Course summary

The MA Buddhist Studies suits students with different academic backgrounds and prospective personal objectives, from those interested in broadening their knowledge of Buddhism as a whole or of specific Buddhist traditions to those intending to embark on language-based research or fieldwork among Buddhist communities. It typically suits:

• students planning to pursue further research in Buddhist Studies, which may involve at a subsequent stage the acquisition of a doctoral degree and a career in higher education.

• students willing to pursue a career or professional activity, for which advanced knowledge of Buddhism as a global cultural force is essential.

• students who wish to pursue the academic study of religions as a complement to their personal experience and commitments.

• students from traditionally Buddhist countries, willing to broaden their knowledge of Buddhism as a global religion, and to be introduced to an academic approach that is characterised both by its critical distance and by its empathy.