M.A. Program, Plan I (part of M.A./Ph.D. program)
Requirements for the M.A. in religious studies include completion of 36
units (including no fewer than 24 graduate units). All of these must be
for a letter grade and include the following:
- The religious core course RGST 201, offered in fall quarter only, is required of all incoming M.A. II students.
- In addition to RGST 201, students must take three graduate seminars (12 units) from the RGST 200A-Z series. These courses must be in three different study areas, and with three different instructors in the department.
- M.A. II students must take three additional graduate seminars within their area of study (12 units).
- Two additional courses (8 units) to meet the unit requirements must be at least at the upper-division level, and only RGST 596, Directed Reading and Research, may be counted from the independent study options.
Other requirements include demonstrated proficiency in either French or German and submission of a thesis. Each student will write a thesis under the direction of one faculty member, with final approval by two additional faculty members. Thesis format guidelines can be found at the Graduate Division website, www.graddiv.ucsb.edu (note that strictly following the guidelines is crucial). Faculty encourage article-length M.A. theses, modeled after journal articles for the appropriate subfields of religious studies.
M.A. Program, Plan II
This Master’s degree does not lead directly to Ph.D. work at UCSB. Requirements for the terminal M.A. in religious studies include completion of 36 units (of which at least 24 must be graduate-level units in coursework related to the proposed area of study).
All courses must be taken for a letter grade and include the following:
- The religious core course RGST 201, offered in fall quarter only, is required of all incoming M.A. II students.
- In addition to RGST 201, students must take one graduate seminar (4 units) from the RGST 200A-Z series.
- M.A. II students must take four graduate seminars (16 units) related to the proposed area of study. A maximum of 8 units of RGST 596, Directed Reading and Research, may be counted toward the required units of graduate-level coursework.
- Three additional courses (12 units) to meet the unit requirements must be at least at the upper-division level, and only RGST 596, Directed Reading and Research, may be counted from the independent study options.
No foreign language or thesis is required for the M.A. Plan II. Ordinarily all degree requirements can be met in one year if desired.
However, the M.A. Plan II allows students the option to involve themselves in further study, including potential language study. Following a more extensive two-year M.A. Plan II program, and language background, a student may become more competitive if they wish to apply to a Ph.D. program. A thesis is optional in the two-year M.A. Plan II.
Ph.D. Program
Applicants holding the M.A. degree in religious studies (or its equivalent) from another institution may apply directly to the Ph.D. program. Others should apply for the M.A./Ph.D. program, which entails the M.A. Plan I and continues on to the Ph.D. with no reapplication required.
The Ph.D. program in the Department of Religious Studies is designated as Cross-Cultural and Interdisciplinary Studies in Religion. The cross-cultural area of the program is concerned with the comparative study of religious traditions in eastern and western cultures and includes Native American religious traditions. Advanced work in this area emphasizes the study of religious texts and other source materials, requiring philological competence; the study of methodology and hermeneutics; and comparative phenomenological and philosophical investigation.
The interdisciplinary studies area of the program concentrates on the relation of religion to the humanistic traditions of thought and expression in both classical and contemporary forms. Students are expected to do advanced work in one of the traditional disciplines (literature, history, history and theory of art, philosophy, sociology) in addition to preparing themselves in the history of western thought and in a general approach to the theory and history of religion.
Requirements for the Ph.D. beyond the UCSB requirements for the M.A. in religious studies are relatively few. They include:
- Additional courses as a Ph.D. student’s advisors may specify
- A four-unit course on methodology that may be taken either within the department of religious studies or from an outside department — the exact course will be determined in consultation with the student’s advisor
- Proficiency in a second language approved by the advisors, in a language in which a substantive religious studies bibliography exists
- Field examinations in areas of major emphasis determined jointly by the student and their advisors
- Submission of a Ph.D. prospectus
- An oral examination
- A dissertation written under the supervision of the doctoral committee, demonstrating an ability to do significant research and scholarly analysis and to present findings and conclusions with precision and clarity.
Note that depending on the student’s area of study, competence in additional classical or ancient languages may also be required.
Ph.D. students who hold the M.A. degree in religious studies or a closely related area from another academic institution are exempt from writing a second M.A. thesis. However, they must still take RGST 201 and two RGST 200A-Z series courses, which involve the preparation of a theoretical/methodological paper each quarter, as well as complete at least six quarters of resident graduate study at UCSB. The graduate advisor will determine that the first language requirement (French or German) has been met.
