Theology & Religious Studies (Research)
How are religion, conflict and peace related? What are the boundaries of tolerance in societies, in past and present? And what is the significance of religious heritage in a secular society?
In this Research Master's programme, you will study how religion is embedded in historical and contemporary cultural contexts, and what the relationships are between religion and other cultural domains such as science, philosophy and politics. You will explore the impact of local and global socio-economic and political developments on religion, and how religion in turn contributes to these developments.
By following multiple core modules, you will acquire an overview of current debates in the study of religion and develop key research skills. In addition, we offer different specialization routes within which you can develop your individual research profile and skills. Your individual, tailor made route within the programme consists of a combination of course modules from one of the one-year master's specializations, research traineeships, (individual) tutorials and writing a thesis and a research proposal. The final specialisation occurs in the Research Master's thesis, which forms the basis of a PhD thesis proposal or an application for research funding.
A lecturer whose research interests in religion matches yours best, will act as your supervisor throughout the programme.
Cambridge C1/CAE or Cambridge C2/CPE certificate with a min. score of 180.
IELTS Academic: overall score 7 (min. 6.5 in all categories
TOEFL iBT*: overall score 100 (min. 21 in Reading ,Listening and Speaking, 24 in Writing)
TOEFL iBT*: overall score 5 (min. 4 in Reading and Speaking, 4.5 in Listening, 5 in Writing)
Bachelor's degree in Theology, Religious Studies, or another Bachelor in Arts, Humanities (for instance International Organizations, Middle Eastern Studies, Philosophy), Political Sciences or Social Sciences (for instance Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology). A reading package will be provided in advance. At the start of the programme, we assume that you are aware of the concepts and theoretical discussions outlined in this literature.
A selection of previous education programmes is shown below under 'Transfer options'. However, this list is not complete. If your study programme is not listed, this does not automatically mean that you will not be admitted to the Master's programme. In case of doubts or questions, feel free to contact the study advisor: studyadvice.rcs@rug.nl
Curriculum Vitae
Motivation Letter
Two academic letters of reference: These may be uploaded in the Progress Portal or sent to us directly via our contact form.
- Grade list: a certified overview of completed courses (preferably 7.5 or on higher on a scale of 1 to 10)
A sample of academic writing in English: i.e. your thesis or 10-15 pages of other academic coursework preferably related to the programme you are applying to.
Job prospects
A degree in Theology and Religious Studies (research) provides a perfect background for:
- admission to PhD programmes at national and international institutes and universities;
- positions outside academia for which academic research skills are required;
- positions as civil servant, advisor or policymaker with local and national government;
- teaching positions.
Check our alumni page to find out where our alumni ended up after graduating.
Job examples
- PhD position
- Independent scholar
- Secondary education teacher
- Civil servant or policy advisor at national or local government
- Position in publishing
