Quick Facts about Seattle

Quick Facts about the UW 

About the Graduate Program In Comparative Religion

The Comparative Religion Program is an interdisciplinary program in the Jackson School of International Studies that offers a Master of Arts degree. The focus is highly international and trans-cultural in nature. Faculty (http://jsis.washington.edu/religion/faculty/) specialize in a wide range of religious traditions and theoretical approaches in the study of religion and the University’s language and literature/civilization programs offer deep resources for students interested in the comparative study of religion http://www.washington.edu/students/crscat/religion.html.

The Master’s program provides a particularly strong foundation for students headed toward PhD programs in religion. Doctoral-level study at the University of Washington is available through interdisciplinary programs in Near and Middle Eastern Studies, Asian Languages and Literature, and in other related departments such as Anthropology, Ethnomusicology, History, and Sociology.

To earn an MA a student must meet requirements of The Graduate School and
The Comparative Religion Program http://jsis.washington.edu/advise/catalog/relig-ma.html

Finally, our program places a priority on language skills; the minimum requirement is (1) completion of the third year of a language appropriate for utilizing primary sources in the chosen concentration as well as (2) development of a first-year reading knowledge of a secondary foreign language necessary for reviewing published research in the chosen area (e.g. German, French). For some languages (e.g. biblical Hebrew), no formal third-year curriculum currently exists. In such cases, students should consult with graduate advisors about appropriate variations that would fulfill the requirement (achieving analogous expertise by combining advanced available level biblical Hebrew with study of a relevant language such as Ugaritic). Current and incoming Graduate Students are eligible (and strongly encourage to apply) for FLAS Awards either for Summer 2010 or during academic year 2010-11. FLAS summer awards pay tuition up to $4,000, plus a $2,500 stipend. Graduate appointee health insurance is paid out of the tuition amount. Travel money up to $1,000 is usually available, but is not guaranteed.
Academic year awards grant tuition up to $12,000, plus a $15,000 stipend. Graduate appointee health insurance is paid out of the tuition amount. Applications may be downloaded from http://jsis.washington.edu/advise/catalog/flasapp.shtml.
The deadline for filing applications is usually within the first couple of weeks in January. Please check with the FLAS coordinator, Mary Ann Curtis, macurtis@u.washington.edu.

--James K. Wellman, Jr., Chair

For information on how to apply: http://jsis.washington.edu/advise/catalog/app_procedures.shtml