Master in Islamic Studies
Overview of the Master of Arts in Islamic Studies
The Master of Arts in Islamic Studies is a two-year program (60 ECTS per year) that offers a rigorous academic study of Islam, approached at once as belief, practice, history, language, and law. The first year gives a thorough and methodical introduction. Students explore the foundations of Muslim faith and worship, the historical formation of Islam from pre-Islamic Arabia to the Abbasid golden age, and the Quran and Islamic law. They also study Sufism, the doctrines and currents of the contemporary Arab world, the relationship between Islam and Christianity, and the status of the Arabic language within the Islamic tradition. The second year deepens the study of Islam in its doctrinal, philosophical, and spiritual dimensions: Shiite Islam, classical Islamic theology and its great rival schools, and medieval Arabic philosophy and its reception of Aristotle. It also leads students toward a piece of personal research.
Throughout the program, students learn to distinguish the confessional approach from the historical and academic one, to read foundational texts in a rigorous and detached way, and to acquire the scholarly vocabulary and chronological landmarks that the field requires.
Master of Arts in Islamic Studies Program
The Master of Arts in Islamic Studies program includes a core curriculum in the academic study of Islam, covering its beliefs and practices, its history, its foundational texts, its law, and its spiritual tradition, as well as more specific areas of the discipline, such as Shiite Islam, Islamic theology, medieval Arabic philosophy, and Christian-Muslim dialogue.
Students are also trained in the critical analysis of sources, in research methodology, and in the construction of a reasoned and rigorous piece of scholarly work. They are encouraged to develop their scholarly autonomy and their ability to carry out independent research.
The first year of the Master of Arts in Islamic Studies is devoted to the historical, doctrinal, and linguistic foundations of Islam. This introduction goes hand in hand with the critical reading of source texts.
The second year of the Master of Arts in Islamic Studies focuses on Shiite Islam, Islamic theology, and medieval Arabic philosophy. This study accompanies the methodology workshops and the writing of the research dissertation.
Learning format, flexibility, and accessibility
Learning format
The programs are taught entirely online via the MyDomuni platform, accessible 24/7.
Learning resources include:
- written course materials;
- supplementary documents and videos, depending on the course;
- interactive activities (quizzes, exercises);
- discussion forums with instructors and fellow students.
Personalized support is provided throughout their studies through a dedicated academic advisor. An expert in their field, the advisor supports the student at every stage of their journey, particularly in completing semester assignments, offering tailored methodological and academic guidance.
This support is based on regular interaction, organized through various formats, to ensure individualized, needs-based follow-up for each student.
Flexibility
The programs offer maximum flexibility thanks to their distance format, allowing students to enroll and start at any time of year, without being tied to a university start date. Courses, accessible from day one, can be followed at their own pace, with the option of taking breaks if needed. Exam periods are flexible, and students may spread their program over two years at no additional cost.
Accessibility
The programs are accessible at any time, from any internet-connected device. For students with disabilities, specific support can be arranged upon request to ensure equitable access to all resources.
Disability liaison officer: Cécile Boucherle – cecile.boucherle@domuni.eu.
ECTS Accreditation
The programs are structured using ECTS credits.
In accordance with European standards arising from the Bologna Process, one ECTS credit corresponds to an estimated total workload of 25 to 30 hours, including all required learning activities (instruction, independent work, and assessments).
The total workload for the programs is determined on this basis.
Equivalences
Domuni Universitas follows the rules of the Bologna Process agreements between European universities, allowing recognition of work completed in other fields.
Students are asked to inform the administration of their prior education by sending scanned copies of their diplomas.
Assessment methods
Validation of each year of the Master of Arts in Islamic Studies is conditional upon passing the various assessment methods provided. It is based on:
- passing the assessment quizzes for each course, which verify the acquisition of fundamental knowledge;
- passing the semester assessments, including written assignments (deliverables) and oral presentations.
- Completion of the year requires an overall minimum average of 10/20.
Learning outcomes
Semester 1 outcomes:
- Use an appropriate academic methodology for the critical reading of sources.
- Present the foundations of Muslim faith and worship: the main articles of Sunni belief and the religious practices that frame it.
- Explain the particular status of the Arabic language within the Islamic tradition.
- Describe the history, key concepts, and major figures of Sufism, the spiritual and mystical dimension of Islam.
- Identify the main schools of thought of contemporary Islam in the Arab world through the discourse of their religious and intellectual figures.
Semester 2 outcomes:
- Trace the emergence and early development of Islam, from pre-Islamic Arabia to the Abbasid golden age.
- Approach the Quran as a historical, textual, and cultural object, distinguishing academic inquiry from confessional readings.
- Understand the principles of Islamic law (fiqh), including its ethical and spiritual dimensions.
- Analyze the history and theology of Christian-Muslim dialogue.
Semester 3 outcomes:
- Explain the origins of Shiism, from the question of the Prophet's succession to the schism with Sunnism.
- Describe the reception of Aristotle's philosophy in the medieval Arab-Islamic world through its logical, ethical, and political dimensions.
- Identify the foundations and principal schools of Islamic theology (kalām) between the eighth and fourteenth centuries.
Design a research project.
Semester 4 outcomes:
- Analyze the major intellectual debates that have structured Islamic thought.
- Design and carry out an autonomous piece of research.
- Write and defend a reasoned and rigorous research dissertation.
Career and study prospects
At the end of the Master of Arts in Islamic Studies, students will have acquired a solid academic training in the study of Islam, together with the critical analysis of sources and the research skills that go with it. This allows them to strengthen their skills in analysis, teaching, and mediation in ecclesial, educational, cultural, and social settings, to work in contexts that call for a rigorous understanding of Islam and of its relations with other religious traditions, or to continue in academic research.
Admission Procedure
- Complete the admission form.
- The admissions office will review your application.
- If your application meets the admission criteria, you will be admitted to the program.
A confirmation email will be sent to you, along with all the information needed to complete your enrollment.