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Buddhism has had a great impact upon the lives of individuals and the development of societies, and it has made many contributions to various spheres of culture, e.g., to art, literature, philosophy, and religion. The Five Colleges provide an excellent environment in which to study Buddhism, with one of the largest concentrations of scholars of Buddhist Studies in the United States: collectively, we enable students to study most of the major Buddhist traditions. In addition to our many Junior Year Abroad and other extended study programs in Asia, our academic exchange program with the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies in India offers a unique opportunity for our students to study with eminent Tibetan scholars.

The Five College Buddhist Certificate might be pursued in conjunction with a major in philosophy, religious studies, anthropology, Asian studies, or another field to which Buddhist Studies is directly relevant. However, it might also be used to support studies in a very different field, such as law, one of the social sciences, or studies in the arts or humanities. 

List of Requirements:

1. The certificate comprises at least seven courses, at least one of which must be at an advanced level (200 or 300 at Hampshire, 300 or above at Mt Holyoke, Smith, or UMass; comparable upper-level courses at Amherst). 
2. Students must take at least one course in three different disciplines of Buddhist Studies (anthropology, art history, Asian studies, philosophy, religious studies, etc.).
3. Students must take at least one course addressing classical Buddhism and one course addressing contemporary Buddhist movements (19th-21st Century), and they must study Buddhism in at least two of the following four geographical areas: South and Southeast Asia, East Asia, the Tibeto-Himalayan region, and the West.
4. Up to two canonical or appropriate colloquial Asian language courses may count towards the certificate.
5. Students must receive a grade of at least "B" in each course counting towards the certificate.
6. Courses must be of three credit-hours or more to count towards the certificate.
7. Courses taken abroad or outside the Five Colleges may count towards the certificate only if they would be approved for credit towards the major in the appropriate department of the student's home institution.
8. Exceptions to these requirements by petition.