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Graduate Department of Religion
  2. Degrees
  3. Master of Arts

Master of Arts

The M.A. program is designed to enable students to explore personal interests or vocational options, to acquire a background for teaching at the secondary level, and/or to attain a foundation for further studies at the doctoral level. A thesis is required. Candidates may choose one of the following two programs:

Specialty M.A.

This program involves a concentration in one of the subspecialties of religious study. Students will select a major of at least 12 hours and a minor of at least 6 hours from the following areas:

  • Critical Studies in Asian, Islamic, and Jewish Traditions
  • Ethics and Society
  • Hebrew Bible
  • Historical Studies
  • Homiletics and Liturgics
  • Jewish Studies
  • New Testament and Early Christianity
  • Religion, Psychology, and Culture
  • Theological Studies

The remaining hours may be chosen from the above areas or in another department of the Graduate School.

Cross Disciplinary M.A.

This program provides an opportunity for students to relate one of the sub-specialties of religious studies to an appropriate supportive discipline in the university. Normally, 12 hours are taken in one of the areas listed under the specialty M.A., with the remaining hours taken in another department of the Graduate School. The thesis will embody an effort to integrate the methodologies and subject matters of the two disciplines in relation to a chosen problem.


All M.A. candidates demonstrate reading competence in one foreign language, ancient or modern, as may be required in the programs or area of concentration. This requirement may be satisfied by passing the ETS Graduate School Foreign Language Test with a score of 450 or better or by presenting an acceptable record of at least 12 semester hours (or its equivalent) in a language. Candidates specializing in Hebrew Bible or New Testament are expected to work with the original texts in Hebrew or Greek. Students designating Greek or Hebrew as the foreign language may not count introductory courses in these languages toward the requisite 30 hours for the degree.