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Requirements
Admission Requirements: A student who has not completed at least 12 credit hours (or the equivalent) of undergraduate academic course work directly related to the study of religion will be required to do remedial work to make up the deficit. Remedial courses may not be counted toward the degree.
Minimum Degree Requirements:
The master's degree in Religious Studies requires 31 credit hours, at least 24 credits of which must be completed at the 5000 level or above, and must include RLST 6830, Introduction to the Academic Study of Religion; three seminars in the Academic Study of Religion (at least one such course will be designated each semester); and three Research Concentration Courses (to be determined in consultation with one's advisor). A maximum of 6 credit hours may be completed at the 3000- or 4000-level with the advisor's approval. Up to 9 credit hours of course work may be taken outside the department or transferred from another accredited institution, consistent with the student's special needs and interests. The student's program of study must be approved each semester by the advisor. The student must have a satisfactory reading knowledge of a language other than English, demonstrated by a “B” or better in the fourth-semester of the language or by successful completion of a translation exam on material related to the student's field in the foreign language, and material in the language must be employed in a significant way in the thesis or other project.
An academic advisor will be assigned each student on entry but can be changed with the agreement of all involved. In the third semester of study, the student in consultation with the advisor will form a three person committee to oversee the student's final examination. In the last semester of graduate study, which must be taken in residence, students selecting the thesis option will take a four-credit thesis course that will produce a publishable, article-length thesis (25-50 pages), usually on the basis of a previous term paper or other research effort. Those electing a non-thesis degree will instead sign up for a four-credit directed readings class in secondary scholarship on a specific field (theoretical topic, geographic area or religious tradition) and pass a written examination on this topic. The final oral examination by the committee will focus on clean, corrected copies of three substantial term papers and either the thesis or the written examination in a specific field.
Instructional and Interdisciplinary Opportunities
There is opportunity for interdisciplinary study drawing on the wide resources of the University, including such departments as Anthropology, Sociology, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Comparative Literature, Philosophy, Classics, Women's Studies, Theatre and Dance, Journalism, Mass Communications, and Fine Arts. The Department emphasizes high quality teaching and therefore offers outstanding M.A. students the opportunity to receive teaching assistantships, which provide valuable classroom experience. Teaching assistants can also earn graduate teaching certification through the Graduate Teacher Program, an excellent resource for improving teaching skills.
Admission
Each application is considered on its own merits by the entire faculty. Factors considered include previous educational record, four letters of recommendation, a personal letter describing educational goals, and GRE scores (required of all U.S. citizens and permanent residents). All students admitted to the regular degree program must hold at least a Bachelor's degree (or the equivalent) with a cumulative grade point average of 2.75 and have completed at least 12 semester hours (or the equivalent) of undergraduate course work directly related to the study of religion.
Affirmative Action
The Department of Religious Studies particularly encourages applications for graduate work from members of minority groups that are not adequately represented in the academic study of religion. Special efforts will be made for the financial support of minority students. The Department aims to give at least one assistantship each semester to a qualified student from a minority group.
Financial Considerations
The University has a small number of awards available to graduate students. In addition, the Department offers a limited number of teaching and research assistantships to outstanding students.
