Over the course of a three-year program, students will cover 102 academic credit hours, which includes a six semester Core Curriculum program (four courses per semester) and two summer internships (six credits each) that provide students with hands-on experience to expand their problem-solving, communication and leadership skills.
A student may earn a master’s degree with distinction by taking six optional courses (one each semester, for a total of eighteen extra credit hours) in a variety of subjects, in addition to maintaining a higher GPA on all required and optional master’s degree coursework. The mark “With Distinction” will be posted on the student’s transcript and will also appear on the diploma.
CURRICULUM COMPONENT | NUMBER OF COURSES | NUMBER OF HOURS |
Core Curriculum | 24 | 90 |
Summer Internships (2) | 12 | |
Distinction Curriculum | 6 | 18 |
TOTAL [GENERAL] | 102 | |
TOTAL [DISTINCTION] | 120 |
◦ Muslim American Trends and Organizations
◦ Intellectual Foundations of the Modern World
◦ Modern and Postmodern Political, Legal & Moral Thought
◦ The American Political and Legal System
◦ Religions in Contemporary America
◦ A Light Among the People: Living the Qur’an
◦ Cultivating the Tree of Iman: Islamic Belief and Faith
◦ Fiqh of Worship
◦ In the Footsteps of the Beloved: Approaching the Prophetic Seerah
◦ The Sunnah of the Messenger
◦ Islamic History and Civilization
◦ Advanced Applied Aqida (contemporary issues)
◦ Uṣūl al-Fiqh & Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿa
◦ Fatwa and Contemporary Fiqh Issues
◦ Thematic Tafsir of the Qurʾan
◦ Schools of Islamic Thought (historical & contemporary)
◦ Fiqh for Daily Life: Marriage, Finance, Justice and Law (Qaḍāʾ)
◦ Tazkiya and Islamic Ethics
◦ Psychology in the Light of Revelation
◦ Applied Ethics
◦ Tazkiya and Spirituality (Advanced)
◦ Qualities and Duties of an American Muslim Religious Leader
◦ Principles of Pastoral Care/ Pastoral Counseling Practicum
◦ Marriage and Family Counseling (Case Studies)
◦ Interfaith Engagement
◦ Leading Yourself and Others
◦ Youth Counseling
◦ Logic & Rhetoric
◦ Public Speaking and Communication
◦ Understanding and Engaging the Media
The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (MDHE) has granted Boston Islamic Seminary the authority to award the Master of Islamic Religious Leadership graduate degree.
