I'm looking for a doctoral program in history at least capable of respecting intellectual conservatives and pre-modern philosophical traditions. Notre Dame, with its strong interest in intellectual history, is certainly one possibility, and Baylor plans to offer a Ph.D. in the history of religion and culture, but not until 2008 at the earliest. I'm trying to determine how many good options there are. I'm specifically interested in the history of American religion. Suggestions?

I don't think you'll be able to find many, if any Ph.D. programs in history that respect conservative thought. What you want to look for is whether or not the program is strong in your area of interests with faculty that are interested in what you are interested in. Rank is somewhat important, but look for the best program in your field of interest. Check out the website for the American Historical Association (I wouldn't join as they can be pretty left wing, but they have info. on grad. programs). They can be found at http://www.historians.org

If you are just finishing your BA, I would advise you look at a MA program and use that as a buffer for the Ph.D. (you may go to a school with the expectation of earning the Ph.D., but still).

One bit of advice, STUDY, STUDY, STUDY. You will have to take the GRE and some of the best programs want your verbal score on that test to be a 600 or higher.

I hope this helps. On a side note, I would encourage you to look at the University of North Dakota (I go there and am a little biased) as they gave me a Teaching Assistantship, which pays tuition and a stipend. Plus, we have a Doctor of Arts (DA) program, one of the few in the nation.