Religion, Culture, and Society (PhD)

This PhD in Religion, Culture, and Society is offered jointly by Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo, giving students access to faculty, courses, and resources across both institutions. The program is multidisciplinary, drawing on fieldwork and textually oriented methods to study religion in its cultural and social contexts. Students choose a specialization from Religious and Spiritual Diversity of the Americas, Visual, Material, and Textual Studies, Religion, Non-Religion, and Secularity, Global Justice, Peace, and Conflict, or Contemporary Muslim Studies, and admits students from a range of related disciplines rather than religious studies alone. Before applying, candidates identify and contact a prospective faculty advisor. Full-time study is designed to take four years, with a minimum of six terms beyond the Master's degree, and includes coursework, comprehensive examinations, and a dissertation. International applicants must have confirmed third-party funding before admission. Classes are delivered in person on the Waterloo campus, with a single Fall intake.