M.A. Program Description

• Non-matriculated Students
• International Students
• Scholarships and Awards

• Course Requirements
• Thesis Option
• Portfolio Option
• Graduation Procedures

Religion Department Graduate Student Association

The American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature

Other communication sites

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR THE M.A. PROGRAM

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a strong academic record (a minimum 3.00 grade point average on a 4-point scale). For three possible exceptions to the university’s 3.00 requirement see Graduate School Policies and Procedures at http://www.temple.edu/grad/policies/gradpolicies.htm under Section 02.23.11.03
  
• If one has taken graduate studies, a GPA of not less than 3.25.
  
• Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate studies.
  
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores of a total of verbal and quantitative of at least 1000.
  
• Students whose native language is other than English must submit a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of at least 575 (230 on the new electronic scale). See further below.
  
• Three substantive letters of academic recommendation from current or recent former instructors. The student may substitute a letter from a non-academic for one of the academic letters, provided that the recommender is qualified and able to assess the applicant’s academic potential. It is possible to submit more than three letters of recommendation, but three are minimum. These should be sent directly by the recommender to the department.
  
• A statement of purpose that makes clear why the Graduate Program in Religion
  at Temple is an appropriate venue for the applicant’s studies.
  
• An undergraduate or graduate background in religion studies or a related field. Students who do not have preparation in this area should show why they should be accepted into a graduate Religion program without such preparation. Such students may be asked to take additional methodology or content courses to make up for any deficiencies in their preparation. The concern is not solely the accumulation of specific courses but the assurance that the student is prepared to study in the field of religion at a graduate level.
  
• A completed application form.
  
• Prospective applicants must meet all requirements and supply complete documents before being considered for admission to the University.
  
• Application fee of $40.
  
• Acceptance fee of $10.
  
• Prospective students are strongly encouraged, if they like, to visit Temple University for interviews with faculty, students, and the Director of Graduate Studies, if possible before the January preceding the fall semester of their anticipated enrolment in the program.

The Graduate Studies Committee meets after 15 January to consider admission applications for the following fall semester. Financial aid, which is limited, is only available for those presenting complete applications by 15 January. However, the committee may also consider applications for admission without aid at other times. In general, 15 May is the final cutoff date for acceptance of such applications by the department for the following fall.

The Graduate Studies Committee of the Department of Religion only recommends applicants for admission to the Dean’s Office of the College of Liberal Arts. That office, in conjunction with the Graduate School of Temple University, makes the final decision on all applications for admission to graduate programs and issues the letters of acceptance.
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Non-matriculated Students
• Persons not enrolled for a degree program may register for courses as non-matriculated students.

• Credit toward a subsequent degree program at Temple University is limited to three courses (nine credits).

• All registrations of non-matriculated students must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.
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International Students
The same requirements for applications listed above also apply to international students with the following exceptions:

• Students should submit complete evidence of their higher educational experience, including certified translations and interpretations of transcripts where necessary. The Graduate School also requires originals of the documents themselves, not photocopies, even if the latter are certified.
  
• The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required of all students for whom English is other than the native language. A TOEFL score of 575 (230 in the new electronic scoring) or above is required for admission. Applicants should plan to achieve this score before they leave their home countries. Students obtaining TOEFL scores of 575 to 599 (230 to 249 in the electronic scoring) must enroll in remedial English courses at their own expense as required by the Graduate School (Policies and Procedures 02.23.13.02). Scores of 600 (250 electronic) and above are exempt from this remedial requirement.
  
• We do not require the Graduate Record Examination of foreign students, though they should submit it if possible, in order to enhance their application.
  
• Applicants may investigate requirements concerning visas, financial
  certification, and other matters through the office of International Services of Temple University 203B Vivacqua Hall (062-57)1700 North Broad Street, Temple University Philadelphia PA 19122-3429 TEL (215) 204-7708 FAX (215) 204-6166, ois@temple.edu.

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Scholarships and Awards
Within the university, there are several sources of financial benefits. The University Financial Aid Office administers work-study employment and various loan programs based on financial need. The Graduate School administers University Fellowships and Future Faculty Fellowships, both of which are assigned based on the recommendations of a university-wide committee. When given to MA students, these are two-year awards that require one year of service as Teaching Assistants in the department. The Scholarship Awards Committee of the Religion Department also awards such assistantships as are assigned to it annually by the College of Liberal Arts. These awards are all based on academic promise and performance. While not construed as aid, graduate students sometimes teach courses as adjuncts for a fixed amount. All appointments of adjunct faculty are made by the Department Chair.

Fellowships and assistantships require work, defined by the current contract with the Temple University Graduate Students’ Association (TUGSA) as 20 hours of work per week. Most awardees will be expected to assist professors in large courses, some as teaching assistants covering discussion or recitation sections that meet once a week, and others as readers.

The basic purpose of university and departmental awards is to allow superior students to pursue a graduate program full-time. Certain implications follow:

• Exceptional potential and demonstrated performance are the predominant criteria for scholarship awards. It is to be expected that the greater benefits will go to the more capable students. There is a general but not a perfect correlation between academic performance and the value of awards.
  
• The factor of financial need enters only as a limiting element: If an award is not financially necessary, it is expected that a student will not apply.
  
• As the intent of the awards with stipends is to free the student for undivided attention to graduate work, persons who choose substantial employment elsewhere should withdraw from competition or release awards already won. Acceptance of an assistantship assumes priority of commitment to one's graduate program and to teaching responsibilities over other obligations outside the department.
  
• If teaching assistants are selected to teach courses as the primary or sole instructor, the major qualification in such a case, within the guidelines of academic excellence, is teaching ability. Students who have served as teaching assistants who wish to apply for renewal of the position should take the initiative to request from the faculty member serving as their mentor that he or she observe their teaching and submit an evaluation of their performance.
  
• Apart from University Fellowships and Future Faculty Fellowships, students are currently awarded scholarship benefits for one year. All students stand in competition for awards in each subsequent year. Failure to fulfill the specified duties of an assistantship, failure to complete adequate course work, or failure to perform well as a graduate student may result in discontinuation of support.
  
• No more than two years of full benefits (Fellowships and Teaching and Research Assistantships) are contemplated in any MA student’s case. Partial benefits (dissertation completion grants, etc.) may go to any qualified applicant.
  
• Professors assisted by teaching assistants are required to prepare for them and for the department’s Scholarship Awards Committee a written evaluation of the teaching assistant’s performance no later than the end of the semester of the student’s teaching assignment.
  
• Awards made by the Scholarship Awards Committee are subject to available funds and the vicissitudes of annual competition. Generally, new students are only eligible for University Fellowships and Future Faculty Fellowships assigned by a university-wide committee of professors and not for other forms of financial aid from the department.
  

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M.A. PROGRAM IN RELIGION
The Department of Religion at Temple University offers a 30-credit Master’s program designed for the following students:

• For those seeking to qualify for a Ph.D. program in Religion or a related field. (Note: Admission to the Temple Ph.D. program requires a new, separate application. See below under Additional Admission Requirements for the Ph.D. Program Only)
  
• For those who plan to teach Religious Studies subject matter in community colleges or high schools.
  
• For those in various forms of religious ministry who wish further, post-graduate training and exposure to the newest research methods and developments in understanding of their own or other religious and cultural traditions.
  
• For those who wish to bring cultural and cross-cultural analytical tools to professions such as business, social work, medicine, government, and journalism.
  
• For qualified persons in the general public who would like the opportunity to acquire competence in the study of religions, values, and cultures broadly defined, and in areas of special interest to the student.
  The M.A. program offers the student two options: a Thesis option or a Portfolio option.

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This option is recommended for, but not limited to, students intending to seek admission to a doctoral program upon completion of the M.A. degree or planning to teach in the discipline at the college or community college level. For the thesis option the student must satisfy the following requirements, totaling 30 credit hours:


• 12 credits in Foundations courses. These should include the basic thought, practices, and history of at least three different religious traditions. Methodological courses are optional.
  
• 12 credits in Advanced or Specialized Seminars and/or Independent Study.
  
• 6 additional credits, of which one 3 credit seminar should be, and as many as two 3 credit seminars may be, taken outside the department in a cognate field at Temple University.
  
• 6 of the above credits in the department must be in a 3 credit Independent Study that prepares the student to register the following term for a 3 credit M.A. thesis project prepared under the direction of a thesis advisor. With the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies, the student may substitute a regular graduate seminar with that same professor for the first Independent Study provided that that seminar is relevant to and prepares the study for the writing of the thesis.
  
• Reading knowledge of a language or languages relevant to the thesis topic may be required at the discretion of the thesis advisor. In such a case, the student’s reading knowledge would be tested as described below under the language requirements for the Ph.D. Such linguistic ability may be necessary to give the student’s thesis academic credibility. Thus, while knowledge of a language is not necessarily required for the M.A., students should recognize that they will be tested in languages in any accredited Ph.D. program they apply for in Religion and that early competence in languages is highly desirable for graduate studies. Indeed, there is no field of graduate studies in Religion where foreign language knowledge lacks usefulness.
  
• Oral defense of the Master's thesis. This includes the setting up of a committee of two professors to examine the student, one of whom must be the student’s thesis advisor. The student is also required to submit bound copies of the thesis to the department and to the Graduate School.
  

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II. Portfolio Option
This option does not require the preparation of a thesis. It is recommended for students intending to augment their primary area of expertise and professional training in fields such as business, social work, medicine, government, journalism, law, teaching K-12, counseling, social work, the ministry, and others. The student must satisfy the following requirements, totaling 30 credit hours:

• 12 credits in Foundations courses. These should include the basic thought, practices, and history of at least three different religious traditions. Methodological courses are optional.
  
• 12 credits in Seminars and/or Independent Study.
  
• 6 additional credits, of which one 3 credit seminar should be, and as many as two 3 credit seminars may be, taken outside the Department in a cognate field at Temple University.
  
• Reading knowledge of a language or languages relevant to the portfolio area of concentration may be required at the discretion of the student’s advisor.
  
• Portfolio consisting of three papers: Normally portfolio papers will be research papers initially written for seminars—one from a Foundations seminar in the student’s area of focus, one from an Advanced seminar in the student’s area of focus, and one from a graduate seminar taken in a cognate field at Temple University, in the Department of Religion or outside of it.
  
• Capstone experience to include a position paper (written synthesis of portfolio materials) and oral defense. This includes the setting up of a committee of two professors to examine the student, one of whom must be the student’s advisor. Unlike the Thesis option, which requires a two-semester commitment to an advisor, the Portfolio option requires the selection of the advisor only for the defense, although this selection may be made earlier as well.

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Graduation Procedures
At the beginning of the term in which a student expects to complete the requirements for the M.A. degree, they should file an “Intent to Graduate” form available at the Graduate School. See the University Calendar for deadlines.
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Religion Department Graduate Student Association
The Graduate Students Association (GSA) of the Religion Department is the organization through which students are represented on the various department committees. All current students are members, and active participation is voluntary. The GSA elects its officers, whose task is communication among students. It also elects representatives to the monthly Religion Department meeting, to the Graduate Studies Committee, to the Scholarship Awards Committee, and to other groups. Voting representation on these committees gives graduate students a voice in departmental decisions. The GSA holds an orientation program in the fall, offers special meetings for general communication and social events, and publishes an occasional newsletter. An additional medium of communication among graduate students is via the graduate students’ computer discussion list, RELGSA@TEMPLE.EDU . Temple University's Religion Department holds a permanent seat on the AAR National Committee for Graduate Students, and the liaison person can provide information about the AAR and the SBL.
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The American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature
The AAR and SBL are the major learned and professional societies in the field of religion studies. They publish journals, hold annual national and regional meetings, and sponsor employment listings and information exchanges. Graduate students are encouraged to consider membership in these organizations, both of which provide student rates. Graduate students are also encouraged to present papers at their national and regional meetings, and the department normally defrays part of the expense of attending for students who are presenting papers or serving on panels.}

The Religion Department at Temple is a long-standing member of the Council on Graduate Studies in Religion and of the Philadelphia Consortium on the Study of Religion.
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Other communication sites
Department of Religion students and faculty are served by the listserv:
Reldept@listserv.temple.edu

The Journal of Ecumenical Studies maintains a website at:
www.temple.edu-dialogue.

Alumni and faculty have an e-mail list at:
Tudor-l@temple.edu

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Revised 4 June 2005