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The Graduate Program in Religion is a cooperative program between the Departments of Religion at Columbia University, Barnard College and Union Theological Seminary. It is designed for the study of the history, literature, theory and functions of religion, in its various forms, within different societies and cultures. A distinctive feature of the program is the opportunity for students not only to gain advanced training in specific fields of religious studies, but also to acquire a basic knowledge of the world’s major religious traditions and of the principal methods and theories employed in the study of religion. Such knowledge is useful as preparation for teaching courses of broad scope and as a background for the study of more limited areas.

The Religion Department offers a free-standing M.A. in Religion in addition to the Ph.D. degree (in the course of which the student receives the M.A. and M.Phil degrees).The free-standing M.A. program may be completed full-time or part-time. Students enrolled full-time complete the degree in two or three semesters.

The purpose of the part-time M.A. is to provide a period of graduate study in religion, including research experience, at the same level as the full-time M.A. Part-time students are allowed eight semesters for completion of the degree.It is primarily intended for mature students with established careers who do not intend to go on to the Ph.D. Prospective students should note, however, that most of the required courses are offered during the day rather than the evening, and participation thus presupposes some flexibility in outside work hours.

In addition to the seven million volumes available in Columbia’s Butler Library and its satellites, students have access to the libraries of Union Theological Seminary and Jewish Theological Seminary. Columbia students may also avail themselves of the resources of the New York Public Library, one of the finest in the country. Many other intellectual and cultural resources, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cloisters, the Brooklyn Museum and the Asia Society, enhance the opportunities for creative research in New York City.

Fellowships are awarded for the Ph.D. program in recognition of academic achievement and in expectation of scholarly success. Teaching and research experience are considered an important aspect of the training of graduate students. Thus, graduate fellowships include some teaching and research apprenticeship. No financial aid is available for the M.A. programs.

The Department of Religion also offers a dual M.S./M.A. degree in Journalism and Religion in cooperation with Columbia’s School of Journalism.

Fields of Study

Buddhism, Christianity, East Asian Religions, Islam, Judaism, North American Religions, Philosophy of Religion, Religions of South Asia.

For Admission

The student must hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in the United States or the international equivalent with a record that indicates capacity for graduate work of high quality. Preparation should include language study as may be required for work in the proposed area of specialization. There should be extensive work in the liberal arts, including history, literature, and philosophy, as well as in the social sciences if the proposed area of concentration is a social-scientific approach to the study of religion.

In addition to the requirements listed below, all students must submit 1 official transcript showing courses and grades per school attended, a Statement of Academic Purpose, a writing sample (a course paper, term paper, etc.) and 3 letters of evaluation from academic sources. All international students whose native language is not English or whose undergraduate degree is from an institution in a country whose official language is not English, must submit scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or IELTS. For more information, refer to our Admissions Information and Frequently Asked Questions pages.