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MA Islamic Studies

With a master’s degree in Islamic Studies, you will deepen your specialized knowledge of Islamic Studies and practical language skills. Islamic Studies at Marburg focuses on methodology, in particular cultural, religious and sociological approaches to this field of research. The research-focused consecutive two-year MA program Islamic Studies will provide you

  • with an in-depth knowledge of Islamic religious, cultural, and intellectual history from early Islam to the present day.
  • Central topics include current debates about Muslims and Islam in Europe, Islamic movements and forms of political Islam. Another focus of study is the current developments in Turkey.
  • Expanding your active language skills in Arabic or Turkish as an important source language of Islamic societies as well as the possibility to acquire language skills in Persian will set the foundation for your research work.

Thanks to the broadly specialized expertise available, a master’s program in Islamic Studies will open the doors to professional fields in systematically evaluating the diverse manifestations of the Islamic religion, the history and culture of Islamic societies and the foundations of Islam in Europe, or provide scope for a doctoral program.

The program is primarily research-oriented. Students will study the manifestations of Islam and Islamic societies from their beginnings in the seventh century until the present day. You will also learn how to deal with subject-specific questions by being able to critically evaluate original-language primary source texts (in Arabic or Turkish) and to critically reflect on current research findings and methods.

Expanding your active and passive knowledge of Arabic or Turkish, in particular your competence in subject-specific and scientific language, is another important objective of this degree course. Graduates will have high abilities in analyzing original-language source texts and be able to impart verbal and media-based complex correlations, which they can use to adapt to their current situation and target group.

As a result of specialized, practical linguistic and intercultural competencies acquired from this MA program, as well as the ability to meaningfully convey independently developed research results, successful graduates of the master's program in Islamic Studies have access to a broad spectrum of possible professional fields. These primarily include scholarly positions at universities and other research institutions. Other professional fields include adult education, international organizations and cultural institutions, ministries and official offices, journalism and the library sector. New fields of work are also arising for graduates of this Master’s program in migration work and in preventing extremism.

Application

This degree course can only be started in the winter semester and is not subject to admission restrictions. This course has been offered since Winter Semester 2011/2012.

Admission requirements include the completion of a BA or other course of study with a high proportion of modules in Islamic Studies (minimum 60 credits) as well as a basic education in Arabic, Turkish, or Persian (minimum 36 credits).

Applications must be received by the University of Marburg by the 24th August. If at the time of the application you are still waiting to complete your first degree, we ask that you apply by the deadline without submitting your final certificate. With unrestricted master’s programs, certificates can be submitted at a later date. For applicants who have not yet obtained their first academic degree (e.g. Bachelor’s) from a German university, other application conditions apply.

Application process