MA/PhD – for applicants who hold a BA or BS degree. (NOTE: The MA in this program is earned on the way to the PhD objective. If you are interested in only taking an MA degree please apply to the MA Plan 2.)
PhD – for applicants who hold an MA degree in Religion or a related discipline.
MA Plan 2 – for applicants seeking rigorous exposure and training in the academic study of religion in preparation for further study, or for professional career enhancement. This MA degree does not transfer over into the PhD program at UCSB.
Applicants are admitted on a competitive basis, our admission policy is based on intellectual potential and promise, academic records, and programmatic fit. Undergraduate GPA must be a minimum of 3.0. A writing sample is also required.

completed an undergraduate or graduate degree at an institution whose primary language of instruction is English. The minimum score for consideration is 550 when taking the paper-based TOEFL, or 80 when taking the internet-based test, some departments require a higher score. Applicants must make arrangements to take the TOEFL directly with ETS (www.ets.org). Scores should be reported to UCSB using institution code 4835. TOEFL scores must be no more than two years old at the time of application submission. UCSB also considers a minimal score of 7 on the IELTS as an alternative to the TOEFL. IELTS scores must be no more than two years old at the time of application submission