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Muslim Ministry Programme
Programme Title: |
Muslim Ministry Programme |
Duration: |
5 Years (full-time) |
Cost per year:
Excluding year in Damascus, Syria. |
£2300.00 GBP EU/UK Students
£4900.00 International Students |
Programme Aims
This programme aims to provide students with all the requisite knowledge and skills to perform the duties of an ‘alim, or minister of religion. Graduates of this course will have:
- Mastered the Arabic language and attained an internationally recognized qualification from Damascus University.
- Acquired a comprehensive understanding of the classical Islamic sciences.
- Been solidly grounded in Islamic Studies and contemporary issues facing Muslim societies.
- Learnt a selection of vocational skills to draw upon, such as counselling, public speaking and time management.
- Been trained in the functions of a community’s Imam, or religious leader.
- Achieved a fully-accredited undergraduate and postgraduate qualification in Islamic Studies.
Course Objectives
Islam and the West are more aware of each other than ever before. Muslim minorities and the societies in which they live are facing difficulties in understanding the teachings and practice of Islam and how they relate to a modern, changing world. The radicalization of Muslim youth on the one hand, and their abandonment of Islamic teachings on the other, are both indicative of the absence of (and need for) well-educated scholars and ministers of religion.
To meet these needs, the Ministry programme combines the best of modern and classical approaches to the study of Islam. The full programme lasts for five years and includes the complete Hawzah Studies course, taught alongside a BA in Islamic Studies and an MA in Islamic Studies or Comparative Philosophy, with the middle (third) year of the course spent in Damascus, Syria, studying Arabic.
Course Overview
Year |
Courses Studied |
Credits |
1 |
BA Islamic Studies (1st Year) |
120 |
Diploma in Muslim Chaplaincy (1st Year) |
80 |
2 |
BA Islamic Studies (2nd Year) |
120 |
Diploma in Muslim Chaplaincy (2nd Year) |
80 |
3 |
Arabic and Intermediary Hawza Studies in Damascus |
- |
4 |
BA Islamic Studies (3rd Year) |
120 |
Diploma in Shi’a Studies (1st Year) |
80 |
5 |
MA Islamic Studies OR Comparative Philosophy |
180 |
Diploma in Shi’a Studies (2nd Year) |
80 |
In order to progress to the next year, students must have earned a minimum of a total of 180 credits in a year. In order to complete the course, they must have earned 860 credits.
Unlike other approaches to Islamic Studies, which are solely either religious or academic in nature, the Ministry programme expects students to become both religious scholars and critical thinkers skilled in academic discourse, who will be able to make up their own mind on key issues of faith and practice.
The BA and MA programmes ensure that graduates have a broad academic grounding in the study of Islam, including its history, thought and current issues facing Muslims in the world today. The Hawza programme will give them everything they need to serve and to guide the communities in which they live; a deep and comprehensive understanding of the Islamic Sciences, important vocational skills (such as counselling, management and public speaking), command of the Arabic language, and practice in the leading of prayers, solemnizing of marriages and burial of the deceased.
While the course will develop (and in later stages, require) confidence in the use of the Arabic language, the medium of teaching will be entirely in English.
Because of its diverse subject-array and comprehensive nature, this course is ideal for students who are looking to pursue a career in religious scholarship for the modern world.
Year Abroad
As part of the Hawza studies course, students of the Ministry programme must travel in their third year to Damascus, Syria, to study Arabic. There are no course fees for this year and the Islamic College will provide suitable accommodation for them in Damascus. Students will be responsible for the course fees at Damascus University and their living costs, but can still apply for financial assistance from the College prior to their departure.
Damascus University has an internationally-recognized Arabic language program. Students from universities around the world are sent there to complete their studies of the Arabic language. It is an eight-level course that covers all aspects of Arabic, from grammar and comprehension to speaking and listening. Upon completing their studies, students will be issued with a certificate from Damascus University as proof of their competence in the Arabic language.
Entry Requirements and Assessment
Those students wishing to enrol for the programme must meet the same entry requirements as for our BA Islamic Studies. They must also pass a formal interview.
Students who have already completed their undergraduate qualifications may be admitted to the programme at a later stage (e.g. Year 3 onwards) at the discretion of the academic board, following an interview and assessment.
Those students who undertake the full-programme, because of the significant commitment they must make to their studies, may apply for scholarships and financial support in the second, third, fourth and fifth years. This entitlement to financial support will be reviewed yearly and its continuation will be conditional upon their academic and personal performance at the Islamic College.
All full-time students, whether receiving financial support or not, will have accommodation provided for them in Syria.
Why study with us?
If you’re thinking of pursuing Islamic Studies at Hawza level, then our Ministry programme is an ideal place for you to begin. Because our course is one of a kind, it offers students a number of unique benefits that regular Hawza and University courses do not.
- Unlike the Hawza in Qom, where the medium of teaching is Farsi, our course is taught entirely in English, which means you can focus more on your studies.
- Our course gives you a broad range of subjects from the start, meaning that even after only the first year you will have gained a deeper understanding of many different dimensions of Islam.
- Our programme has been subject to years of constant review and improvement. Based on recommendations made by our graduates, changes have been made to the course’s structure, content and approach. This means you can be sure that this course really is suited to your needs as a Muslim living in the West.
- With our course, you will master Arabic (the language of the Qur’an and the Hadith) in the space of three years, allowing you to use primary texts in your research.
- Our course combines the best of the Academic and Classical approaches to Islamic Studies. This means you get the broad range of knowledge you would obtain from a university programme and the important, practical knowledge you would learn in the Hawza.
- During your time with us, as well as studying a very comprehensive and well thought-out programme, you’re also gaining recognized undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Islamic Studies.
- Based on your academic and personal performance in the five years of the course, there may be generous financial support available to you, including an opportunity to be sponsored to complete a PhD in Iran.
- Our programme gives you the opportunity to study Islam in London, a thriving cosmopolitan city, where you will have endless opportunities to interact with members of different faiths and backgrounds.
- Our programme also sends you to Damascus, Syria, for a year to earn an internationally-recognized certificate from Damascus University in the Arabic Language.
All of the above reasons make our programme an excellent starting point for those students looking to pursue a career in Islamic studies.
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