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Interdisciplinary programs begin Fall 2023
The College of Islamic Studies (CIS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) has announced the opening of admissions to three programs in its academic offerings, with further enhancements to its distinctive multidisciplinary catalog set to follow.
Beginning Fall 2023, the College will welcome cohorts to its renewed Graduate Certificate in Islamic Studies (GCIS) and Graduate Certificate in Islamic Finance (GCIF) programs, alongside the introduction of its new PhD in Islamic Studies (DIS) program.
Further details on all programs will also be discussed with prospective students in a forthcoming information session scheduled for June 5, 2023. The event will be followed by a public lecture titled Rooted Revival: How We Will Educate Future Scholars, to be delivered by Dr. Mehmet Görmez, Former President of the Presidency of Religious Affairs of Turkey.
The PhD program in Islamic Studies will instill a comprehensive understanding of Islam as well as a mastery of a chosen disciplinary pathway for each of its students. It encompasses distinguishing elements, including a comparative approach, a strong bilingual feature, and an applied perspective. The interdisciplinary program is structured with six foundational courses and six elective courses, the latter of which will allow the student to craft their academic specialization in a diverse range of subject areas including traditional Islamic sciences; Islamic art, architecture, and urbanism; global affairs; Islamic psychology; and applied Islamic ethics. It also comprises a strong language component, in which the primary languages of Arabic and English are supplemented by a subsidiary research language associated with Muslim societies, including Persian, Turkish, Bahasa Indonesia, and Hausa.
The refreshed graduate certificate programs will span one year, and serve as a bridge for students considering Master’s degrees in these fields, while also dispensing practical knowledge that can be applied in professional and educational settings. The GCIS program will give students the opportunity to explore the interdisciplinary nature of Islamic studies and gain a better understanding of Islamic history, theology, philosophy, law, and ethics, while the GCIF program will provide training in the requisite skills to operate effectively in the Islamic finance market.
“Through this slate of interdisciplinary programs, HBKU’s CIS will provide future generations of academics, financial experts, social thinkers, researchers, and practitioners a platform from which they can further apply their understanding of Islamic studies across their chosen disciplines. The PhD program in particular aims to produce future scholars of Islam whose academic training is rooted in traditional Islamic disciplines and immersed in contemporary social science discourses. After all, here at CIS, we approach Islam as conceptually both a religion and a civilization,” said Dr. Recep Şentürk, Dean, HBKU’s CIS.
CIS is a result of a visionary approach to Islamic studies and the thought leadership that defines its contributions on the national, regional, and global scales. Admissions for the CIS’s Fall 2023 programs are now open. To learn more about the College and its entire range of programs, please visit https://www.hbku.edu.qa/en/cis
