Georgia State University is one of only three public or private institutions in the state of Georgia to offer a Masters of Religious Studies degree. Neither a seminary nor divinity degree, the Masters of Religious Studies at Georgia State trains students in a range of world religious traditions and modern theoretical perspectives. All students gain an understanding of comparative approaches to the study of religion while having the opportunity to specialize in one or more specific religious tradition(s).

The Department of Religious Studies offers over thirty-five different graduate-level courses. Some courses cover comparative themes such as "Religion and Ethics" and "Comparative Study of Mysticism." Others focus on individual traditions including Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, African and African-American religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Graduates of the program have been admitted to programs at Harvard, Yale, Oxford, Cambridge, Princeton, Brown, Virginia, Chicago, Berkeley, Emory, Duke, and other top graduate programs and have entered successful careers in such fields as international journalism, immigration law, public service, the ministry, as well as academia.

This graduate program serves three different types of students:

• students interested in pursuing further general education in world religions;
• students with a strong personal background in one tradition who wish to explore this and other religious traditions in an academic setting;
• students who wish to earn a masters degree in preparation for a later doctoral or professional degree.

While all of our students follow one general academic program, students are encouraged to talk with the Graduate Director and any faculty members working in their field to develop the best graduate plan for their specific situations.

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Applicants may obtain additional information about the Department of Religious Studies and its graduate program by contacting:

Dr. Molly Bassett
Director of Graduate Studies
Department of Religious Studies
Georgia State University
P.O. Box 4089
Atlanta, GA 30302-4089
404-413-6134
mbassett(at)gsu.edu