Harvard Divinity School Guide for Prospective Students
Harvard Divinity School welcomes students from more than 40 different faith traditions, denominations, and those with no religious affiliation. Its faculty includes some of the world’s top scholars of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and many other traditions. The School’s goal is to be a model for the kind of informed pluralism that will be increasingly important for human flourishing in the decades to come. Out of this extraordinarily generative environment come preeminent scholars and religious leaders. Now more than ever, though, our graduates are also presidents of global NGOs, campaigners for social justice, and leaders in business, law, journalism, and many other professions who bring religious resources to bear on the challenges of our time. We invite you to learn more about HDS and join its community of scholars and leaders who form the hub of the study of religion at Harvard University.
The Most Religiously Diverse Divinity School in the World
RESEARCH PROFESSORS, VISITING FACULTY, OTHERS OFFERING INSTRUCTION, AND COUNSELORSDENOMINATIONAL85+ WOMEN FACULTY AND/OR FACULTY OF COLOR65% FULL-TIME FACULTY WHO SPECIALIZE IN NONCHRISTIAN TRADITIONS 40%
FACULTY STRENGTH IN MAJOR BUDDHISM,JUDAISM,CHRISTIANITY,TRADITIONS:RELIGIOUSISLAM,ANDHINDUISM 200+ COURSES OFFERED EVERY THEOFFEREDLANGUAGEYEARCOURSESINSUMMERLANGUAGEPROGRAM 11
As an HDS student, you will develop a deep and intellectually rigorous understanding of the world’s religious traditions and the ways in which they shape the lives of people everywhere. You will learn to bridge divides of faith, culture, gender, and more by participating authentically in a close-knit community of extraordinary diversity. Perhaps most importantly, you will cultivate the inner resources and critical frameworks of meaning necessary for effective lifelong leadership.
In and out of the classroom, you will also learn to work effectively toward a more just, inclusive, and peaceful world. Just as other studies equip you in technical, communication, and organizational skills, HDS trains you to become an agent for positive change, bringing ethical thinking and moral leadership in whatever you are called to do. Graduates often describe developing skills such as deep listening, ethical reasoning, bridging divides successfully, and navigating difficult conversations as part of their experience.
Scholars and Leaders Who Make a World of Difference
Founded in 1816 as the country’s first nonsectarian divinity school, HDS today believes that multireligious education is the most direct and effective way to encourage interfaith understanding and cooperation.
The world has always needed leaders and scholars with such skills, and it sure needs them now, when the twenty-first century’s unprecedented amalgamation of differences lies side by side with new opportunities for— and new challenges to—human flourishing. Join the Harvard Divinity School community and learn to make a world of difference in all you do.
MASTER OF DIVINITY (MDiv) The three-year MDiv is for twenty-first century spiritual leaders. Students will be part of a new generation of spiritual leaders not only educated but also formed together with their counterparts in the world’s major traditions: Christian clergy of many denominations, but also Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, and Humanist chaplains, as well as Jewish leaders using multiple pathways to the rabbinate. Students learn the arts of ministry— including preaching, pastoral care, and community organizing—and link theory and practice with fieldwork placements in settings around the globe.
University Access HDS STUDENTS CAN TAKE COURSES AT ANY OF HARVARD’S OTHER GRADUATE SCHOOLS AND PURSUE DUAL DEGREES 100+ FIELD EDUCATION SITES 90% OF MTS AND MDIV STUDENTS RECEIVE INSTITUTIONAL GRANT SUPPORT FOR AT LEAST 75 % OF TUITION
Four Degrees, Many Paths
With faculty expertise in all the world’s major traditions, HDS offers unparalleled depth and breadth in the study of religion. Moreover, all degree programs give students the freedom to tailor a course of study that meets their academic and professional goals—including the opportunity to take classes at Harvard’s other elite graduate schools and the 10 other member institutions of the Boston Theological Interreligious Consortium.
MASTER OF RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE (MRPL) The one-year MRPL enables experienced professionals in diverse fields to develop a deep understanding of the complex role that religion plays in their work. Through coursework, a shared seminar with other professionals, and a final project that deepens understanding of religion within their fields, leaders develop the religious literacy to effectively address critical challenges facing the world today. Whether their mission is to improve the health of inner-city children, help resolve violent conflicts around the
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MASTER OF THEOLOGICAL STUDIES (MTS) The versatile two-year MTS offers broad study in religion with opportunities to concentrate in one of 18 areas of focus. Students enroll to prepare for a doctoral program in religion or related discipline, or to approach another field or profession, such as law, journalism, public policy, education, arts, or medicine, from a perspective enriched by theological study.
MASTER OF THEOLOGY (ThM) The one-year ThM is for those who already have a master of divinity or its equivalent and who seek to pursue a new direction or advance their understanding of a particular area of study. Applicants interested in the PHD PROGRAM in religion should contact the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences directly at: gsas.harvard.edu/ programs-of-study/all/religion
world, or work in government to eliminate extreme poverty, promote human rights, and mitigate conflict, the MRPL will help students bring the study of religion to bear on real problems in diverse communities.
CERTIFICATE IN RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE (CRPL) The certificate is designed to prepare MDiv and MTS students with the tools, skills, and experience to explore professional pathways outside of traditional ministry or academic scholarship. Through the CRPL, students explore the challenges and opportunities that arise when a nuanced understanding of religion is employed within a particular professional or vocational arena of focus.
LEARNING SUPPORT: For students needing language training, writing support, time management, and more DIVERSITY AND EXPLORATIONS (DivEx): Diversity and Explorations is a 3-day program providing current undergraduates and recent college graduates with an opportunity to explore Harvard Divinity School and the graduate study of religion.
SPIRITUAL LIFE: Services to support HDS students in the integration of their intellectual and spiritual lives through spiritual care and direction; assist the School to live out our commitment to genuine religious pluralism
WELCOME“NONES” HDS ORGANIZATIONSSTUDENTDOSTUDENTSINCLUDESWHONOTFOLLOWANYRELIGIOUSTRADITION40+ REPRESENTEDTRADITIONSDIFFERENTRELIGIOUS 45+
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION, AND BELONGING: Authentic embrace of diverse religious and non-religious traditions, and other dimensions of diversity; resources for navigating a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) and a historically Christian institution; support for a personal commitment to cultivating an anti-racist and anti-oppressive way of being at HDS and in your professional journey
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS: Social justice activism, religious affinity groups, resources for women and people of color, music and performance groups
Student Life
CAREER SERVICES: Lifelong support and resources for networking, career management, and job skills
Harvard Divinity School has many ways for you to connect with other students, build friendships, and work for a more just world.
The primary goal of DivEx is to increase participation by members of groups that have been historically underserved or marginalized in the study of religion. We strongly encourage applications from current undergraduates or recent graduates who are students of color, first-generation students, and/or LGBTQ+ students, among other underrepresented groups.
RELIGION AND PUBLIC LIFE (RPL): Partners with citizens, artists, and professionals in all fields to advance the public understanding of religion in the service of cultivating a just world at peace
PROGRAM FOR THE EVOLUTION OF SPIRITUALITY (PES): Launched in 2020, the PES supports the scholarly study of emerging spiritual movements, marginalized spiritualities, and the innovative edges of established religious traditions
CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF WORLD RELIGIONS (CSWR): Brings speakers and scholars from around the world in a residential “think tank” for the study of religion
PROJECT ON SHI’ISM AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS: Encompasses an interdisciplinary approach with a focus on the history, sociology, theology, culture and politics of the diverse Shi’a Muslim communities and nations across the globe
60% OF STUDENTS IDENTIFY AS WOMEN OR NON-BINARY 31% ARE STUDENTSIDENTIFIEDSELF-OFCOLOR INTERNATIONALARESTUDENTS 16%
WOMEN’S STUDIES IN RELIGION PROGRAM (WSRP): Scholars who research and teach about the particular role of women in the world’s religious traditions
THE PLURALISM PROJECT AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Documents the contours of our multireligious society, explores new forms of interfaith engagement, studies the impact of religious diversity in civic life, and contextualizes these findings within a global framework
Programs and Centers
SUMMER LANGUAGE PROGRAM (SLP): An eight-week, intensive program in language study designed specifically for the curriculum in theological and religious studies
LEARN MORE. APPLY. We encourage you to connect with us by attending a virtual event, connecting with a current student or applying for admission. To receive periodic emails about events and the application process, please complete our Admissions Connect Form at apply.hds.harvard.edu/register/requestinfo Questions? Our admissions staff would be glad to answer them. HDS ADMISSIONS CONTACT emAil: admissions@hds.harvard.edu weB: hds.harvard.edu/admissions-aid Take the Next Step
