HDS - AFA - Master of Theological Studies (MTS) Program

Admissions and Financial Aid

The Master of Theological Studies Degree

The master of theological studies (MTS) program enables students to explore deeply and broadly the languages, literatures, thought, institutions, practices, normative claims, and structures of a variety of religious traditions. It also enables them to think critically, with sophistication and self-awareness, about the scholarly study of these traditions.

Students interested in the MTS degree at Harvard Divinity School are urged to check the online HDS Courses of Instruction, organized dynamically in terms of the areas of focus curricular structure.

Requirements for the Degree

Program and Distribution Requirements

Area of Focus

In consultation with their academic adviser, students craft their program of study around their chosen area of focus (see below), such that:

at least six half courses are taken within the student's area of focus
at least three half courses are taken in an area significantly outside the student's area of focus
at least two half courses are taken within each of two different religious traditions

The student will meet each semester with his or her adviser and complete a study plan as a means of reviewing the overall course of studies and the student's progress toward fulfilling language requirements. Ordinarily a student will choose to concentrate in one of the 19 areas of focus; however, more individually crafted programs that reflect a student's special interests may be worked out with the faculty adviser and submitted for approval to the MTS Committee.

African and African American Religious Studies
Buddhist Studies
Comparative Studies
East Asian Religions
Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
Hindu Studies
History of Christianity
Islamic Studies
Jewish Studies
New Testament and Early Christianity
Philosophy of Religion
Religion, Ethics, and Politics
Religion, Literature, and Culture
Religions of the Americas
Religion and the Social Sciences
Religious Studies and Education
South Asian Religious Traditions
Theology
Women, Gender, Sexuality, and Religion

Language Requirements

Each student, in consultation with his or her adviser, must demonstrate intermediate-level competence in a language that is (normally and preferably) relevant to the student's area of focus. Intermediate-level competence will be demonstrated by a score of "pass" on a language examination administered by the Language Program of the Divinity School or by satisfactory coursework through the intermediate level.