Graduate students in this area master the skills for research and teaching in the religions of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Our program aims to train scholars who work across traditional boundaries and frontiers—geographic, linguistic, chronological, theoretical, and methodological. While graduate students often focus on a particular tradition or geographic region, their area of study emphasizes cultural exchange, continuity, and contact among the varied cultures, traditions, and peoples of the Mediterranean and Near East. You can expect an individualized mentoring culture aimed at facilitating your specific interests and academic goals.
Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Religions
Special admissions requirements
To apply, you should have or be completing a master’s program in a relevant or cognate field, though exceptional undergraduates with ample background in Religious Studies and training in languages may be considered. You should have studied Greek, Hebrew, or Latin through the intermediate level. Additional language preparation is desirable.
Sample exam structure
There are five written exams, taken over a period of two weeks, followed by an oral examination. Bibliographies for each exam will be determined through consultation between the student and each examiner.
- Historical and cultural context relevant to the primary area (e.g., the Roman empire; Greek literary culture) (2 hours)
- Primary area of concentration (4 hours)
- Secondary area/outside minor (2 hours)
- Theory and Method (2 hours)
- Special topic (focused area relevant to the student’s possible dissertation) (2 hours)
Meet the faculty
These are the core faculty who support this area of study:
Laura Carlson Hasler, Department of Religious Studies
Kevin Jaques, Department of Religious Studies
Jeremy Schott, Department of Religious Studies
The College of Arts