Islamic Studies
The doctoral program in Islamic Studies at UT Austin provides in-depth multidisciplinary training in the study of Islam coupled with a strong grounding in languages and theoretical approaches in religious studies.
The core faculty consists of eight tenured and tenure-track members who offer courses in a range of subjects that include Islamic law, gender and women’s studies, history, Shi'ism, Sufism, art, architecture, devotional poetry, diaspora, political theory, and sovereignty in Islam. Besides Arabic, students can take advantage of advanced teaching of Persian, Turkish, Urdu and other vernacular languages of Muslim societies. All students are also required to take a theory and method course in the study of religion and to develop a minor field. Overall, the doctoral program strives to produce well-rounded and rigorous scholars of Islam who are experts in their own fields and capable of collaborating with colleagues in related disciplines.
- Ph.D. Requirements 2018-2020
- Track Specifications and Requirements
- Tab Option 3
- Tab Option 4
- Tab Option 5
- a minimum of 30 hours of MELC courses;
- 9 hours of language seminars;
- at least 3 hours of comprehensive exams;
- reading knowledge of French or German;
- mastery in a Middle Eastern language;
- at least 6 credit hours of dissertation coursework
1. Students must take 3 courses from the category "Institutions and Traditions of Islam." Courses that can count towards this requirement include:
- “Introduction to Islamic Studies”/”Islamic Studies: History, Theory, Method” (Azam/Aghaie, Moin)
- “Qur’anic Studies”/”The Qur'an and Its Interpretations” (Azam)
- “Medieval Islamic Historiography” (Spellberg)
- “Intellectual History of Indo-Iranian Islam” (Moin)
- “Shi‘ite Islam: Hist. Dev., Beliefs & Practices” / “Shii Islam” (Aghaie/Hyder)
- “Comparative Middle East Law” (Ayoub)
- “Arabic Readings in Islamic Texts” (sometimes taught via individual instruction) (Ayoub, Azam, Noy)
- “Arabic Humanities” (Noy)
- “Sufism / Islamic Mysticism” (Hyder)
- “Women in Scriptures” (Shirazi)
2. 3 courses from the category "Thematic Approaches to Islam.” Courses that can count towards this requirement are:
- “Islamic Feminism” (Azam)
- “Islam in Europe and America” (Spellberg)
- “Sovereignty in Islam” (Moin)
- “Islamic Revolution of Iran” (Aghaie)
- “Nationalisms in the Middle East” (Aghaie)
- “The Islamic City” (Mulder)
- “Islamic Ornament” (Mulder)
- “Renaissances” (Mulder)
- “Ottoman State and Society” (Ayoub)
- “Islamic Law and Political Violence” (Ayoub)
- “Comparative Middle Eastern Law” (Ayoub)
- “Arab Monarchies” (Barany)
- “Reading Arabic Literature” (Noy)
-"Ideas of the East" (Koyagi)
3. Students are required to take 4 semesters of approved language coursework, 2 of which must be at an advanced/research level.
4. Students should take 4 courses in a supporting discipline. This can be met through an approved graduate portfolio or minor.
5. Students must achieve reading proficiency in 2 Islamicate languages, one of which must be Arabic, and in one European language appropriate to their research needs.
6. Coursework must include “Theory and Method in the Study of Religion” and “Supervised Teaching in Middle Eastern Languages & Cultures” (398T).
