:salam2:
If you go to a "regular" university (a secular one in the US) you'll have to major in religious studies with a focus on Islam. Some schools let you specialize in Islam, some group Islam with another religion. Then you can get a masters in Islam or Islamic history, which is specifically focused on JUST Islam, but again, many universities group it with all Eastern religions or just some - for example, I know there's a program in DC (I forget the school) that is Islam and Hinduism. Then there's Ph.D programs for Islamic history and the like.
Like I said, it depends on the school you go to and their religious studies program, but in every program you're going to have to spend a lot of time doing general religious courses/comparative religion and will have to study other religions as well. It's obviously going to be very secular and based on just the few RS courses I've taken, you're going to be challenging and (respectfully) criticizing and examining the theology and philosophy of the religion a lot. It's been said RS in the West turns a lot into atheists/agnostics if they started out religious.
So I would really recommend going to an Islamic university. There's the Zaytuna Institute in California. Many criticize it because they think it's Sufi. It's really not. One of my friends' friends goes there and they teach mainstream, correct, normal stuff - nothing Sufi-ish about it.
Besides that there's really nothing in the US. You could go abroad. Many Islamic universities cost little to nothing and will actually pay for your living expenses and give you a small allowance, but these can be difficult to get into. It might be more difficult, too, since you're a woman and some schools are men-only. I know that the Umm al-Qura university in Saudi Arabia accepts women, and I think al Azhar University in Egypt does too but I'm not positive. There's also a university in Malaysia that offers Islamic degrees and I think women might be able to go there too but I'm not sure on the name.
My fiance just got a scholarship to al Azhar and the one in Malaysia so I can ask him for more suggestions/info if you want?
If you don't already speak arabic, and are going to any of the universities abroad, they'll usually put you in a year or two year arabic program first before you can start taking classes towards your degree.
