Islamic Studies (Thesis) (M.A.) (45 credits)
Offered by: Islamic Studies (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Master of Arts
Program credit weight: 45
Program Description
The M.A. in Islamic Studies is a language- and research-intensive program that focuses on the variety of specializations offered at the Institute in humanities and social-science disciplines (history, law, philosophy, literature, Qur’anic studies, gender studies, political science, anthropology), from the classical period to the contemporary era. The program focuses on knowledge of Arabic and/or Persian, with additional Islamic language training offered in Turkish or Urdu for linguistic background in the geographic areas of specialization. The program is normally completed in two years.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Thesis Courses (24 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ISLA 697 | Thesis Research 1. | 6 |
Thesis Research 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Six credits for accepted thesis proposal. | ||
| ISLA 698 | Thesis Research 2. | 6 |
Thesis Research 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Six credits on submission of completed thesis. | ||
| ISLA 699 | Thesis Research 3. | 12 |
Thesis Research 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Twelve credits for thesis passed by Internal and External examiners. | ||
Required Course (3 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ISLA 603 | Introductory: Research Materials - Islamic Studies. | 3 |
Introductory: Research Materials - Islamic Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Exploration of research materials in Islamic Studies, including intellectual output of Islamic civilization, compositions, Arabic nomenclature, Arabic script and transliteration systems, published and unpublished materials (theses, manuscripts, books printed by lithography, facsimile editions, monographic, serial, e-publishing), websites, databases; major reference books (bibliographies, encyclopedias, handbooks, online/published catalogues, language/biographical dictionaries). | ||
Complementary Courses (18 credits)
With the approval of the student's supervisor, courses taken with an IIS faculty member or an associate member in other departments (i.e., History, Anthropology, and Political Science) can count toward the coursework requirements in the same way as ISLA courses.
With permission of the Institute, up to 6 credits from other departments at McGill or other educational institutions can be used.
3 credit seminar course at the 600 or 700 level.
15 credits of ISLA courses at the 500, 600, or 700 level.
Language Requirement
Students must demonstrate proficiency in Arabic or Persian at the second-year level as evidenced by completion of ISLA 622D1 Arabic for Reading 2./ISLA 622D2 Arabic for Reading 2. or ISLA 642D1 Persian for Reading 2./ISLA 643D2 Persian for Reading 3., respectively, or by an examination administered by the Institute.
Note that the courses taken to fulfill the second-year-level requirement will not be credited towards the course requirements.