--Department
of Religion Graduate Program |
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The M.A. Program in Religion |
Now in its 40th year, the Master of Arts in Religion offered by Wake Forest University
provides students an opportunity to forge a unique, creative,
and rigorous program of study. The degree can serve either as
a terminal degree or as preparation for a doctoral program.
It emphasizes the comparative and theoretical study of religion
in its various traditions and forms. Reflecting the teaching
and research interests of the current graduate faculty in the
department, the program fosters interdisciplinary approaches,
offering training in traditional and contemporary theories and
methods in conjunction with substantive investigations of diverse
religious traditions and topics. Students are encouraged to
make imaginative use of all available resources in the creation
of their own distinctive programs of study. Typically, this
would involve 1) a focus on a particular religious culture/region
or historical period, and 2) an approach or approaches to the
study of the subject area. Currently the department can support
the following areas of study for students: |
Religious
Cultures / Regions / Historical Periods: |
Buddhism
Hinduism
Islam
Japanese Religions
East Asian Religions
South Asian Religions
Christianity
Near Eastern Languages and Literature |
Early Christianity
Evangelical Christianity
Christian Mysticism
Ancient Near East
Greco-Roman World
North American Religions
African Religions
Race in North America |
Early Modern/Modern European
Christianity
Contemporary American Indian Culture & Religion
African American Religious Traditions |
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| Methodology
/ Approaches to the Study: |
Comparative Religion
Religion and Law
Historical Studies
Ritual Studies
Linguistic Studies
Archaeological Studies
Textual Studies
Cultural Studies
Ethnography |
Gender & Feminist Studies
Ethics
International Human Rights
Psychology and Religion
Religion and Politics
Anthropology
Philosophy
Sociology
Postcolonial Studies |
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Requirements for Entrance and Graduation |
All applicants should hold an undergraduate degree from an
accredited college or university. Ordinarily, applicants for
admission into the MA in religion program have majored in religion
or religious studies during their undergraduate coursework.
Admission is based on the degree of success in previous courses
in religion, the clarity of the applicant’s educational
goals, and the general potential for successfully engaging in
graduate level work within the program. Applicants will not
be admitted if it is likely that they cannot fulfill any of
the program requirements, including the foreign language requirement.
Any student admitted into the program without what the Graduate
Committee considers to be a well-rounded undergraduate course
of study in religion will be required to take remedial coursework
without graduate credit. Applicants should have, at a minimum,
a combined score of 1000 on the verbal and quantitative sections
of the Graduate Record Examination. (Wake Forest University's GRE institution code is 5885. There is no separate deparmental code.)
The department ordinarily requires a reading knowledge of German
for graduation. A student and adviser may, however, petition
the Graduate Committee to substitute another language suitable
for the student’s research to fulfill this requirement.
Those who write a thesis in textual studies must also demonstrate
competence in the relevant ancient languages.
The master's degree requires 30 semester hours—3 semester
hours in the required research course REL 705 Research in Religion,
21 semester hours of other course work, and 6 semester hours
for the thesis. We strongly encourage graduate students to take
some of their work in other departments.
The Department of Religion partners with the Department
of Anthropology, offering students with a focus in Anthropology
a broader spectrum of courses and faculty mentors. Please visit
the Department of Anthropology’s website
for course information and faculty research areas. Contact Dr.
Jeanne Simonelli (email)
with questions.
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Financial Aid |
Wake Forest University provides scholarships amounting to half
tuition or full tuition, and a small number of fellowships.
In recent years the University has provided us a teaching assistantship
for Near Eastern Languages and Literature.
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Additional Information About Our Program |
For information pertaining to the Graduate Program in Religion
write or call:
Professor Simeon Ilesanmi (ilesanmi@wfu.edu)
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Religion
Box 7212 Reynolda Station
Winston-Salem, NC 27109-7212
(336) 759-5459 * (336) 759-4462 (fax)
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Click to view or download the 2007/2008
Bulletin of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences |
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Click to view or download the 2007/2008
M.A. Program in Religion Promotional Flyer |
Wake Forest University and the Department
of Religion welcomes all applications.
We do not discriminate in admission or financial aid
on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation,
or national origin.
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