Program Overview
The Śabda·vidyā Sanskrit Certificate Program offers a flexible online curriculum of live Sanskrit courses for students seeking to engage deeply with South Asian spiritual and literary traditions.
The journey begins with the Introductory Courses, where students cultivate a solid foundation in Sanskrit pronunciation, grammar, basic vocabulary, and script while engaging early and extensively with passages from authentic Sanskrit texts.
As they progress to Reading Courses, students undertake focused, semester-long explorations of Classical Sanskrit texts belonging to a variety of literary genres, from poetry and systematic philosophy to narrative texts and sacred writings. Reading courses include a blend of Buddhist and Hindu sources, highlighting the complex and fruitful interplay at the heart of South Asia’s intellectual history.
Complementing these core courses, a range of Workshops allows students to take advantage of the break between Fall and Spring semesters to develop or refine specialized skills—whether in prosody and recitation, spoken Sanskrit, or the intricate style of Sanskrit commentarial prose.
The program concludes with the Hands-On Sanskrit Translation seminar, where students put their accumulated knowledge into practice by translating a Sanskrit text of their choice, guided by the instructor and enriched by feedback from their classmates.
Excluding workshops, regular courses follow a 16-week semester schedule, with the Fall semester typically running from September to December and the Spring semester from February to June.
Course overview
Introductory Courses
Elementary Sanskrit is normally offered each Fall, followed by Intermediate Sanskrit in the Spring, with both courses held annually. Classes are held twice a week, each lasting 90 minutes.
SV 101 | Elementary Sanskrit
SV 102 | Intermediate Sanskrit
Reading Courses
In SV 201, 202, and 203, each course centers on a single Sanskrit classic belonging to a particular literary genre. The text varies from year to year and is supplemented by selected readings from related sources. In SV 204, students engage with a curated selection of texts—drawn from one or more genres—to explore a particular topic or theme across religious traditions. Listed under each of the four types of reading courses are examples of texts or topics that have been studied in the past or are planned for future sessions. One reading course is offered each semester. Classes are held once a week, with each session lasting 90 minutes.
SV 201 | Readings in Sanskrit Treatises
e.g., Bodhicaryāvatāra, Ātmabodha, Bhāvanākrama
SV 202 | Readings in Sanskrit Sacred Texts
e.g., Bhagavadgītā, Vimalakīrtinirdeśa, Yogavāsiṣṭha
SV 203 | Readings in Sanskrit Belles-Lettres
e.g., Buddhacarita, Raghuvaṃśa, Jātakamālā
SV 204 | Topics in Sanskrit Literature
e.g., yoga, bhakti, karman, ātman
Workshops
Workshops are offered during the winter and/or summer break periods, running for two weeks, with at least one workshop offered every year. Each workshop includes three classes per week, each lasting 90 minutes.
SV 301 | Sanskrit Chanting
SV 302 | Sanskrit Conversation
SV 303 | Commentarial Sanskrit
SV 304 | Introduction to Pāli
SV 305 | Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit
Graduation Project
Students typically complete a Sanskrit translation project as their final graduation project. Depending on their needs, they may either work independently, submitting the finished project for review by the Studio’s faculty, or enroll in the regularly offered Hands-On Sanskrit Translation seminar, completing the project with instructor guidance and feedback from classmates. The Hands-On Sanskrit Translation seminar is offered biennially (once every two years) in either the Spring or Fall semester. Classes are held once a week for 90 minutes.
SV 401 | Hands-On Sanskrit Translation
If a student has a particular research focus or strong personal interest in areas other than translation, they may propose an alternative graduation project. This may take the form of a research paper—an academic study of a Sanskrit text or topic in Sanskrit literature—or a multimedia creation, using chanting, dramatic performance, musical composition, or film to offer an artistic interpretation of the text. Alternative proposals must be submitted in advance and require approval from the program’s instructor.
Requirements for completion
Students are required to complete both introductory courses (Elementary and Intermediate Sanskrit), followed by four reading courses and two workshops of their choice. The program places a strong emphasis on the learning journey, with evaluation based mainly on students’ active participation and engagement in class. If a student’s involvement falls short of the required standard, the instructor or teaching assistant will reach out to work on ways to strengthen participation and work through any hurdles. If needed—for instance, when students are unable to attend live classes—a final exam may be arranged as an alternative form of assessment.
Upon successfully completing the required courses, students must fulfill the graduation project requirement in one of the ways described above. Once the project has been reviewed and approved, they will receive a printed Śabda·vidyā Sanskrit Certificate.
Note: The curriculum of the Śabda·vidyā Sanskrit Certificate Program is reviewed annually and may be updated as needed.
Enrolment
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Enrollment in any of our courses entitles students to register for the Certificate Program.
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To register, please contact the Studio’s teaching assistant (info@sanskritstudio.com).
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No additional fees are required beyond the course tuition and the production and mailing costs of the printed certificate.
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If you will soon meet the registration requirements for the Hands-On Sanskrit Translation seminar (as listed above) and wish to participate in the next session, please inform the teaching assistant in advance to facilitate course planning.