Master of Arts in Religious Studies
Utrecht University
Key Information
Campus location
Utrecht, Netherlands
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
2 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
EUR 2,209 / per year *
Application deadline
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Earliest start date
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* EU/EEA, Surinam or Swiss students; €17,500: International students
Scholarships
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Introduction
Explore Religion and its Interconnections with Society and Culture
Are you interested in the vibrant world of religions? Do you want to study how sacred texts such as the Bible or the Quran have been formed and interpreted throughout the ages? Do you want to understand why religious images, buildings, clothes, and everyday practices often provoke fierce debates or even violent conflicts? Do you want to be able to contribute to analyses of the interplay between religion and politics in the context of globalization and migration?
The Research Master's program in Religious Studies is a challenging, research-oriented program that prepares you for participation in current debates in the international community of scholars of religion and to make your own contributions to the field.
International Community
As a student of this program, you will become part of an international community of students, Ph.D. researchers, postdocs, and senior scholars working together at a leading research institute. You will attend small-scale seminars and learn from renowned scholars, who will actively involve you in their own research. Read more about our teaching and research environment, including our teaching staff.
Program Outcome
After Graduation
During this research Master’s program, you will develop the knowledge and skills to independently develop and carry out high-quality research in various branches of Religious Studies. As a graduate of this program, you will have:
- A broad understanding of the entire field of Religious Studies.
- Thorough knowledge and methodological skills in a specific subfield.
- The knowledge and skills to present research results both orally and in writing.
- An international network of junior and senior scholars in the field of Religious Studies.
After successful completion of the program, you are fully equipped for further advanced research, such as a Ph.D. in Religious Studies, Islamic Studies, or cognate disciplines such as Anthropology. Your training also equips you to pursue non-academic career paths requiring advanced research skills.
Curriculum
Key Research Areas
The programme combines an advanced grounding in the central themes and theories of the study of religion, with ample opportunity for specialisation. You can choose and develop your specific expertise in relation to one of the key research areas of our institute such as:
- Religious texts and interpretative practices: This research area focuses on the study of religious traditions from the perspective of sacred texts: their interpretation and the religious rituals and practices associated with them, and discussions on the authority of religious texts.
- Materiality and physicality of lived religion: This area focuses on the study of the use of the body and the senses in religious practices, such as praying, dancing, fighting, and fasting, and the function of objects within the context of religion, such as images, buildings, food, clothing, money, movies, and digital media.
- Religious diversity in contexts of globalisation and migration: This research area focuses on the role of religion in public controversies and political developments concerning, for instance, gender equality, socio-cultural transformation, political and religious fundamentalism, and conflict resolution.
Career Opportunities
Academic Careers
The research Master’s program in Religious Studies is designed for students with the ability and ambition to pursue an academic career. You will learn from internationally leading scholars, including laureates of prestigious awards and research grants. You will actively participate in their research projects and their international networks. This significantly enhances your prospects of being offered a funded Ph.D. position, either at Utrecht University or at another research university.
Non-Academic Careers
Graduates of Religious Studies work in diverse jobs in which the depth and level of abstraction of a research Master give them an edge over those who have done the practice-oriented one-year Master's program (such as Religie en samenleving).
A research Master provides its students with more analytical skills and advanced multidisciplinary research competencies, as well as insights into historical and transnational developments that shape the impact of religion on societies, groups, and individuals worldwide. Such qualifications are valuable for a variety of positions in administration, consultancy, education, media, and cultural institutions.