Ph.D. in Religious Education

GRE has closed admissions to the Ph.D. in religious education program. This program has been reimagined as the Ph.D. in religion and practice program, which will welcome its first cohort of students in the Fall semester of 2022. For more information on our updated Ph.D. program, visit the Ph.D. in religion and practice program page.

This program is only offered on campus.

Integrating theology and education as an academic discipline, the Ph.D. in religious education program will prepare you to be a leader and a scholar capable of contributing substantive research and scholarship to the field. You’ll develop a deep understanding of the field’s interdisciplinary nature by exploring the religious and educational development of children, youth, and adults; historical and contemporary approaches to religious education; and the personal, social, and communal dimensions of faith. Grounded in the Jesuit spirit of inquiry, this program focuses on the Christian religious tradition while also examining the role of interreligious education.

Program Highlights

  • Pursue a rich, comprehensive curriculum that emphasizes critical reflection.
  • Teach and learn with our renowned faculty and international students from more than twenty countries.
  • Take courses at the member schools of the New York Theological Consortium.
  • Students work closely with a faculty mentor.

Program Basics

  • For students who have not earned a master’s degree, the curriculum requires satisfactory completion of 24 courses (72 semester credits). More credits may be required of students who must take additional doctoral mentoring seminars until their dissertation defense.
  • Advanced standing will be granted to students with prior graduate level degrees in religious education or related fields. Accommodated and individualized minimum degree requirements will be determined upon admission by the program director.
  • Full-time students typically finish course work in two years; however, you may pursue this degree either as a full-time or part-time student.
  • Completion and defense of a doctoral dissertation is required.

Careers

Our graduates go on to a variety of teaching and leadership roles in universities, secondary schools, dioceses, parishes, faith-based institutions, and nonprofit organizations.

University Placements

  • Catholic University of America
  • College of St. Benedict
  • College of Saint Elizabeth
  • Daugavpils University (Latvia)
  • Delta State University (Abraka, Nigeria)
  • Dublin City University (Dublin, Ireland)
  • Fairfield University
  • Felician University
  • Florida A&M University
  • Fordham University
  • Iona College 
  • Kaduna State University (Nigeria)
  • Loyola University New Orleans
  • Marian University
  • Marymount Manhattan College
  • New York Theological Seminary
  • Nyack College
  • St. Francis College
  • St. John's University
  • St. Joseph’s Seminary
  • Saint Paul University (Ottawa, Canada)
  • York St. John University (York, England)
  • University of Latvia (Riga, Latvia)
  • University of Notre Dame
  • University of Scranton

Secondary Education Placements

  • Fordham Preparatory School
  • Iona Preparatory School
  • Preston High School
  • Saint Margaret Catholic School

Diocesan Placements

  • Archdiocese of New York
  • Archdiocese of Los Angeles
  • Archdiocese of San Antonio
  • Archdiocese of Singapore
  • Archdiocese of Vhrbosna (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina)
  • Diocese of Brooklyn
  • Diocese of El Paso
  • Diocese of Hong Kong
  • Diocese of Melbourne (Australia)
  • Diocese of Rockville Center
For more detailed information about this program’s requirements, curriculum, and course descriptions, visit the GRE academic bulletin.