Finishing Your MA? Where to Apply for a PhD in Buddhist Studies

A PhD in Buddhist Studies is a long commitment — typically five to seven years in North America and three to four in Europe — and it's the standard route to university teaching and research. This guide explains what doctoral programmes look for, lists places to apply, and covers the fellowships that fund the field.

Checked October 2026. Faculty move and programmes change. Always confirm current faculty, requirements and deadlines on the official programme page.

What PhD admissions committees look for

1. Source languages. This is the big one. Most programmes expect you to already have — or be well on the way to — at least one classical language (Sanskrit, Pali, Classical Tibetan, Classical Chinese, Classical Japanese), often plus a modern research language such as Japanese, Chinese, French or German.
2. A clear research direction. You don't need a finished project, but you do need a focused question and a sense of the texts, sites or communities you'd work with.
3. Fit with a supervisor. In Buddhist Studies, who you work with matters more than the university's overall ranking. Make sure at least one faculty member works close to your interests — and ideally a second one nearby.
4. A strong writing sample. Usually a chapter of your MA thesis or a polished research paper.
5. Referees who know your work. Ideally people who've taught you a language or supervised your research.

Email potential supervisors before you apply. Keep it short: who you are, your languages, your research question, and whether they're taking new students.

North America

US and Canadian PhDs are usually fully funded for admitted students (tuition plus a stipend, often in exchange for teaching), so the application is effectively also a funding application. Deadlines typically fall in December–January for entry the following autumn.

Many other universities have strong Buddhist Studies faculty inside a Religious Studies, East Asian or South Asian department rather than a dedicated programme — in the US these include Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, the University of Chicago and the University of Virginia, and in Canada the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia and McMaster. The right choice depends entirely on who is teaching there now, so read faculty pages carefully.

Europe and the UK

European PhDs are usually shorter and more independent: you're expected to arrive with your project and languages largely in place. In some countries (Germany, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries) doctoral positions are often salaried jobs advertised like any other post — these appear on job boards, including ours.

• University of Oxford — DPhil (doctoral) research in Buddhist Studies through the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, often following its MPhil. The Glorisun Graduate Scholarships in Buddhist Studies support DPhil students.
• SOAS University of London — PhD in the Department of Religions and Philosophies, with long-standing Buddhist Studies expertise.
• University of Hamburg — Numata Center for Buddhist Studies — one of Europe's largest Buddhist Studies centres, supervising doctoral projects across Indian, Tibetan, Chinese and Japanese Buddhism.
• University of Vienna — doctoral study in Tibetology and Buddhist Studies, building on its MA programme; check current language requirements with the department.

Asia

• Centre of Buddhist Studies, University of Hong Kong — MPhil and PhD research degrees in English, with the Master of Buddhist Studies as a common route in.
• Kathmandu University Centre for Buddhist Studies at Rangjung Yeshe Institute, Nepal — lists BA, MA and PhD levels; contact them directly to confirm current PhD admissions.
• International Buddhist Studies College, Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University, Thailand — doctoral study in Buddhist Studies available to English-speaking students.

Fellowships and funding for Buddhist Studies PhDs

• The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Dissertation Fellowships in Buddhist Studies (administered by ACLS) — the field's flagship dissertation award. It is open worldwide with no citizenship or location restrictions; 2026 fellows each received US$40,000. ACLS runs related competitions for early-career fellowships and other Buddhist Studies grants.
• Khyentse Foundation — PhD scholarships for doctoral students in Buddhist Studies from any country (up to US$5,000 in recent rounds), plus Awards for Excellence in Buddhist Studies at a number of partner universities.
• University-based scholarships — such as Oxford's Glorisun scholarships. Ask each programme what internal funding exists for Buddhist Studies specifically.
• Teaching and research assistantships — usually part of North American funding packages.

A realistic word about careers

Permanent academic jobs in Buddhist Studies are competitive and few in number each year. The good news: the skills a PhD gives you — deep language ability, translation, research and teaching — are valued well beyond universities, in translation projects, museums and libraries, publishing, chaplaincy, and the leadership of dharma centres and Buddhist organisations. Keep those paths in view from the start.

We list academic posts, postdocs, translation roles and staff positions at Buddhist organisations as we find them. See current openings, or subscribe below to get new ones by email.

Still earlier on your path? See where to study Buddhist Studies as an undergraduate and where to apply for an MA.