MA in Interreligious Studies

The MA in Interreligious Studies degree program will prepare you to be able to examine contemporary issues through critical yet appreciative engagement with the texts and theological/philosophical perspectives of multiple religious traditions. Graduates of this program can pursue doctorates in religious studies with a focus on interreligious issues.

This program may be a good fit for you if you are interested in pursuing a career as a:

• Professor in a seminary, divinity school, or college
• Religion or theology teacher in a private school or church
• Public theologian (i.e., a theologian whose primary audience is the society or wider culture)
• Leader of an interreligious-oriented ministry or organization

CONCENTRATION LEARNING OUTCOMES

In addition to achieving the core MA degree learning outcomes, a graduate of the Interreligious Studies program will be able to:

• Think across religious paradigms by exhibiting engagement with different religious vocabularies and ideas, aiding one’s abilities in an interreligious context.
• Construct a theory of religion and articulate the ways in which it shapes one’s religious and theological commitments and/or practice of ministry.
• Articulate an in-depth understanding of the theological/philosophical and historical distinctiveness of select religious traditions
• Apply methodological and hermeneutical tools of interpretation to a diverse selection of religious texts.

United’s MA at a Glance

• 36 credits
• Eleven 3-credit courses plus a 3-credit thesis, or ten 3-credit courses plus a 6-credit thesis
• Can be completed in two years if you take a full-time course load (24 credits per year) and complete your thesis in approximately one trimester
• All MA concentrations can be completed entirely via distance learning