The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives based in Dharamsala, northern India is initiating a six-year degree course on Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy starting April 15, 2015.
"Through this program we aim to offer students the chance to study in depth Tibetan language and Buddhist philosophy in a Tibetan environment," says Geshe Lhakdor la, the Director of LTWA.
According to a document released by LTWA, it is indicated that over the course of this six-year program, students would be scheduled to study four of the five major fields of Tibetan Buddhism: Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom), Madhyamika (Middle Way philosophy), Abhidharma (Treasure of Knowledge), Pramana (Epistemology and Logic), as well as Tantra. The fifth subject, Vinaya (Monastic Discipline) is expected to be replaced by a course on Buddhist ethics instead.
The six year program will be divided into three sections: a one-year diploma, three-year bachelor’s degree, and a two-year master’s degree.
The institution is expecting to enroll about 20-25 students in the first year. The individuals selected are required to have a conversational understanding of spoken Tibetan and the ability to read the Tibetan ü -chen script since classes would be taught predominantly in Tibetan.