Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York

“Where faith and scholarship walk together to be a moral force in the world.”

Description of PhD Program

Union Theological Seminary offers the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in theology for students who want to teach in colleges, universities, and seminaries, or to hold positions of leadership in churches, religious institutions or social service and social justice agencies. The Union PhD program offers advanced study in the disciplines of theology with major specialization in one of the following fields:

  • Bible: Old Testament; New Testament
  • History
  • Theology: Systematics; Ethics, Philosophy of Religion
  • Interreligious Engagement
  • Practical Theology: Psychology and Religion, Preaching and Worship, Religion and Education, Theology and the Arts

In order to achieve an interdisciplinary cross-fertilization and “mutual illumination,” students elect a minor concentration in one of these fields or in another academic discipline relevant to their further research and teaching.

Financial Aid-Fellowships

All PhD students at Union Theological Seminary are awarded Graduate Fellowships for four academic years.

Hispanic/Latina/o Faculty

Daisy L. Machado
Past HTI Director (1997-1999)
Professor of Church History

Cláudio Carvalhaes

Samuel Cruz
Assistant Professor of Church and Society

Hispanic Centers and Programs

The “Hispanic Summer Program” is physically housed at Union with Dr. Daisy Machado as it’s director, and Union is one of its sponsoring institutions. See e.g. https://hispanicsummerprogram.org/

Library Resources-Special Collections

Print collections of Latin American Studies and Latin American-Iberian Studies resources are distributed throughout various Columbia University libraries. Online access to manuscripts and journals is available through http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/latam/index. html.

Other Resources

The Latinx Caucus is committed to encouraging students, staff and faculty to critically examine Union’s role in fostering Latina/o ministry; deepening the knowledge of Latina/o cultures among Latina/o students and the broader UTS Community; identifying opportunities for UTS students to learn from Hispanic ministry; providing an environment of fellowship through peer-to-peer academic mentoring and social support; fostering and maintaining alliances among groups from diverse cultural backgrounds in the collective struggle for social justice; promoting interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the Latina/o religio-spiritual experience; promoting ethnographic and community building projects related to the diverse Latino community of New York City.

HTI Scholars

Teresa Delgado
Associate Professor of Religious Studies;
Department Chairperson, Religious Studies
Iona College

Jesús Laguerra (2010-2011)

Jorge Juan Rodríguez V.

Gabriel A. Salguero
President, National Latino Evangelical Coalition

David Sánchez
Associate Professor of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University
Book Review Editor, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
Vice-President, Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States

Contact Information

The HTI person to contact for information on PhD studies at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is:
Name:     Dr. Daisy Machado
Title:        Professor of Church History
Phone:    212-280-1550
Email:      dmachado@uts.columbia.edu