Religion and Public Life
College of the Humanities
2A39 Paterson Hall
613-520-2100
carleton.ca/chum/religion
M.A. Religion and Public Life
About the Program
The MA in Religion and Public Life focuses on the study of social and political aspects of religion from the comparative, historical and contemporary perspectives. The study of both religion and public life will be approached from domestic and international vantage points. As such, while the degree focuses on religion, it has an inherent interdisciplinary approach to this topic. For a more detailed description of faculty members' areas of research and supervision, please see the departmental website.
Academic Regulations
See the General Regulations section of this Calendar.
A grade of B- or better must normally be obtained in each course credited towards the master's degree. Please refer to Section 11.2 of the General Regulations.
Admission Requirements
The normal requirement for admission to the Master's program is a BA Honours (or equivalent) in Religion/Religious Studies or a cognate discipline, with a High Honours standing (normally at least B+).
Students without a prior Method and Theory course in Religious Studies are required to complete RELI 4740 (Theory and Method).
Possession of the minimum entrance standing is not in itself, however, an assurance of admission into the program.
Qualifying Year: Applicants who do not qualify for direct admission to the Master's program may be admitted to a qualifying-year program designed to raise their status to that of honours graduates in Religious Studies. Applicants who lack an Honours degree but have a three-year degree with honours standing (at least B overall) will normally be admitted to a qualifying-year program. Please refer to the section 2.3 of the General Regulations. Students are expected to achieve a B+ average or better in the qualifying-year program in order to qualify for admission to the Master's year.
Qualifying-year students should consult the Undergraduate Calendar and the departmental website for a listing of 4000-level courses.
Program Requirements
Students must complete 4.5 credits, consisting of the following:
- 0.5 credit in RELI 5801 Seminar in the Discipline
- 0.5 credit in RELI 5802 Seminar in Religion and Public Life
- 0.5 credit in RELI 5780 Graduate Research Seminar
- 1.5 credits in RELI 5908 Research Essay
- 1.5 credits at the 5000-level chosen with the approval of the Graduate Program Coordinator. A selection of 5000-level thematic elective seminars in the study of Religion and Public Life are offered each year (RELI 5850, RELI 5851, RELI 5852).
Specific content of thematic elective courses reflects the interests and expertise of the instructor. Please refer to current course descriptions for more detailed information.
With the approval of the Graduate Studies Coordinator, a maximum of 1.0 credit may be selected from courses offered at the 4000-level, or in a related field, or at another university.
Each year, the Religion program offers 4000-level undergraduate 0.5-credit courses, which are open to students in the qualifying year and, with permission, to students in the M.A. program. Consult the Undergraduate Calendar for course information.
Guidelines for Completion of Master's Degree
Full-time students enrolled in the 4.5-credit M.A. program are expected to complete RELI 5801 and RELI 5802 in the first term of study and RELI 5780 in the second term of study.
RELI 5908 Research Essay should be submitted by end of the Summer Study Semester. All elective coursework should be completed by the end of the second term of study.
Full-time students are required to file with the Graduate Studies Coordinator a detailed proposal of their Research Essay by the end of the second term of study. Part-time students must submit a detailed proposal of their Research Essay by the end of the term in which they are registered for RELI 5780.
The program is designed to be completed in a three term academic year.
Part-time students enrolled in the 4.5 credit M.A. program are expected to complete the required core courses (RELI 5801, RELI 5802 and RELI 5780) by the end of the third year of study. The Research Essay and all course work must be complete by the end of the sixth year of study.
