Academics Career Choices

Career Choices

There can be nothing more fulfilling in this world or the next than choosing a career of serving Allah and serving the American Muslim community. TISA wants to work with you to prepare you for a career in serving Islam.

Imam

Being an Imam is undoubtedly one of the most honored careers that an individual can choose. Besides the great blessing in serving as an Imam, there is a great need in America for home-grown Imams. Over 1500 mosques can afford to give a respectable, full-time salary to an Imam but few have a home-grown Imam. An Imam needs a Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree to qualify as an Imam. The MDiv degree is a 3-4 year degree, which combines rigorous traditional Islamic learning with a view to the issues of American context which the American Imam will face. The MDiv also provides the professional skills such as counseling which are necessary skills for the American Imam.

Scholar-in-Resident or Scholar

One of the new positions in the American mosque is the scholar-in-resident, which is similar to an Imam who focuses on teaching. Both females and males are serving in this position in various mosques in America. The Master of Divinity (MDiv) is the best qualifier for a scholar-in-resident, because it provides an extra year or two in more extensive Islamic studies. If one desires to be a scholar of Islam in order to teach in a university, then TISA’s Master of Arts in Islamic Studies is a solid stepping stone for pursuing a PhD in Islamic Studies.

Chaplain

Chaplain positions in prisons, military, universities, and hospitals are plentiful. The Chaplain’s position in some prison systems only require an MA but most chaplain positions require an MDiv.

Youth Director, Humanitarian Worker, Mosque Executive Director, Directors of Muslim Nonprofits. All these various positions require professional training and a solid background of Islamic knowledge. TISA’s Master of Nonprofit Management provides the necessary foundation for how to run a nonprofit organization while supplying the Islamic point of view. Specialized courses in being a youth director, humanitarian worker, etc. are provided in the program.

Teacher

The Master of Arts in Islamic Studies is the basic degree for those who wish to teach in an Islamic school or a public school.