M.A. Course Requirements (36 units)

Core Courses (9 units)
• Essence and Development of Buddhism
• Essence and Development of Chinese Philosophy
• Essence and Development of Hinduism

Philosophy and Religion Requirement (6 units)
• Course from Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness Concentration
• Course from Women's Spirituality Concentration

Electives (21 units)

Master's Thesis Option (0 units)

Ph.D. Course Requirements (Minimum of 36 units)

Core Courses (15 units)
• 12 units within Asian and Comparative Studies (See sample listing below.)
• Methodologies in the Study of Spiritual Traditions

Electives (21 units)

Comprehensive Exams (0 units)

Language Requirement (0 units)
Students must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language relevant either to academic scholarship or fieldwork. The Asian and Comparative Studies program offers students a choice among Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan, and Classical Chinese.
Dissertation (0 units)

Sample Asian and Comparative Studies Courses

Buddhist Studies
• Mahayana Buddhism: Emptiness and Compassion
• The Art of Noble and Harmonious Living
• Essentials of Abhidhamma

Chinese Philosophy
• Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism
• Ch'an Buddhism (Chinese Zen)
• The I Ching

Hindu Religion and Philosophy
• Studies in the Upanishads
• Integral Perspectives on Vedanta
• The Bhagavadgita

Comparative Studies
• Methodologies in the Study of Spiritual Traditions
• Phenomenology and Her Children
• Buddhist and Western Philosophers