Overview

Department of Religious Studies / Department of Religious Studies is located in Houston, TX, in an urban setting.

Degrees & Awards

Degrees Offered

Degree	Concentration
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)	Psychology of religion
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)	African-American religions
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)	Ghosticism, esotericism, mysticism
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)	The Bible and beyond
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)	Jewish thought and philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)	Islam
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)	Contemplative studies
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)	African religions
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)	Modern Christianity in thought and popular culture

Degrees Awarded

Degree	Number Awarded
Master's Degrees	5
Doctoral Degrees	2

Earning Your Degree

Part-time study available?	No
Evening/weekend programs available?	No
Distance learning programs available?	No
Terminal master's degree available?

Degree Requirements

Degree	Requirement
Doctoral Degrees	Entrance Exam GRE Comp Exam Required Thesis Required

Admissions

Acceptance Rate

42

Applied

6

Accepted

6

Enrolled

Applying

70

Application Fee - Domestic

Yes

Electronic
applications accepted?

Application Deadlines

Type	Domestic	International	Priority date
Fall deadline	January 1st	January 15th	No

Entrance Requirements

Exam	Details
Doctoral Degree Exam	GRE
Doctoral Degree Requirements	Letters of recommendation, writing sample

International Students

Exam	Details
TOEFL: Required	TOEFL Paper score: 600 TOEFL IBT score: 90

Tuition & Fees

Financial Support

Financial award applicants must submit:	FAFSA
Application deadlines for financial awards	May 15

Student Body

37

Total Graduate Students

24%

International Breakout (representing other countries)

Race/Ethnicity

Hispanic/Latino	0%
Black or African American	24.32%
White or Caucasian	48%
American Indian or Alaska Native	0%
Asian	2.7%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander	Not Reported
Two or more races	Not Reported
Unknown	0%

Gender

Male (64%)

Female (35%)

Faculty

13

Total faculty

Full-time - 11

Part-time - 2

Male (8)

Female (5)

Research

Focus of faculty research:	Origins and historical development of Islam, history of Christianity, the study of comparative religion, African-American religion, religion and culture
Externally sponsored research expenditures last year:	46,514

Location & Contact

Address 6100 Main Street
PO Box 1892
Houston, TX  77005
United States

Contact Prof. William B. Parsons
Associate Professor
Email: pars@rice.edu
Phone: 713-348-2712
Fax: 713-348-5486

Larger Map