The Department of Religious Studies offers a Dual M.A. degree with either the Department of History (HIST) or the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations (ALC). Such a degree serves the scholarly needs of students who seek a truly interdisciplinary experience among intellectually affiliated departments. The dual M.A. program enables students to receive two M.A. degrees upon the completion of 42 credit hours of coursework and thesis hours taken between RLST and either HIST or ALC. Three courses from each program may be double-counted toward both degrees.
Students must have a primary program, comprising their home department, and a secondary program, comprising their other department of choice. Students will have a primary advisor in their home department. Admission to the Dual M.A. program may be accomplished in one of two ways. Students can either be first admitted to one of the participating departments as a normal M.A. student, and upon consultation with a primary advisor about whether dual degrees are appropriate and feasible, decide to make formal application to a second M.A. program. It is recommended that students considering this option take at least one course from the other program during the first year of graduate studies and then consult with a potential advisor in the other department about making formal application to that program. It is also possible to apply to both programs from the outset by making a separate application to each department, listing as your primary department the one in which you will write your thesis.
Requirements for admission are the same as for the normal M.A. program: transcripts (two official copies), recommendations, statement of purpose, and language requirements as appropriate. Due to the demanding nature of the program, students will not be eligible to pursue other dual or joint programs or certificates while enrolled in the Dual M.A. program.
A methods course in each program is the only specific course requirement for the dual degrees. It is expected that students will enroll in at least one course in each department per semester. The student's graduate committee will consist of the primary advisor from each program and a third faculty member from either department with a specialization appropriate to the student’s interest. Dual degree programs may combine an M.A. Plan 1 (thesis track) with a Plan 2 (non-thesis track) or students may opt for non-thesis tracks in both departments. However, students may not write two theses; rather they are encouraged to select a interdisciplinary thesis topic if they opt for the thesis track. The time frame for the dual degree program is four years (one year more than for a single M.A.).