The Master of Arts in Religious Studies is administered by the Department for the Study of Religions and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The Master of Arts in Religious Studies provides students an opportunity to forge a unique, creative, and rigorous program of study. The degree can serve either as a terminal degree or as preparation for a doctoral program. It emphasizes the comparative and theoretical study of religion in its various traditions and forms. Reflecting the teaching and research interests of the current graduate faculty in the department, the program fosters interdisciplinary approaches, offering training in traditional and contemporary theories and methods in conjunction with substantive investigations of diverse religious traditions and topics. Students are encouraged to make imaginative use of all available resources in the creation of their own distinctive programs of study. Typically, this would involve:
- focus on a particular religious culture/region or historical period, and
- an approach or approaches to the study of the subject area.
Ordinarily, applicants for admission into the MA in Religion program majored in religious studies in their undergraduate coursework. The Department will consider applications from students who have majored in other social science or humanities disciplines and who have focused on the topic of religion. Admission is based on the degree of success in previous courses in religion, the clarity of the applicant’s educational goals, and the general potential for successfully engaging in graduate-level work within the program. Additional information about the program is available here.