Special Courses and Programs

These are representative courses.  Specific course offerings may be found in the on-line quarterly Time Schedules which can be found at: http://timeschedules.uchicago.edu/

Supporting Courses

DVSC 45100	Reading Course Special Topic	100
DVSC 49900	Exam Preparation: Divinity	100
DVSC 50100	Research: Divinity	100
DVSC 59900	Thesis Work: Divinity	100

Registration in these special courses allows advanced students to pursue individualized studies within the Divinity School: Reading and independent study courses are intended to supplement regular course offerings and not to duplicate them. 

The Jerald Brauer Seminar 

Established by friends of the Divinity School to encourage interdisciplinary teaching and research, the Brauer Seminar is co-taught periodically by two Divinity School faculty members. The topic changes according to the interest of the instructors. Up to ten students may participate with the consent of the instructors, and each student receives a stipend of $1,000 to support participation. A seminar budget supports the honorarium and travel expenses for the Brauer Fellow, a visiting scholar who represents a disciplinary perspective on the seminar topic that complements those of the instructors. The Brauer Fellow leads one or two seminar sessions and delivers a public lecture at the Divinity School. In 2012 Professors Wendy Doniger and Jeffrey Stackert offered the Brauer Seminar, entitled "Translation." In 2014 "Intentionality and Belief" was offered by Professors Daniel A. Arnold and Ryan Coyne. In 2015, Professors Jeffrey Stackert and Paul Mendes-Flohr offered "Jewish and Christian Responses to Biblical Criticism." In 2018 Professors Sarah Hammershlavg, Sarah Fredericks, and Angie He offered a "Roundtable on Religion, Gender, and Sexuality."

Clinical Pastoral Education 

There are many CPE centers throughout the city of Chicago where students can engage learning in a variety of contexts. For more information on how Clinical Pastoral Education is incorporated into the MDiv curriculum, please contact Erika Dornfeld, Director of Field Education and Community Engagement at dornfeld@uchicago.edu. 

Exchange Scholar Program 

The University participates in the Exchange Scholar Program with the following universities: University of California at Berkeley, Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Stanford University, and Yale University. Students wishing to participate in the Exchange Scholar Program should discuss plans with their advisers and with the Dean of Students, and, if approved, obtain an application at UChicago Grad. Credits earned at the host university are automatically accepted at the University of Chicago. 

Graduate Workshops in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Divinity School 

The University sponsors graduate research workshops in the humanities, social sciences and the Divinity School that meet throughout the academic year. Organized by faculty and students with common research interests, they vary in format, but participants in a typical seminar come from diverse schools, departments, and divisions of the University. For more information, visit the Council on Advanced Studies Workshops. 

Ph.D. Application for Hyde Park Seminary Students 

By virtue of an agreement between the Divinity School and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, McCormick Theological Seminary, and the Catholic Theological Union, a student enrolled in the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree program at one of these seminaries may undertake to coordinate studies with the intent of gaining admission to the Ph.D. program at the Divinity School. A student at one of these seminaries may pursue the normal course of M.Div. studies at the home institution while completing certain requirements for application to the Divinity School’s Ph.D. program. This program does not guarantee admission to the Divinity School's Ph.D. program. 

After completing two years of full-time study at one of these Hyde Park seminaries, the student may apply for admission to the Ph.D. program in the Divinity School in the winter quarter of the third year if the following conditions have been met: 

1. prior endorsement of the dean of the student’s home seminary; 

2. completion of sufficient course work at the Divinity School, including at least three courses of bi-registration at the Divinity School in the area of proposed Ph.D. concentration. 

A student who wishes to pursue this should contact the Dean of Students in the Divinity School and declare this intention, reviewing the requirements at his or her earliest convenience. 

iThe Divinity Student-At-Large Program 

The Divinity Student-at-Large program is designed for adults who would like to take courses in the academic study of religion, and may be considering pursuing a master's or doctoral degree in the field. Divinity Students-at-Large take courses only in the Divinity School. Up to three courses may be counted toward a subsequent degree program at the Divinity School. To apply as a Divinity Student-At-Large, please visit divinity.uchicago.edu or contact the Dean of Students Office. 

The Graduate Student-At-Large Program 

The Graduate Student-at-Large program is designed for adults who would like to return to school to work toward a master’s or doctoral degree but are uncertain about the best school or division in which to do their work. Any graduate course may be selected. The program also serves people who have no immediate degree plans but for whom quality grade and credit study would be appropriate. Full academic credit is given and copies of transcripts may be requested whenever needed. A Student-at-Large who later wishes to become a degree candidate must supply additional credentials and meet all the usual requirements for regular admission to the University. If admitted as a regular student, up to three courses taken as a Student-at-Large may be transferred, with the approval of the degree-granting department, to a degree program at the University of Chicago. 

Students enrolled in institutions that do not have formal exchange or traveling scholar programs with the University should apply as Graduate Students-at-Large if they wish to study at the University for a specific period of time and have the work transferred for credit to their home institution. 

The Graduate Student-At-Large Program is administered by the Graham School. Please visit graham.uchicago.edu for more information.