Partnership
The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation is a collaboration between Charles Sturt University and the Islamic Sciences and Research Academy of Australia (ISRA). CISAC offers accredited Islamic Studies courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. The course content has been put together with the advice and assistance of ISRA’s advisory committee which includes some of the most respected Muslim scholars from the wider Australian Muslim community.
Why study with us
100% Online
Taught from within the Tradition
Accredited Courses
Classical & Contemporary Approach
Commonwealth Supported Places
Largest Islamic & Arabic Faculty in Australia
Courses
BACHELOR OF ISLAMIC STUDIES
This course will provide you with a solid foundation in classical Islamic studies, contemporary Islamic studies and Arabic; it is the most comprehensive university accredited Islamic studies course in Australia. This degree will open doors to various pathways including further academic studies, research and employment.
- HECS available
- 3 Years full-time
- Prior learning recognised
BACHELOR OF ISLAMIC STUDIES – PATHWAY TO TEACHING
This pathway provides a solid grounding in classical Islamic knowledge as well as a teaching qualification recognised Australia wide. Fast track your studies by completing the Bachelor of Islamic Studies in 2 years and then completing the Master of Teaching in 2 years.
- HECS available
- 2 degrees in under 4 years
- Prior learning recognised
MASTER OF ISLAMIC STUDIES
This course will provide you with a solid understanding of Islam through the most comprehensive Master of Islamic Studies course in Australia. This degree will give you the opportunity to develop in-depth understanding of several Islamic disciplines. No prior Islamic studies qualifications are needed; students who have completed an undergraduate degree from any discipline are eligible.
- FEE-HELP available
- 2 Years full-time
- Prior learning recognised
GRADUATE DIPLOMA OF ISLAMIC STUDIES
Covering theological, historical, practical, contemporary and spiritual aspects of the religion, the Graduate Diploma of Islamic Studies will provide you with an advanced understanding of Islam.
- FEE-HELP available
- 8 subjects
- Flexible online learning
GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN ISLAMIC STUDIES
This course will develop broad-based knowledge and critical skills in the study of Islam across theological, traditional, contemporary and spiritual aspects of the religion.
- FEE-HELP available
- 4 subjects
- Flexible online learning
This course prepares you to write and speak in Arabic and understand the Qur’an and classical Islamic texts in their original language. Engage in a fascinating study of the Arabic language. This course is a dedicated language program focused on developing your skills in reading, writing and speaking Arabic, as well as analysing classical Islamic texts. Delve into a language with a unique and fascinating history. This courses provides a foundation in speaking, reading, writing and listening in Arabic, together with broad-based knowledge and critical skills in the study of classical Arabic. Explore a language with a uniquely rich and fascinating history.MASTER OF CLASSICAL ARABIC
GRADUATE DIPLOMA OF CLASSICAL ARABIC
GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN CLASSICAL ARABIC
GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN ISLAMIC PSYCHOLOGY
The course explores the theory and practice of psychology, human behaviour, human experience and counselling from Islamic perspectives with a focus on culture and religion sensitive practice to meet Muslim needs. This course is also a great opportunity for self development as it helps to understand emotions, behaviour, thoughts and other important concepts which are critical to self growth.
- FEE-HELP available
- 1 Years part-time
- Experienced Lecturers
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PHD)
Do you aspire to become a leader in an Islamic studies discipline? The Doctor of Philosophy from Charles Sturt University gives you the opportunity to make an original and significant contribution to knowledge in your chosen discipline within the arts. As the highest level of qualification available, a PhD could pave the way for a rewarding career in research or academia anywhere in the world.
- Experienced supervisors
- 3 Years full-time
- Flexible online learning
MASTER OF ISLAMIC STUDIES (RESEARCH)
Whether you are seeking to enhance your career or explore an area of personal interest, the Master of Islamic Studies (Research) is an ideal choice. Available for full-time or part-time online study, this degree allows you to develop an advanced body of knowledge in an Islamic studies discipline area.
- Experienced supervisors
- 1 Years full-time
- Flexible online learning
BACHELOR OF ISLAMIC
STUDIES (HONOURS)
This course provides a unique opportunity to conduct guided research in Islamic studies disciplines of your choice while developing your research capacity under the guidance of qualified supervisors. The course allows you to fast-track your pathway to a PhD.
- HECS available
- 1 years full-time
- Flexible online learning
I’ve received support from lecturers who have helped me choose the right subjects that bring out the best in me. I have also found studying at the Islamic Sciences and Research Academy (ISRA) to be very peaceful as it has its own study space in the library.
Frequently Asked Questions
ISRA prepares every aspect of the course content. This includes course structure, subject content, readings and assessments for all subjects offered in these courses. ISRA also determines who teaches the subjects in the various courses.
The course content has been put together with the advice and assistance of ISRA’s Advisory Committee which includes some of the most respected scholars from the Australian Muslim community.
CSU provides the accreditation for the course studied. That is, the student receives their qualification and certificate/transcript from CSU.
ISRA is the organisation with which CSU has an agreement. The university courses is one of many focuses that ISRA has. Others include school talks, community events and community courses.
The university focus of ISRA is given the name CISAC (Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation) and therefore all the courses at CSU are offered under CISAC.
Because of the academic nature of the courses, a broad range of viewpoints are offered to students in the subjects. However, when it comes to theological, jurisprudential and exegetical subjects, we focus on Sunni tradition.
All lecturers are adjunct staff with CSU which means they need to fulfil CSU staff requirements as well. Most staff have a PhD in the discipline area they are teaching.
The general rule for CSU teaching is that the staff member has one higher level qualification (or are undertaking one higher level qualification) than the student. This rule is applied across all subjects. The exception is Arabic and Arabic is treated as a practitioner’s course. All our Arabic teachers have extensive experience and knowledge in teaching Arabic.
All staff have also completed a Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education.
You can check out our staff bio’s via this link: https://www.isra.org.au/about-us-2/
Bachelor of Islamic Studies
Bachelor of Islamic Studies (Honours)
Master of Islamic Studies Articulated Set (includes Grad Cert and Grad Dip)
Master of Contemporary Islamic Studies Articulated Set (includes Grad Cert and Grad Dip)
Master of Classical Arabic Articulated Set (includes Grad Cert and Grad Dip)
Master of Islamic Studies (Research)
PhD
Undergraduate
Our undergraduate courses offer HECS, which are loans that are managed through the Australian Taxation Office and won’t begin (payments) until you reach the income threshold. To be eligible you will need to meet the below criteria:
- be studying in a Commonwealth supported place
- be an Australian citizen; or
- be a New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holder; or
- be a permanent humanitarian visa holder
- be enrolled in each unit at your university by the Census date
If you wish to pay up front the cost per 8-point subject is:
Australian citizen/Permanent resident: $1,828* for Islamic studies subjects and $496* for Arabic electives that are taken as part of the Bachelor of Islamic Studies.
International Fee: $2,600* per subject.
*Fees are subject to change and are based on 2022
Postgraduate
Our postgraduate courses offer FEE-HELP. Although you will need to pay the full fee for your course, you are still eligible to defer part or all of your course fees. You will only start repayments when you earn above the threshold set by the government, and this will all be done through the Australian Taxation Office. To be eligible you will need to meet the below criteria:
- be an Australian citizen and study at least part of your course in Australia.
- be a New Zealand Special Category visa (SCV) holder; or
- be a permanent humanitarian visa holder and meet the residency requirements
- be enrolled in a fee-paying place at a provider that offers FEE-HELP loans.
If you wish to pay up front the cost per 8-point subject is: Australian citizen/Permanent resident: $2,000* International Fee: $2,600*
*Fees are subject to change and are based on 2022
There are no direct scholarships available for our Bachelor’s, Master’s or Arabic courses. You can have a look through the CSU scholarship page, to see if they have any other sort of scholarships:
https://study.csu.edu.au/get-support/scholarships
There is scholarship available for research, see below:
https://research.csu.edu.au/study-with-us/scholarships
You would also need to have a chat with our HDR coordinator to see what options you have.
Intakes are offered all year round; sessions start as per below and applications are taken before each session.
- Session 1 2020 (Mar-Jun)
- Session 2 2020 (Jul-Oct)
- Session 3 2020 (Nov-Feb)
All applications need to be completed online via below link;
https://study.csu.edu.au/start-your-application
It’s important to note all applications are processed through the Charles Sturt University admissions team. Unless they forward an application to us for decision, we don’t have a say in the final outcome.
Undergraduate
Applicants for the Bachelor of Islamic Studies must meet the following requirements:
- An ATAR of 60 (including adjustment factors); OR
- Successful completion of two university-level subjects (AQF level Associate Degree or higher); OR
- A completed AQF Certificate III or higher level qualification; OR
- 50% completion of an AQF Diploma level qualification; OR
- Successful completed of a Tertiary Preparation Course from an Australian University or an accredited provider demonstrating a reasonable prospect of success through the Grade Point Average (GPA) gained in these studies; OR
- Work experience, within the same industry as the course profile, of no less than two years.
- English Language Proficiency
- providing evidence of having completed a sufficient standard of study in English
- obtaining Academic IELTS within the last 2 years, with a minimum overall score of 6 and no individual score below 5.5
- obtaining a qualification deemed to be equivalent to Academic IELTS (and its minimum scores) by Charles Sturt.
Postgraduate
Applicants for our postgraduate courses must meet the following requirements:
- A completed Bachelor’s degree (or AQF equivalent)
- English Language Proficiency
- providing evidence of having completed a sufficient standard of study in English
- obtaining Academic IELTS within the last 2 years, with a minimum overall score of 6 and no individual score below 5.5
- obtaining a qualification deemed to be equivalent to Academic IELTS (and its minimum scores) by Charles Sturt.
You can study as little as 1 subject per session or a maximum of 4 subjects per session. It all depends on your lifestyle and what else you have going on. We find most students stick with 1 or 2 subjects per session.