Academic Track

Students who plan to continue their education on a Ph.D. level are advised to choose the Academic Track of the MAIS program. The Academic Track deals with religion, and more specifically with Islam as an academic discipline without bias or favoritism for one tradition or interpretation over another. Although the program aims to offer a broad coverage in its field, it sees certain aspects of the study as the core components of the subject. Therefore, the students in the Academic Track are required to include the following courses in their study:

• MAIS 629 Arabic I: Foundations of Qur’anic Arabic
• MAIS 623 Islamic Theology and Philosophy
• MAIS 625 Islamic Law and Legal Theories
• MAIS 626 Hadith

Students in the Academic Track are required to write a Master’s thesis, which is equivalent to a 6.0 credit hour course. The procedure of writing a Master’s thesis may be found in the Student Handbook.

In order to complete the 36 hours requirement of the program, students will also take enough electives and/or independent studies in consultation with their advisor.

Students can be exempt from the required course Arabic I: Foundations of Qur’anic Arabic if they pass the competency exam. The procedure of the competency exam may be found in the Student Handbook.