Programs

Recognizing the value of being present on campus within the Buddhist environment of Boudha, with its access to monastic learning, Tibetan and Nepali speakers, and a climate of reflection and practice, we will require all new degree students (BA, MA Buddhist Studies, MA Translation, Textual Interpretation and Philology) to study on campus with us, beginning in Fall 2023.

There will be opportunities for BA students to take some of their classes online after their first year. We will continue to offer all of our language classes and text classes with our monastic faculty both on campus and online, for credit and not-for-credit. To complete the full degree, however, a significant on-campus presence will be required. New MA Prep students may need to study on campus, depending on which courses they need to take to earn the prerequisites for their MA program of choice.

For those of you who are not already living in Nepal, we trust that the value added by virtue of being on campus will outweigh the effort involved to relocate to Nepal. It is very much a special experience to study here in Nepal.

We are offering a full range of classes on campus, and all undergraduate language classes and classes taught by monastic professors will also be offered online.

Please visit the admissions page for program-specific dates and more information.

Centre for Buddhist Studies at Kathmandu University

Through a partnership between Kathmandu University and Rangjung Yeshe Institute, the Centre for Buddhist Studies (CBS) was established in 2001 to provide formal study opportunities in Buddhist Philosophy and Himalayan Languages (Tibetan, Sanskrit, and Nepali). CBS currently offers a four-year BA, two MA degrees, and a three-year research PhD degree program.

All courses taught in degree programs earn academic credit which may be applied to CBS’s own BA or MA programs or towards degrees offered by other institutions. Visiting students may transfer credits earned at CBS to their home institutions subject to the requirements of their home institutions.

All students enrolled in CBS degree programs are eligible for official student visas.

Buddhist Philosophy at CBS

The faculty at RYI consists of senior monastic professors (khenpos) and junior monastic professors (lopons) and international instructors trained in modern academic disciplines. As a crucial element of the training in Buddhist philosophy, courses taught by monastic professors on classical Buddhist scriptures follow the format and curriculum of a traditional Buddhist monastic education. Courses taught by international instructors follow the approach of the modern academy including use of historical-critical methodology and secondary sources. CBS is currently the only institution offering this traditional form of education as an integral part of long-term academic studies.