Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA)
Needles Hall, second floor, room 2201
Program information
| Department/School | Religious Studies |
|---|---|
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
| Admit term(s) |
Fall (September - December) |
| Application and document submission deadline(s) |
February 1 (for admission in September) |
| Delivery mode | On-campus |
| Program type | Doctoral, Joint, Research |
| Length of program | 48 months (full-time) |
| Registration option(s) | Full-time |
| Study option(s) | Thesis |
| Research field(s) - Graduate research fields are used to better define a student’s research concentration | Religious Diversity in North America |
Watch the How to apply to Waterloo graduate studies video
Due to funding restrictions, the Faculty of Arts is currently limiting the number of international students we can admit. Please contact the department's Associate Chair, Graduate Studies prior to applying to discuss your interest in this program.
What does it take to get in?
Minimum admission requirements
- Only graduates of accredited universities and colleges are eligible for admission.
- Students apply to the joint program, designating one of the two universities as the preferred home institution. A student may be offered admission to the partner institution if the Joint Committee deems this choice more appropriate because of the student's interests or the availability of suitable supervisors. Applications are considered by the Joint Committee, and recommendations for admission or rejection are made by the Director to the Associate Provost, Graduate Studies at the proposed home university. Students are governed by the rules of the university in which they are registered, and their degree is granted by that same university; however, students may use faculty and library resources at both universities.
- Students must normally have a Master's degree or its equivalent in Religious Studies or a closely allied field with an 80% overall standing. Completion of a Master’s thesis is strongly preferred.*
- If the MA is in an allied field, the candidate must have a minimum of 10 one-term (half-credit) courses, or their equivalent, in the academic study of religion.
- Students lacking the necessary qualifications may be required to complete additional qualifying work to establish academic eligibility to apply for the program. Students allowed to transfer from other doctoral programs must meet all of the degree requirements (or their equivalent, as determined by the Joint Committee); normally, credit for doctoral level work done elsewhere is not transferrable.
- Students' Supervisory Committees normally consist of three members drawn from the University of Waterloo Department of Religious Studies and/or the Wilfrid Laurier University Department of Religion and Culture. One of the three committee members is the supervisor, who must be at the student's home institution. Such committees are appointed within the student's first year in the program after consultation with the student. Requests for changes in Supervisory Committee membership must be addressed to the Director and decided upon by the Joint Committee.*
Supervisors
- Review the finding a supervisor resources
Application material
- Resume/Curriculum vitae
- Supplementary information form (SIF)
- The SIF contains questions specific to your program, typically about why you want to enrol and your experience in that field. Review the application documents web page for more information about this requirement
- If a statement or letter is required by your program, review the writing your personal statement resources for helpful tips and tricks on completion
- Transcript(s)
- Writing sample
- References
- Three academic references are required
- Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable
- TOEFL 100 (writing 26, speaking 26), IELTS 7.5 (writing 7.0, speaking 7.0)
How much will it cost?
- Use the student budget calculator to estimate your cost and resources
- Visit the graduate program tuition page on the Finance website to determine the tuition and incidental fees per term for your program
- Review the study and living costs
- Review the funding graduate school resources for graduate students
What can you expect at Waterloo?
- Review the degree requirements on the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar, including the courses that you can anticipate taking as part of completing the degree
- Check out profiles of current graduate students to learn about their experience at Waterloo
- Check out Waterloo's institutional thesis repository - UWspace to see recent submissions from the Department of Religious Studies graduate students
- Check out the Waterloo campus and city tours
- Review the Department of Religious Studies website to see information about supervisors, research areas, news, and events
This program page is effective September 2023; it will be updated annually. Any changes to the program page following this date will be indicated with a notation. *Updated October 2023
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