In his wonderfully helpful article, “Choosing a Ph.D. – Part 1: Getting Oriented”, Zachary Wagner offers sound wisdom for students discerning a call to doctoral study. His breakdown of the differences between UK and North American models is also illuminating. With this essay, I want to supplement and expand some of the options in the North American model that muddy the waters between seminary and university PhDs.
There is a third option, way up in the Great White North. In Canada, students can earn a PhD that is both rooted in a seminary but also conferred conjointly by a leading research university.
Like their American counterparts, Canadian PhDs take the longer road to graduation. As Zach mentioned, the programs typically take 4-7 years, beginning with a chunk of coursework, which is followed by comprehensive exams, and then concludes with the actual dissertation.
While students in Canada can find seminary PhDs at schools like McMaster Divinity College, for instance, that are conferred directly by the seminary, there are also plenty of opportunities to pursue PhDs in religious studies departments at major universities such McGill University or the University of Toronto.
The third option in Canada, the one that I will focus on, however, is a conjoint PhD that is offered by a seminary and a research university. This program brings in many international students, including Americans, along with locals.
Many seminaries and theological colleges tethered to partner institutions offer masters degrees or professional doctorates in Canada (Vancouver School of Theology, Montreal School of Theology, Atlantic School of Theology, for example), but it is only in Toronto, through the Toronto School of Theology, in partnership with the University of Toronto and several member colleges/seminaries, that one can study for a conjoint PhD.
The inner-working of these institutional relationships are complex, but the pay-off is that students can have the benefit of a church-rooted seminary community while also having the advantage of a world-class research PhD from the University of Toronto (with a 2021 QS ranking of first in Canada and 11th in the world for Theology, Divinity, and Religious Studies).
Here is how it works:
Students enroll at one of seven member institutions that (save for one) are all within about a kilometre of one another in the heart of the city of Toronto. These include Emmanuel College (United Church of Canada), Knox College (The Presbyterian Church in Canada), Regis College (Roman Catholic, Jesuit), St. Augustine’s Seminary (Roman Catholic, Diocesan), University of St. Michael’s College (Roman Catholic, Basilian), University of Trinity College (Anglican Church of Canada), and Wycliffe College (Evangelical, Anglican Church of Canada).
The college in which a student enrolls becomes a kind of home base. Here students experience the community and ethos of the respective college. For example, at Wycliffe, where I attended, I found a wonderful and thoroughgoing evangelical and Anglican community. For me, the strength of the college model meant that I was able to be rooted in a particular tradition so that I was constantly reminded that the academic life and the life of the Church belong together.
And, while in most seminary PhD programs there is a risk of insularity and lack of exposure to diverse perspectives, because doctoral students are free to take courses at other Toronto School of Theology member colleges, one has the chance to experience the diversity of the Church. On can see how a Jesuit thinks, for instance, by taking courses at Regis, or learn Greek from a Presbyterian at Knox College, for example. Further, students have the option of taking courses at three additional affiliated institutions, Conrad Grebel University College (Mennonite), Institute for Christian Studies (Christian Reformed), and NAIITS (an Indigenous learning community), though these are not all on campus in Toronto.
The advantage of the college model is that students find a rootedness in their own tradition, but this is coupled with the ecumenical life of the other member colleges, including their rich and diverse course offerings.
There is one other element that comes into play here as well. In addition to one’s home college and other member colleges, students are enrolled at the University of Toronto. This means relevant courses in other graduate departments: Religious Studies, English, History, Philosophy, etc. are on offer to Toronto School of Theology students. This was wonderful for me, since I was able to compliment my research with courses from the French and English departments.
The library system at the University of Toronto is also a tremendous place to do research, ranking third in North American (after Harvard and Yale) with specialized collections in several smaller library facilities.
Intellectual life, though central, is not the only component of the PhD experience. Community and culture are also significant. I have written already of the rich community life in each member college in the Toronto School of Theology, but I should also add a note about the city of Toronto.
Toronto is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, and now – behind New York and Los Angeles, is the third largest city in the US or Canada. What makes the University of Toronto interesting is that it is located in the heart of the city, with a short walk to wonderful restaurants, art galleries, museums, and shopping. The large campus is surrounded by the bustle of urban while the older segments of the university give one the sense of walking back in time, with sprawling greens and nineteenth century buildings.
As far as affordability goes, the PhD in Toronto is not as costly per year as programs in the U.K. Though financial aid is available, it is generally not as robust as what is on offer by top American programs. This means the cost falls somewhere between UK and American programs, meaning too that generally doctoral spaces are not as competitive as the top programs in the US.
Overall, if students are having trouble deciding between a seminary PhD and a university PhD, it might be worthwhile to look at getting the best of both worlds in Toronto.
Cole Hartin is an Assistant Curate at St. Luke’s Anglican Church in Saint John, New Brunswick. He earned his PhD from Wycliffe College/University of Toronto. Cole is a member of the St. Basil Fellowship of the Center for Pastor Theologians.
