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Hassan Hussein is one of just over a handful of graduate students in the Islamic Studies program

Compared to most graduate programs, the Islamic studies department is one of the smallest at UCLA. But members of the department say they like it that way.

Both faculty and students enjoy the closeness between them. They believe if the program grew too quickly, there wouldn’t be enough funding to allow for the same student-faculty relationship.

“I enjoy this program because it allows students to do what they want. It’s always better if it’s smaller, because I am very student-oriented, and the small program allows me to help each student accomplish their goals,” said Diane James, a counselor at the Center for Near Eastern Studies.

The department typically receives between 20 and 25 applications each year, and this year there are eight students enrolled in the program.

The Islamic studies graduate degree program is interdepartmental and interdisciplinary, which gives students the flexibility of choosing nearly any aspect of Islam as a focus for their degree.

“Students come with all different kinds of interests. In this department, they have the freedom to design their own course of study within the framework of studying within three fields,” James said.

Some subjects explored include Islamic architecture and Islamic culture and art.

Munir Shaikh, a doctoral candidate in the Islamic studies department, believes the program’s flexibility benefits students.

“Training that Islamic studies students at UCLA receive is fairly unique in the country. Students get a taste of different kinds of study,” Shaikh said.

From 1999 to 2001, the Islamic Studies department went through the process of revising its course requirements. Previous requirements placed a strong emphasis on language components at the masters level, and few applicants met the minimum requirements.

The new requirements were implemented at the masters level, making the degree program accessible for more people that are interested in studying aspects of Islam.

Shaikh received his masters degree from the Islamic studies department in 2000, before the revisions were made to the requirements. He said he chose to continue his study of the history of Muslim society in medieval Spain for his doctoral degree at UCLA because of the relationships he made with professors.

“This program trains people to study Islam from the point of view of different academic principles spanning the social sciences, the humanities and the arts. Students choose their own focus, and that is a strength of the program,” said Michael Morony, a professor of early Islamic history.

Because the program is so small, many undergraduate students are unaware of the opportunities that the department presents to graduate students, James said.

After Sami Hasan, a second-year international developmental studies student, learned about the opportunities the program presented, he said he became interested.

“Now that I know what the department offers, I think I will look into it for my graduate work, and definitely reconsider my ideas of the Islamic studies department,” Hasan said.