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The M.A. Degree
Students in the M.A. program are introduced to general problems and
methods in the study of religion and pursue concentrated study in a
specific field of specialization. The Department does not
admit students seeking an M.A. as a terminal degree.
During the first year of study, the Director of Graduate Studies serves
as the academic advisor for each new M.A. student. By the end of the
second semester of study, each student must designate a faculty advisor
(or advisors) in the student’s field of specialization.
| Fields of Specialization: |
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The graduate program offers concentrated study in the following fields
of specialization:
Each new student is admitted into one of these fields of specialization.
Each field has specific degree requirements that must be completed in
addition to the general requirements for the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees.
All M.A. students must complete 30 hours of course work (10 courses).
At least half of the courses taken must be numbered 700 or above, and
each student’s coursework must include the required courses described
below.
Students may take up to 12 of their 30 course hours outside of the
Department. Students generally take 3 semesters of 3 courses each and
complete their theses in the 4th semester.
With the recommendation of the Department and approval of the Graduate
School, a maximum of 6 graduate course hours may be transferred from
another accredited institution and be accepted toward the fulfillment
of the 30-hour minimum. Students who have successfully completed graduate
level courses in this University prior to formal admission into the
Religious Studies graduate program may also be accredited with 6 credit
hours.
Each semester students must have their prospective schedules approved
by their faculty advisors and can make subsequent changes only with
the consent of their advisors.
All M.A. students are required to take two courses: RELI 700 (Theory and Method in the Study of Religion) and a gateway course outside their own field of specialization.
This two-course sequence prepares students to serve as Teaching Associates.
These courses are included in the 30-hour minimum course requirement.
RELI 700. Theory and Method in the Study of Religion, usually offered
every fall semester, is a required course for all first-year graduate students.
The course is designed to provide students with a thorough grounding in the
history of religious studies and knowledge of some of its primary theoretical
orientations. At the conclusion of the course, a final examination is administered.
Gateway Courses. Different fields of specialization within
the Department regularly offer graduate seminars designed especially to introduce
important themes and methodologies relevant to the field. These seminars are
designated as “gateway courses.” By taking a gateway course outside
their own field of specialization, students achieve a broad expertise across
different subfields within the discipline. Designated gateway courses include
the following:
- RELI 707 - Early Christian History and Literature (Ancient Mediterranean
Religions)
- RELI 720 - Critical Lineages in Religion and Culture (Religion
and Culture)
- RELI 740 - Approaches to American Religions (Religion in the
Americas)
- RELI 744 - American Religions to 1865 (Religion in the Americas)
- RELI 745 - American Religions since 1865 (Religion in the Americas)
- RELI 780 - Methods in Islamic Studies (Islamic Studies)
- RELI 885 - Buddhism and Buddhist Studies (Religions of Asia)
Every M.A. student is required to take at least one gateway course
in a field of specialization other than his or her own before the completion
of the M.A. program or, if the student is bypassing the M.A., before
proceeding to the Ph.D. program.
Additional Required Courses. Faculty teaching in each field
of specialization may also prescribe additional course requirements for students
in the field.
All M.A. students must demonstrate reading competency in one modern
research language before beginning their M.A. thesis. This language
is usually either French or German, but in some circumstances, with
the approval of the student’s advisor and the faculty in the student’s
field of specialization, a student may substitute a different modern
language as more relevant to the student’s research interests.
Each M.A. student is required to take a comprehensive examination in
the student’s field of specialization (the "Field Examination").
The Field Examination is designed to test general knowledge of scholarship
within the chosen field, as well as detailed knowledge of specific topics.
In consultation with the student’s faculty advisors, each student
is expected to develop an individualized reading list of approximately
thirty to forty significant works that provide an opportunity for the
student to explore major themes, issues, and arguments within the field
of specialization.
The Field Examination usually consists of one or more essay questions.
It is three hours in length and closed-book. Some fields may also schedule
an oral consultation after the written Field Examination, but the grade
recorded will be the grade achieved on the written examination.
The Field Examination is scheduled by the student and the student's
faculty advisor, normally at the beginning of the third or fourth semester
of study. In consultation with the student, the faculty advisor will
establish a two-person faculty committee for the Field Examination.
This committee will construct the questions and evaluate the examination.
Each M.A. student must write and defend (by oral examination) a thesis
in the student’s field of specialization. The thesis is a limited
research project designed to demonstrate scholarly potential in the
field. Students may count a maximum of 6 credit hours of RELI 993 (Master’s
Thesis) towards the required total of 30 credit hours. Students normally
register for RELI 993 credit hours in the fourth semester of residency,
but a student may not begin writing the thesis until passing the Field
Examination.
The M.A. thesis demonstrates the ability of the student to research,
organize, and write an extended essay. An acceptable thesis involves
sustained research in a body of primary materials, interpretation of
those materials in a methodologically self-conscious manner, and presentation
of one’s work in a clear, well-written essay. The M.A. thesis
thus serves as an indicator of a student’s promise for doctoral
work. The M.A. thesis should be cast as an extended essay, approximately
fifty to sixty pages (only rarely exceeding one hundred pages), typed,
double-spaced, including appropriate footnotes and bibliography.
The oral examination covers the contents of the M.A. thesis and any
other matters deemed appropriate by the thesis committee members. The
committee may approve the thesis, require revisions, or reject it. Following
approval of the thesis, candidates must meet all University specifications
for formatting and submitting the final version of the thesis manuscript
to the University.
Students must complete all requirements for the M.A. degree within five
years of initial registration in the graduate program. Most students
are awarded the degree within two to three years.
The requirements specified above may not prove adequate for students
whose previous training in religious studies is lacking in certain respects.
In such cases the Department may require, through the student’s
advisor, an additional course of study.
| Proceeding to the Ph.D. Program: |
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Upon a student's successful completion of all M.A. requirements, the
student's faculty advisor may recommend to the Graduate Studies Committee
(GSC) that the student advance to the Ph.D. program. Upon receipt of
this recommendation and a petition from the student that specifies the
direction of his or her proposed doctorial research, the GSC will vote
at its next regular meeting on the student’s admission to the
Ph.D. program. Recommendations received after May 1 will be considered
at the first regular GSC meeting of the fall semester.
The completion of the requirements for the M.A. degree provides no
guarantee that a student will be accepted into the Ph.D. program. In
addition to these general guidelines for admission into Ph.D. program,
there may be additional requirements specific to the various fields
of specialization.
| Bypassing the M.A. Degree: |
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At the end of one full year of coursework (18 credit hours) at the
M.A. level and after completing the Field Examination, students
initially admitted into the M.A. program who have already
completed an advanced degree in the study of religion from
another academic institution and who can demonstrate sufficient
preparation in religious studies may petition the GSC to bypass
the Department’s M.A. degree. Petitions to enter the
Ph.D. program must be submitted with the endorsement of the
student’s faculty advisor by no later than one month
after completion of all the requirements to bypass the M.A.
degree.
Bypassing the M.A. degree allows students to bypass up to 12 hours
of coursework and the M.A. thesis requirement. All students initially
admitted into the M.A. program are required to take RELI 700 and at
least one gateway course, to show competency in one modern research
language, and to pass the Field Examination prior to admission into
the Ph.D. program.
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