MA with a Major in Abrahamic Studies

Degree Details

The MA with a major in Abrahamic Studies prepares students to work in the Abrahamic worlds of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam through gaining an understanding of the basic concepts and theories of these global cultures. Students will learn to compare and assess the areas of intersection among these faith communities, and may acquire language essentials for the study of the Abrahamic traditions. Students will be able to serve cross-culturally in and with Abrahamic communities and organizations based on respectful understanding of their beliefs and practices, engendering humanitarian contributions to local and global cultural goals.

Students must complete the general core requirements (15 credit hours), focus electives (9 credit hours), and track specific requirements (12 credit hours) to complete this 36 credit graduate degree. Students may choose between the Academic Track which entails learning an Abrahamic language (6 credit hours) and writing a thesis (6 credit hours), or the Professional Track in which 12 credit hours of electives are taken as well as comprehensive exams.

Persons interested in this program should apply for Graduate Admission to DIU.  If previously enrolled at DIU in anything other than “graduate admission status”, you will need to change your admission status. For more information, contact MA-AS-Coordinator@diu.edu.

General Core Requirements

Focus Abrahamic Electives

Choose any three of the following courses*: Hours
AC5309 Hermeneutics of Translation 9
(Three courses with 3 hours for each course*) 
AC5310 Core Components of Islam
AC5312 Islam in the 21st Century
AC5314 Modern Islamic Religious & Political Movements
AC5315 Abrahamic Monotheism
AC5316 Dynamics of Contextualization
AC5318 Understanding the Qur’an
AC5319 Abrahamic Messianism
AC5322 Abrahamic Shared Stories
AC5394 Readings in Abrahamic Studies
AC5241 Arabic 1 (2 credit hours)
AC5242 Arabic 2 (2 credit hours)
AC5244 Reading Arabic (2 credit hours)
AL5321 Greek 1
AL5322 Greek 2
AL5326 Hebrew 1
AL5327 Hebrew 2
AL5319 Biblical Backgrounds
AL5323 Greek Discourse Features
AL5324 Greek Textual Analysis
AL5325 Hebrew Textual Analysis
AL5328 Discourse Features of Biblical Hebrew
AL5329 Readings in Biblical Texts and Translation Practicum
Total Focus Abrahamic Elective hours: 9


*Students may petition their academic advisor for approval of other relevant courses.  Students taking Arabic language courses (2 credit hours each) as their electives may need to take four courses to reach the required 9 credit hours.

Tracks

Academic Track Courses and Thesis Hours
Abrahamic Language: Arabic, Greek, or Hebrew (6 credits)

6
Thesis 6
Total Academic Track hours 12

 

Professional Track Courses and Comprehensive Exam: Hours
Choose 4 or 5 elective courses totaling 12 credit hours (any department) 12
Comprehensive Exam
Total Professional Track hours 12