Program Requirements

General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 30

Required Courses:

¹

Students can take 3 to 6 credits of coursework outside the Department of Religion in a cognate field at Temple University.

Language Examination: Reading knowledge of a language relevant to the area of focus is required. However, at the discretion of the student's supervisory committee, this requirement can be waived for those who are planning to do graduate work that does not require foreign language proficiency.

Culminating Event: No later than upon completion of their first 18 credits of coursework in either the Religion, Values and Global Cultures concentration or the Religion, Values and Public Life concentration, the student must choose either the thesis or portfolio option:

• The Thesis Option is recommended for, but not limited to, students intending to apply to a doctoral program or planning to teach at the college level. Six credits must be taken in a 3-credit Independent Study that prepares the student to register the following term for a 3-credit MA thesis project under the direction of a thesis advisor. Reading knowledge of a language relevant to the thesis topic and oral defense of the thesis are required.
• The Portfolio Option is recommended for students to augment their primary area of experience and professional training in fields other than Religion.

Upon choosing an option, the student then selects an advisor for the final project who has primary responsibility for supervising the student's work for the remainder of the program and is the primary reader of the thesis or portfolio. This choice must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee.

Thesis:
For the Thesis Option, a thesis is required.

Note that the Portfolio Option requires successful completion of coursework.