Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies Now Available Online!
Gesshin Claire Greenwood | June 11, 2025
The Institute of Buddhist Studies is pleased to announce that a new online Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies (M.A.B.S) has been approved by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Applicants are welcome to apply for Spring 2026 matriculation.
The current in person Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies (MABS) provides students an opportunity to deeply engage with Buddhist history, thought, texts, and practices. The Institute’s new online version of this same program will share these goals. The mission of IBS is to provide graduate level education in the full breadth of the Buddhist tradition with specialized education supporting Pure Land and contemporary Shin Buddhist Studies, while advancing Jodo Shinshu Buddhist ministry and Buddhist chaplaincy.
Offering a Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies Online increases the institution’s ability to meet its goal of creating an accessible learning environment, in which students can academically study Buddhism through distance education.
Additionally, the opportunity to offer this program in an online capacity increases the Institute’s potential to reach broader audiences in diverse educational contexts, through distance education, without students having the added expense of moving to the Bay Area.
The Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies Online provides students an opportunity to deeply engage Buddhist history, thought, texts, and practices as a foundation for further academic study at the doctoral level or professional service in a religious community, the nonprofit sector, or other areas. The program is built on a foundation of academic Buddhist studies in a practitioner-friendly environment, allowing for intellectual growth connected to communities of practice and vocation.
Interested parties are encouraged to reach out to our admissions director, Rev. Gesshin Greenwood (gesshin@shin-ibs.edu), or apply directly here: https://www.shin-ibs.edu/academics/degree-programs/master-of-buddhist-studies/mabsapp/