Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies

Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies

The Department of Pali and Buddhist Studies is a pioneering department at the University of Kelaniya, which was known as the ‘Buddhist Faculty’ in the period of the Vidyālankāra University. The main purpose of the Department is to promote vast areas of study and research on Buddhism giving privotal attention to the Pāli Canon while also academically scrutinizing the teachings of the Buddha together with its philosophical and cultural aspects. Indeed, the mission of the Department is to enable the students to handle the expanding field of Buddhist Studies successfully.

Consequently, Pāli, Buddhist Philosophy, Buddhist Culture, Buddhist Psychology are the main subjects in the curricula of this Department. It offers Degrees on Buddhist Studies at undergraduate, (both the General and Honours Degrees), and Postgraduate levels (B.A./M.A./M.Phil./Ph.D.). As a result of the interest in the study of Buddhism, this Department has acquired a remarkable increase in fame among other academic Buddhist institutions not only in Sri Lanka but also overseas. Thus, a remarkable number of foreign students, from various countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Bangladesh, are pursuing their academic goals at this Department. Further, countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and China conduct their academic works in their respective Buddhist Studies institutions and conferment of degrees following the subject syllabus and other relevant guidelines at the Department of Pāli and Buddhist Studies in the University of Kelaniya.