their Doctoral Final Oral Examination.

  • Doctoral Final Oral Examination. The supervisory committee must approve the completed thesis before it is submitted for examination.

  • Residence. Students are required to spend at least two Fall and Winter sessions on campus in full-time study, normally in Years 1 and 2.

Mode of Delivery: In person
Program Length: 4 years full-time (typical registration sequence: Continuous)
Time Limit: 6 years full-time

 

Religion: Religion MA, PhD Courses

Not all courses are offered every year. Please consult the department's website, which lists the courses the department will offer this year as well as those cross-listed from other departments.

Religion

RLG1000Y, RLG1002H, RLG1003H, RLG1004H, RLG1005H, RLG1006H, RLG1200H, RLG1501H, RLG1502H, RLG2000Y, RLG2001H, RLG2002H, RLG2005H, RLG2014H, RLG2015H, RLG2016H, RLG2017H, RLG2020H, RLG2022H, RLG2023H, RLG2025H, RLG2040H, RLG2041H, RLG2045H, RLG2060H, RLG2064H, RLG2065H, RLG2066H, RLG2067H, RLG2072H, RLG2081H, RLG3104H, RLG3114H, RLG3123H, RLG3124H, RLG3190H, RLG3200H, RLG3203H, RLG3212H, RLG3216H, RLG3217H, RLG3228H, RLG3242H, RLG3243H, RLG3249H, RLG3250H, RLG3252H, RLG3280H, RLG3290H, RLG3401H, RLG3402H, RLG3419H, RLG3425H, RLG3457H, RLG3460H, RLG3461H, RLG3501H, RLG3504H, RLG3516H, RLG3518H, RLG3519H, RLG3523H, RLG3527H, RLG3544H, RLG3555H, RLG3610H, RLG3621H, RLG3622H, RLG3623H, RLG3634H, RLG3704H, RLG3705H, RLG3722H, RLG3725H, RLG3744H, RLG3746H, RLG3763H, RLG3771H, RLG3789H, RLG3800H, RLG3823H, RLG3931H, RLG4001H, RLG4003H, RLG4004H, SRD4444Y

Joint Courses

JAR1001H, JPR2051H, JPR2058H

Other Departments

Other departments and collaborative specializations (see programs listed at the beginning of this entry) offer courses that may contribute to graduate programs in the study of religion. Visit the department's website for a current listing of such course offerings from:

  • Anthropology
  • Art History
  • East Asian Studies
  • English
  • Ethnic, Immigration and Pluralism Studies
  • Germanic Languages and Literatures
  • History
  • History and Philosophy of Science and Technology
  • Italian Studies
  • Law
  • Medieval Studies
  • Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations
  • Philosophy
  • Political Science
  • Sociology
  • Toronto School of Theology