Theology or History?
I’m evaluating two potential courses of study - the first is History with a heavy concentration on Church and Society at Catholic University, the second is Theology with a focus on systematics and Church History at Christendom’s grad school.
See, for me, it’s all about the integration of culture and The Faith, and that means getting a grasp on the goings on during the Late Medieval to Early Modern (and current) time period, which should help trace the course of, as Hilary likes to call it, The Collapse.
On the one hand, History is probably the more marketable degree at a wider range of places. On the other, I have a slightly stronger aptitude for Theology, and Christendom’s grad program is literally three times cheaper, and more easily accessible for me.
Whichever MA I go for, I’m guessing I’ll be locked on that path if I wind up entering a PhD program (which I will probably have to do if I ever want to teach at the college level). Any thoughts out there from the wide world on which path might fill the greater need? This is down to logistics, interest, and a bit of coin-tossing. I’m leaning toward the History MA being more interesting in the short term and possibly more likely to net me the right job, but the more difficult to obtain because of finances and class schedule. I’m also a little concerned about being locked into History for the eventual PhD (if and when that happens). I’d prefer to mix and match, honestly, but that could get dicey with prerequisites and all.
As you may have noticed, I like bouncing ideas off of people when I have no idea what I’m doing. Helps me figure out what I’m really thinking.
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Neither degree will be very marketable. Most people with mater’s degrees in any of the liberal arts end up working outside their field. You have to pursue either course of study because you personally believe that what you will learn is valuable and worth the cost. These types of programs do not equip you with knowledge and skills that are in demand in the marketplace.
Perhaps better advice could be abtained from actual graduates of each program.
I’m sure they could each provide you with a few alumni to speak with.
Steve,
My own call (assuming the economics were even, which they are not) would be to go for the history over the pure theology.
You’re going to learn the theology anyway, admit it.
And for tracing the trajectory of the Collapse, history will tell you more than systematic theology will.
My $0.02, for what they’re worth.
peace,
Do which ever one you want. Don’t worry about marketing . . . the degree will be only one thing a potential employer will look at. It almost sounds like you are thinking about History with a concentration in Church-something or Theology with a concentration in history . . . I think most employers won’t really care about the subtle differences.
They are handing out high school teaching jobs up here . . . I just got two of my friends religion teaching jobs at the place I work at. Starting salary for Masters level is 37,000 at area Catholic high schools, and that is for only 8 months of work out of the year considering we get 15 weeks of vacation. Work during the summer and breaks and 50 K isn’t too hard to reach, especially with step increases you get each year.
Ahhhhh, teaching’s the gig . . . if you can handle the kids, haha.
Congrats on the new little one coming!!! I think I’m going to head down to visit No. Virginia in a few weeks, I’ll look you up to visit.
Steve,
As a recovering academic myself, I have to weigh in here. I know that you would thrive intellectually in academia. What I wonder about is the job market at the college level for people with training in “History with a heavy concentration on Church and Society” or “Theology with a focus on systematics and Church History”.
Specifically, a quick look at Christendom’s faculty list shows no one with a degree from there working there. You’ll see Boston College, Northwestern, Catholic and others. Point being that even smaller, younger schools like Christendom are able to get grads from top colleges to work there. That tells me there is a tight job market in your chosen area, particularly at the types of institutions that would align most closely with your beliefs. You can certainly attempt to be a pioneer for your beliefs at an “outlier” institution, but that usually limits one’s potential of achieving tenure.
Cousin John’s suggestion of a Catholic high school gig is worth noting. A history position at a good HS would give you the freedom to teach what you love and to keep up your intellectual practices, whether that is through research and academic publishing or through this blog.
For my money, Catholic U seems to be the better bet from a long-term career perspective. As sad as it is, the name on the diploma (not yours) will be very important to many potential employers.
Either way, you are selling your writing for a living. Do the one that you think you can produce the best writing on.
Thanks, everyone for your comments. I’m getting a lot of advice (not just here), much of it conflicting, which is good. The impression I am getting is that academia is undergoing a transformational period which will require some adaptation on my part. The sum total of all of your thoughts on this will help me to chart a sensible course.