Master of Arts 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:

• interpret a selected passage from the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, Qur’an, and/or Buddhist scriptures from multiple historical and contemporary perspectives and using one or more critical methods, demonstrating understanding of the influence of their own situatedness on that interpretation;
• critically interpret, analyze and reflect on a selected Christian, pagan, Islamic, or Jewish theological text or perspective in its historical context as well as through the lens of modern questions and challenges; and
• construct a theory of religion and articulate the ways in which it shapes their religious and theological commitments, as well as their vocational practice or academic study.

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; many courses can be taken completely asynchronously