Where to study Buddhism? The best schools are in the US!
Where to Study and Learn Buddhism? Here's a Comprehensive List of Buddhist Studies Programs in the United States
As interest in Buddhism continues to grow worldwide, many people choose to deepen their understanding of this tradition through higher education. If you're considering learning about Buddhism, one of the first things to examine is your motivation for pursuing higher studies in this field.
Is it to complement a Buddhist practice? Is it to pursue a career in academia? Most graduate programs in Buddhism do not replace the faith and practice of Buddhism. Rather, they approach Buddhism from an analytical perspective: history, sociology, philology, philosophy, religious studies, and cultural studies.
Learning Buddhism
There are a number of graduate programs that encourage or support Buddhist practice and scholarship among students. These "practitioner-friendly" programs typically offer one of three possibilities: the opportunity to earn a degree as part of a Buddhist priestly training, courses on Buddhist practice that complement academic studies, or a focus on studying Buddhism from a normative perspective.
However, if you're interested in pursuing an academic career, institutions offering these practice-integrated programs often do not have the same status as secular universities.
In most universities, professors of Buddhist studies tend to be much fewer in number compared to their Christian or Jewish counterparts. Therefore, very few programs can be considered comprehensive: most have strength in a particular geographical or cultural region (South Asia, Tibet, East Asia), a particular tradition (Chan/Zen, Theravada, Tibetan), or a particular approach (philological, historical, apologetic).
While a comprehensive program might be optimal, many graduate students have also succeeded in departments that have strength in a specialized area. In such narrower contexts, working closely with a faculty member whose interests align with yours can compensate for the program's more limited scope.
Most professors of Buddhist studies are affiliated with either a religious studies program or an area studies program (East Asian, South Asian). Religious studies departments typically require coursework and exams in other religious traditions as well as a good grasp of the theoretical literature of religious studies in general. On the other hand, area studies programs focus more on the study of Asian languages (Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan) and on the study of Buddhism in its various historical and cultural contexts.
The following Buddhist studies programs are divided into several categories designed to help you choose the school that best suits your interests and goals. Professors whose names appear in parentheses are not specialists in the study of Buddhism per se, but because their expertise is closely related to Buddhism, they have taught or supervised graduate students in the past.
Comprehensive List of Buddhist Studies Programs in the United States
Practitioner-friendly institutions*.
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CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF INTEGRAL STUDIES
- Master of Arts in Asian Philosophies and Cultures
- Master of Arts in East-West Psychology
- Master of Arts in Ecology, Spirituality, and Religion
- Master of Arts in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness
- Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophies and Cultures of Asia
- Doctor of Philosophy in East-West Psychology
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GRADUATE THEOLOGICAL UNION
- Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies
- Doctor of Philosophy in Buddhist Studies
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UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST
- Master of Psychology (Concentration in Buddhist Psychology)
- Master of Arts in Religious Studies (Concentration in Comparative Religions or Buddhist Studies)
- M.Div. in Buddhist Chaplaincy
- Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies (Concentration in Comparative Religions or Buddhist Studies)
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INSTITUTE OF BUDDHIST STUDIES
- Certificate in Buddhism and Contemporary Psychology
- Certificate in Buddhist Chaplaincy
- Certificate in Theravada Buddhist Studies
- Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies (with Graduate Theological Union)
- M.Div. in Buddhist Studies
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NAROPA UNIVERSITY
- Master of Arts in Religious Studies
- Master of Arts in Sanskrit and/or Tibetan Religious Texts
- Master of Arts in Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology
- Master of Arts in Contemplative Education
- M.Div. in Buddhist Studies
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MAITRIPA COLLEGE
- Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies
- M.Div. in Buddhist Studies
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BUDDHIST UNIVERSITY OF DHARMA REALM
- Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts
- Master of Arts Program in Buddhist Classics
Most Comprehensive Programs
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HARVARD UNIVERSITY
- M.Div. in Buddhist Studies (Harvard Divinity School)
- M.T.S. in Buddhist Studies (Harvard Divinity School)
- Ph.D. in Religion (Concentrations in Buddhist Studies, East Asian Religions, and South Asian Religions)
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INDIANA UNIVERSITY
- Master of Arts in Religious Studies
- Ph.D. in Religious Studies (Concentrations in Buddhist Studies, Chinese Thought, South Asian Religion)
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UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
- Master of Arts in Religious Studies
- Ph.D. in Religious Studies
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UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA
- Master of Religion
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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
- Ph.D. in Asian Languages and Cultures (concentration in Buddhist Studies)
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UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
- Master of Arts in Religious Studies
- Ph.D. in Religious Studies (Concentrations in East Asian Buddhism, Indo-Tibetan or Sino-Tibetan Buddhism, and Theravada Buddhism in the History of Religions)
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PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
- Ph.D. in Religion (concentration in Asian Religions)
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STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- Doctorate in Religious Studies (concentration in Buddhist Studies)
- Faculty
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UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
- Master's in Chinese Studies
- Master's in East Asian Studies
- Master's in Japanese Studies
- Doctorate in Chinese Studies
- Doctorate in Japanese Studies
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES
- Doctorate in Asian Languages and Cultures (concentration in Buddhist Studies)
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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA
- Doctorate in Religious Studies (concentrations in Buddhist Studies, East Asian Religions, and South Asian Religions)
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UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- Doctorate in Religious Studies (concentrations in Asian Religions and Buddhist Studies)
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CORNELL UNIVERSITY
- Master's in Asian Studies
- PhD in Asian Literature, Religion, and Culture
Strong Institutions in Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies
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HARVARD UNIVERSITY
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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
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UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
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UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- Master's in Buddhist Studies
- PhD in Buddhist Studies
Strong Institutions in Southeast Asian Buddhist Studies
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HARVARD UNIVERSITY
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UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
Other Noteworthy Programs
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COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
- Master's in Religion
- PhD in Religion (Concentrations in Buddhism, East Asian Religions, and South Asian Religions)
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UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
- Master's in Asian Cultures and Languages
- PhD in Asian Languages and Cultures
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RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
- Master's in Religious Studies (concentration in Buddhist Studies)
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FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
- Master's in Religious Studies (concentration in Buddhist Studies - within the field of religious history)
- PhD in Religious Studies (concentration in Buddhist Studies within the field of religious history)
If you want to study Buddhism in Paris, no problem, check out this video from the YouTube channel: IEB (Institut d'Etudes Bouddhiques)
