MA in Religious Studies - Christian Traditions in Santa Barbara United States | University of California, Santa Barbara

Ph.D. candidates selecting the Christian Traditions focus within Religious Studies must collaborate with their advisor to develop a curriculum demonstrating comprehensive understanding of Christianity alongside focused expertise in a specific historical era. This dual requirement can be fulfilled through a combination of foundational seminars on Christian traditions and advanced undergraduate courses supplemented with graduate-level components. The exact balance between seminars and upper-level courses will be tailored through advisor discussions, considering the student's academic background and research interests, but must incorporate at least one doctoral-level seminar covering a Christian historical period distinct from the student's primary focus.

Students should typically establish a broad grounding in Christianity's global history and theological development during their M.A. studies, whether completed at another institution or through upper-division Religious Studies and History courses at UCSB. The upper-division courses suggested for undergraduate Christian Traditions majors are equally advisable for graduate students pursuing this concentration.