Candler School of Theology

“…to educate faithful and creative leaders for the church’s ministries throughout the world.”
Description of PhD program

The Graduate Division of Religion (GDR) is a unit of Emory University’s Laney Graduate School drawing on the resources of the Department of Religion in Emory College and Candler School of Theology. Approximately 150 students are enrolled in nine courses of study in the GDR: American Religious Cultures; Ethics and Society; Hebrew Bible; Historical Studies in Theology and Religion; Jewish Studies; New Testament; Person, Community, and Religious Life; Theological Studies; West and South Asian Religions.

The Graduate Division of Religion is the second-largest doctoral program at Emory, and it benefits from one of the most diverse faculties and student bodies in American doctoral education. Named by the National Research Council as one of the premier PhD programs in the United States, the GDR is committed to developing scholars who will reshape academic disciplines and institutions for a new generation.

PhD Director or Academic Dean & Person in Charge of Enrollment

Dr. Joel LeMon
Associate Professor of Old Testament; Director of the Graduate Division of Religion
jmlemon@emory.edu
(404) 727-4181

Tuition & Housing Costs

Cost:
For the academic year 2020-21, tuition for full-time registration for 9 or more credit hours is $21,900 per semester.
Students registered for less than 9 credit hours per semester are classified as part-time and are charged $2,433 per credit hour. Emory University does not currently offer on-campus housing for graduate and professional students. As a service, we have contracted with an outside vendor to provide an off-campus listing resource.

Financial Aid Fellowships
A number of scholarships are available to graduate students at Emory University. Basic support includes tuition scholarships, generous stipends, and subsidized health insurance. Regular fellowship support covers the full cost of tuition and includes a generous annual stipend. Three additional fellowships are available: the Robert W. Woodruff Fellowship, the Emory Graduate Diversity Fellowship, and the Arts & Sciences Fellowship provide funding beyond the regular fellowships and offer 12 months of support. As long as students make satisfactory academic progress, the level of support they are awarded upon admission can be renewed for up to five years (four in some programs). Individual Courses of Study determine which of their applicants to nominate for regular fellowships as well as for special fellowships. A faculty review committee in the Laney Graduate School makes the final selections.

Other sources of financial support include Professional Development Support Funds and Advanced Student Fellowships. Professional Development Support (PDS) Funds offer graduate students support for activities beyond their regular coursework and research that contribute to their development as scholars and professionals. These activities include attending conferences, travel expenses relating to research, obtaining additional training, and other research expenses. These funds are available by application. Students can receive up to $2,500 over the course of their program of study. Application for these funds requires the recommendation of the student’s advisor. Additional funding beyond the $2,500 is available through a competitive application process. The Laney Graduate School, sometimes in cooperation with other Emory entities, offers a number of advanced student fellowships. These are one-year fellowships designed for students who have exhausted their “regular” fellowships but need one more year of support to complete their degrees.

Hispanic/Latina/o Faculty
Dr. Antonio (Tony) Alonso 
Assistant Professor of Theology and Culture, and Director of Catholic Studies
 
Dr. L. Wesley de Souza
Arthur J. Moore Associate Professor in the Practice of Evangelism
Director of the World Methodist Evangelism Institute
Hispanic Centers and Programs
Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program at Emory University (LACS) – This program has had a strong tradition of sponsoring exhibits, lectures, symposia, and performances that reflect the research interests of our affiliated faculty. The core faculty of thirty-one Latin-Americanists represents one of largest groups of faculty associated with an area studies program at Emory University.
Library Resources-Special Collections
Electronic databases at Emory University libraries include access to the Handbook of Latin American Studies and the Hispanic American Periodicals Index (HAPI).
Other Resources
  • African, Hispanic, Asian and Native American Dance (AHANA) – provides a forum for students’ creative expression from a cultural perspective, and promotes unity, harmony and diversity at Emory through performance.
  • Association of Caribbean Educators (ACES) – serves as a support group for Caribbean students at Emory University, a vehicle of communication to each other, the general student body and the public, about the history and issues of the Caribbean, in order to dispel harmful and false stereotypes, and a network with other students of the Caribbean.
  • Latino Student Organization – assembles all students with an interest in Latino issues, including, but not limited to, culture, politics, social issues, and philanthropy.
  • Interdisciplinary PhD in Hispanic Studies – focuses on the language, discourse, and cultural production/practices of the Spanish-speaking societies of the Americas and Spain, with the option of comparative study of the Lusophone world. The program is organized around three thematically-defined research areas: Narratives/performance of identity and citizenship; Empire, colonialism, and post-coloniality; Translating language and culture.
HTI Scholars

Antonio (Tony) Alonso
Assistant Professor of Theology and Culture, and Director of Catholic Studies
Candler School of Theology at Emory University

Danny Ballon

Eric Daniel Barreto
Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of New Testament
Princeton Theological Seminary

Manuela Ceballos
Assistant Professor of Islam
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Diana Rodriguez Click 

Thomas Vincent Flores
 Assistant Professor of Positive Human Development and Social Change
Life University

Juan Hernández, Jr.
Professor of Biblical Studies
Bethel University

Sarah Kothe

Manuel Mejido Costoya
Director for the Center for Religious Wisdom & World Affairs
Instructor of Public Theology and Social Ethics
Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry

Melissa Pagán
Director of Graduate Religious Studies
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
Mount Saint Mary’s University in Los Angeles

Elaine Penagos

Gilberto Ruiz
Assistant Professor of Theology
Saint Anselm College

Contact Information

The HTI contact for information on PhD studies at Emory University/Candler School of Theology is:

Name:     Dr. Joel LeMon
Title:        Associate Professor of Old Testament; Director of the Graduate Division of Religoin
Email:      jmlemon@emory.edu“
Phone:     (404) 727-4181