Masters Degree in Islamic Texts

Zaytuna’s master of arts degree in Islamic texts is intended to provide students with higher-level access to the Islamic tradition through a guided course of study in Islam’s primary sources.

The MA degree is a two-year program that culminates in a summative thesis. The course work includes studies of classical Arabic language and literature; Qur’an and Qur’anic commentaries; Islamic philosophy, theology, and mysticism; Islamic law; and the history of Islam. Furthermore, each of the concentrations has a comparative track that allows students to study texts in the European tradition that parallel the Islamic texts in their ideas and methods. For example, the study of Islamic philosophy can be augmented by the study of Latin scholasticism, or the study of Islamic mysticism can be augmented by readings in Greek Neoplatonism.

In 2009, Zaytuna College was founded in Berkeley, California, with a mission that called for grounding students in the Islamic scholarly tradition as well as in the cultural currents and critical ideas shaping modern society. The Summer Arabic Intensive, a residential language program, was its first academic offering, and the undergraduate program welcomed its inaugural freshman class in fall 2010. In March 2015, Zaytuna earned accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, becoming the first accredited Muslim college in the United States.

In summer 2015, Zaytuna completed its move to the neighborhood of Holy Hill, a multi-faith academic community in Berkeley, California, where the College owns three buildings, collectively known as the lower campus.

Zaytuna’s lower campus is adjacent to one of the premier research universities in the world, the University of California, Berkeley. Holy Hill is also home to the Graduate Theological Union (GTU), the largest consortium of seminaries and academic centers for the study of religion in the nation.

This community gives Zaytuna’s students and faculty an unparalleled opportunity to engage inside and outside the classroom with educational communities from different faith traditions.