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Masters Program

Curriculum & Graduation Requirements

Curriculum Overview

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

The program includes the following courses:

Contemporary Context

 ◦  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

Sacred Texts & Islamic Sciences

 ◦  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)

Spiritual Development

 ◦  Tazkiya and Islamic Ethics
 ◦  Psychology in the Light of Revelation
 ◦  Applied Ethics
 ◦  Tazkiya and Spirituality (Advanced)

Skill Building Studies

 ◦  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

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Graduation Requirements

  • Completion of all Core coursework (102 credit hours), including two summer internships.
  • Maintenance of an overall cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.5 scale throughout the program.
  • Demonstrate intermediate level of competency in classical Arabic.
  • Passing of a Qur’an recitation (tajwīd) and memorization (ḥifẓ) exam, demonstrating the ability to recite at least 3 thirtieth portions (juza) from memory.
  • Passing of an exit exam and interview, including an assessment of moral character, comportment, religious integrity, and readiness for service and leadership.

Additional Requirements for Distinction Designation

  • Completion of all distinction coursework (18 additional credit hours).
  • Maintenance of an overall cumulative GPA of 3.7/4.5 scale throughout the program.

The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (MDHE) has granted Boston Islamic Seminary the authority to award the Master of Islamic Religious Leadership graduate degree.