We encourage all our graduate students to prepare for both the faculty job market and one or two alt-ac career paths, and we provide concrete steps throughout the program to guide this preparation. We take a realistic approach to career preparation because we think this is in the best interests of our students. Therefore, we acknowledge the reality that it is becoming increasingly difficult to secure faculty positions in Religion. At the same time, we know that anyone who completes an MA or PhD in Religion will experience personal growth, do interesting research, and develop valuable skills. We believe our MA and PhD graduates are able to use those skills and have an impact on society in a variety of possible careers, whether inside or outside a university. Our graduates make a difference. The American Academy of Religion Our largest professional organizations, the American Academy of Religion (AAR), has gathered anecdotal evidence in recent webinAARs that those Religion graduates who take jobs outside academia report being able to use their graduate skills in rewarding ways and advance more quickly through promotions. Influential graduate skills include, for example, understanding others’ perspectives, asking good questions, making sound judgments about complex social phenomena, and speaking and writing well. One recent webinAAR addressed "Preparing Graduate Students for a Variety of Futures" and another discussed the book The New PhD. We take this advice seriously and have adapted it in ways that make sense within our program and for our students. Career Preparation The Religion Department provides a tailored template for an Individual Development Plan to each graduate student in their first semester. We encourage each student to fill out the plan with action steps that fit with their own goals and life circumstances, in conversation with their major professor and the Director of Graduate Studies. In addition, UGA offers a wealth of career resources for graduate students, including the UGA Mentor Program and graduate leadership development and internships (on a competitive basis) through initiatives organized by the Graduate School. Retention and Completion We are proud of our high retention rate. Of the students who start in our PhD program, around 9 in 10 complete the degree, and of the students who start in our MA program, around 19 in 20 complete the degree. While we recognize that stepping out of a graduate degree can sometimes be the right decision, we also want to make it possible for all our students to complete the degree if that is their goal. Our high retention rate speaks to the close interaction between students, their major professors, other faculty, and the Director of Graduate Studies. We also aim for a good time to degree. In our MA program, the average time to degree is around 2.5 years, with a majority of students completing the degree in 2 years. In our PhD program, the average time to degree is around 4.75 years, with a majority of students completing the degree in either 4 or 5 years. Placements Our MA and PhD graduates have gone on to make important contributions in a wide range of career paths and jobs. In addition, they help others through their community service and voluntary commitments. If you are one of our graduate alumni and you wish to update your information, please write to us! Placements include: Daryl Bloodsaw PhD, 2025 Senior Pastor, Ebenezer Baptist Church in Athens Sarah Cook PhD, 2025 Senior Coordinator of Examinations, Canadian Institute of Actuaries Eduardo Mendez MA, 2025 Manager, UGA Libraries (TAP student in Religion) Hisham Qureshi PhD, 2024 Director of Religious Studies and Spiritual Care, Madina Institute Samaria Divine PhD, 2024 Director of Community Engagement for Doctoral Initiatives, Forum for Theological Engagement Bashir Mundi PhD, 2024 Imam, the Masjid Al-Furqan - West Cobb Islamic Center Nathan Fleeson PhD, 2023 English Language Arts Teacher, Peachtree Ridge High School Jessica Couch PhD, 2023 Academic Advisor, History at UGA (TAP student in Religion) Sarah Burns MA, 2023 Administrative Associate, UGA School of Law (TAP student in Religion) Abderrahim Er-Ragragi MA, 2022 PhD student in Middle East Studies at the University of Michigan Drew Craver PhD, 2020 Academic Advisor, Exploratory Center at UGA Anderson Moss-Weaver MA, 2019 Went on to do a PhD in Religion, Literature, and Culture at the University of Virginia, now Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Bates College Amanda Walls PhD, 2018 PhD awarded in Linguistics with a major professor in Religion, now Lecturer in Hebrew at UGA Rachel Tagoulla MA, 2018 Went on to do a PhD in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures at Indiana University Bloomington, now Lecturer in Arabic at UGA Raleigh Heth MA, 2016 Went on to do a PhD in Theology at the University of Notre Dame, now Assistant Teaching Professor in the Cornerstone Liberal Arts Program at Perdue University Rachel Nabulsi PhD, 2015 PhD awarded in Linguistics with a major professor in Religion, now Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Point University Umesh Patel MA, 2013 Director of Career Development and Programs, UGA Career Center Hugo Méndez MA, 2009 Went on to do a PhD in Linguistics at UGA, now Associate Professor of New Testament at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
