Master's degree program proposed

By Andrea Makshanoff, On-Line Forty-Niner

Wednesday, November 25, 1998

The Cal State Long Beach religious studies department is petitioning to add a master's program that as designed will be the only one of its kind in the Los Angeles area, said Tony Battaglia, Ph.D., professor in the department.

"We hope everything will go well," said Dorothy Abrahamse, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. "It is an excellent department, a good proposal and it will fit a particular niche in that it is offered by a nonsectarian public university as opposed to a theology school."

According to Battaglia, the program as proposed would be the only broad-based religious studies master's degree in the Los Angeles basin. Currently in the area, master's degrees are offered in Christian theology at Fuller Seminary and Loyola University, in Judaic studies at the University of Judaism, and in women and religion at Claremont College, among others.

Though eight CSU campuses, including Long Beach, offer a bachelor's degree in religious studies, a master's degree is not offered at any of the 23 campuses, said Debbie Krueziger of the CSU public affairs office.

"Claremont College and UC Santa Barbara both have doctoral programs in religious studies that include a master's degree as part of the program, but the master's is not intended to be freestanding," Battaglia said.

Though the proposal is moving along, Battaglia said it is speculation for the time being.

"It is premature for people to apply. We do not have the mechanism now to tell students exactly what we are looking for," he said.

Several weeks ago, the proposal for a projected degree was submitted by the college to the university, Abrahamse said. After on-campus review and approval by the Financial Affairs, Planning and Educational Policy and Graduate councils, and the Academic Senate, it will be sent to the CSU system, she said.

The second step, submittal of a full proposal, will probably take place next spring, Abrahamse said.

Religious studies chairman Jeffrey Broughton, Ph.D., said the department has been working on the logistics of the program, such as developing the necessary three or four 600-level courses, and is looking at fall 1999 or spring 2000 for the program to begin. The department secretary, he said, has been getting many calls of interest each day.

"We do know the shape of the proposed program," Battaglia said. "There will be three areas of concentration: Buddhist studies and other Asian religions, ancient Mediterranean religions including Christianity and Judaism, and the third, religion in contemporary America which will include theories of religion in society and historical issues."

The concentrations have been designed to emphasize the strengths of the present faculty, Battaglia said.

"In the case of religious studies, we hardly have to worry about the quality of the faculty - we've got one of the best," said Keith Polakoff, associate vice-president of academic affairs. "It is one the strongest programs on campus. They have done some very prominent research."

The degree was proposed eight or ten years ago, but was turned down by the CSU system because it was thought to be not marketable, but since then, both funding and the approval process has changed which makes the new religious studies program have a much better chance, Polakoff said.

Since 1992, start-up funding for new programs is no longer provided by the CSU system, but by FTES, or full-time equivalent students enrolled, he said.

"There is a certain degree of uncertainty and really all I can do is offer the prediction that we'll probably get it approved,"

Polakoff said.

"If they do that (approve it), then the program either enrolls enough students, or doesn't, either way it is our concern, not theirs."