Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
(for specific questions regarding the concentration in journalism and religion, please scroll down towards the bottom of the page)
What is the deadline for applying to your MA program?
We only accept application from student who wish to start in the fall semester. The deadline to apply with financial aid consideration is January 4th. The deadline to apply without financial aid consideration is April 15th.
What are the application requirements for your MA program?
All applicants are required to submit a complete application for admission. In addition to the application form questions, applicants must submit academic transcripts, GRE test scores, an academic writing sample no longer than 25 double-spaced pages, 3 letters of reference that show you to us in such a way that we can see how you would fit into our program, and an intellectually focused personal statement that provides us with an indication of what you want to study and how that somehow matches with what we have to offer. Foreign students whose primary language is not English are also required to submit TOEFL scores for admission into the Graduate School.
What type of individuals should apply to your MA program?
In our MA program, we are looking for individual's whose interest lies in studying religion, not as a matter of personal faith or salvation - for that, students should attend seminary or divinity schools - but as an important force in social life, and in the motivations of individuals in their social lives. Clearly, in the world today, religion figures even more prominently as a political force, but only and because it has such capacity to motivate people in their lives by providing them with profound senses of meaning. We specifically emphasize the historical, anthropological, sociological, and psychological approaches to the study of religion.
What score do I need on the GRE to be admitted? What GPA should I have?
We receive these questions a lot, and unfortunately we do not have an answer. While we require a good GRE score and a strong GPA, we do not have a cut-off number that you must be above in order to be admitted. Each part of your application - including the personal statement and 3 letters of references - factors into the application process and our final decision.
Does your program offer funding to its MA students?
Each year we offer one entering MA student a two-year graduate assistantship with our program. This award is merit based and all application submitted by January 4th are considered for the award. In return for serving as a teaching assistant and assisting with faculty research, the award covers the cost of tuition, registration fees, and University-sponsored health insurance, and includes a generous stipend for living and research expenses.
Other financial aid opportunities are available through the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS). More information on these opportunities can be found: here, or by visiting their website at: http://gsas.nyu.edu/page/grad.financialaid.html.
What is the GSAS Tuition Incentive Program?
The Tuition Incentive Program (TIP) gives students receiving external awards of $13,000 or more for the academic year from recognized, academic sources of funding the opportunity to apply for matching tuition points up to the amount of their award. Students receiving awards less than $13,000 can apply for matching tuition points up to 50 percent of the amount of their external award. Applications for the TIP program must be received in Graduate Enrollment Services (GES) by August 30th of the award year. Applications to TIP can be found: here or by contacting GES at (212) 998-8050.
Questions for Enrolled Students
How do I find a thesis advisor? What do I have to do to complete my thesis?
You should work with your religious studies faculty advisor or the department administrator to identify appropriate individuals to serve as your thesis advisor. Thesis advisors are typically faculty members or other individuals at NYU who have obtained a PhD, and who's research interests match up with the focus of your thesis. Once you have found a thesis advisor, you should work with this individual during your last semester in the MA program to complete an academic work of at least 50 pages. Your final thesis must be approved by two readers, at least one of which must be a faculty member from the religious studies program. When your thesis is complete, please contact the department administrator at religious.studies@nyu.edu in order to obtain the thesis reader approval sheets.
Questions about the Concentration in Journalism
What is the concentration in journalism and religion?
As religion appears with growing force in the political, economic, social, and cultural life of a globalizing world, its representation in various media, electronic and print, likewise grows in importance. The Program in Religious Studies has joined forces with the Department of Journalism to provide a concentration within the graduate program that provides education and preparation for students seeking careers in journalism with an expertise on religion. Students who complete the concentration receive an MA degree in religious studies with a concentration in journalism and religion. Like the regular MA degree in religious studies, students are required to complete 36 credits, however, half of these credits are taken through the Department of Journalism. Additionally, in lieu of a thesis, students in the concentration are expected to complete a final project in long-form journalism aimed at a sophisticated general readership in expository, explanatory or investigative form on a subject related to religious life.
What is the deadline for applying to your MA program?
The deadline to apply to the concentration is January 4th.
What are the application requirements for your MA program?
All applicants are required to submit a complete application for admission. In addition to the application form questions, applicants must submit academic transcripts, GRE test scores, two writing samples (an academic writing sample no longer than 25 double-spaced pages and a second sample that demonstrates your aptitude for journalism), 3 letters of reference that show you to us in such a way that we can see how you would fit into our program, and an intellectually focused personal statement that includes a discussion of your aspirations as a journalist, writing and reporting on important matters in the news and religious issues. Foreign students whose primary language is not English are also required to submit TOEFL scores for admission into the Graduate School.
What score do I need on the GRE to be admitted? What GPA should I have?
We receive these questions a lot, and unfortunately we do not have an answer. While we require a good GRE score and a strong GPA, we do not have a cut-off number that you must be above in order to be admitted. Each part of your application - including the personal statement and 3 letters of references - factors into the application process and our final decision.
Does your program offer funding to its MA students?
Unfortunately, we do not currently have any funding to offer to our MA students in the concentration. Other financial aid opportunities are available through the Graduate School of Arts and Science. More information on these opportunities can be found: here, or by visiting their website at: http://gsas.nyu.edu/page/grad.financialaid.html.
What is the Center for Religion and Media?
The Center for Religion and Media (CRM) is a project launched by the Religious Studies Program and the Center for Media, Culture, and History, that is funded by the Pew Charitable Trust and NYU. CRM seeks to advance the interdisciplinary study of the relationships between religion and the media. You can read more about CRM at: http://www.nyu.edu/fas/center/religionandmedia. CRM hosts many events each semester that are open to the public and are definitely worth checking out. They also run a website, The Revealer, focusing on religion and media.
