Doctorate in Christian Spirituality

Students prepare to interpret the biblical text on its own terms for spirituality; to contextualize major figures, texts, and themes in the historical development of Christian Spirituality; to achieve a dialogical understanding of other spiritualities not within the Christian tradition; and to do research and develop analytical arguments from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students are encouraged to be interdisciplinary and cross-cultural in their study as they prepare for positions in academia and/or various religious institutions and ministries.

Graduate Theological Union

An institution of higher learning unlike any other, the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley brings together scholars of the world’s diverse religions and wisdom traditions to advance new knowledge, seek fresh insight, and collaborate on solutions. We carry out our work by:

• Educating scholars for vocations devoted to study and service
• Equipping leaders for a world of diverse religions and cultures
• Teaching patterns of faith that encourage justice and care of the planet
• Serving as an educational and theological resource for local communities, the nation, and the world

The GTU is the most comprehensive center for the graduate study of religion in North America. With a focus on interreligious and interdisciplinary perspectives, GTU faculty and students engage the world’s great religions and wisdom traditions in contemporary contexts. The GTU educates innovative leaders for the academy, religious organizations, and the nonprofit sector, equipping scholars to embody the critical thinking, ethical frameworks, compassionate values, and spiritual foundations essential to building a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world.

More than a school of theology, the GTU is a union of schools and programs that, together, represent the world’s major religions in collaboration. More than a graduate school, the GTU is an enterprise that cultivates the highest scholarly standards and provides opportunities to translate scholarship into solutions with impact. The GTU provides a unique community where scholars and practitioners from across the world's great religions gather for academic study of their own and of other traditions and disciplines.