BA in Religious Studies
Groningen, Netherlands
BA
DURATION
3 years
LANGUAGES
English, Dutch
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 May 2027*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2027
TUITION FEES
EUR 14,000 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Dutch I EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA students
** non-EU/EEA | EU/EEA: € 2695/year
Key Summary
About: The BA in Religious Studies at the University of Groningen examines religion's role in conflict, radicalization, migration, and climate change. You'll study beliefs, practices and social effects, not to assess theological truth, using history, anthropology, sociology, political science and philosophy. Teaching draws on research from departments of Jewish, Christian and Islamic origins and comparative study of religion.
Research centres include Centre for Religion, Health and Wellbeing.
Career Outcomes: A Master's with placement improves prospects. Graduates work in Care, Policy & Management, Education, Academia, Church, Culture, Media; roles include spiritual carer, policy officer, teacher, researcher, museum worker, journalist or consultant.
What role does religion play in conflicts, radicalization, migration, and climate change? And can freedom of speech and freedom of religion coexist, or does one exclude the other?
Religion matters. Worldwide, 85% of the population identifies itself as religious. In the Bachelor’s program, you study people's behavior and thinking, and you explore how religion gives meaning to people’s lives, and the way people practice religion.
In class, you won't discuss to what extent religions are 'true'; instead, you examine what people and societies do with religion and the impact this has locally, regionally, and globally. Because it's beyond question religion plays a key role in today’s pressing issues: from climate change and sustainability to radicalization, heritage, sexual health, migration, war, and peace.
The program is broad and interdisciplinary. You will study religion and world religions from multiple perspectives - such as history, anthropology, sociology, psychology, political science, and philosophy - and discover the many ways in which religion drives and influences society.
Understanding religion is key to understanding today’s world, and experts who can analyze and explain the impact of religion are essential today.
Do you turn your curiosity into knowledge and expertise? Delve into the role of religion and gain a deeper understanding of the world.
Education and Research
The program directly benefits from cutting-edge research carried out within the three departments of the faculty:
- Jewish, Christian and Islamic Origins. The research and teaching carried out in this department focuses on the formative stages of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Your lecturers study their dynamic interrelationship in the context of ancient Near Eastern, Graeco-Roman and late antique cultures.
- Comparative Study of Religion. In this department, religion is addressed in all its forms and appearances. Historians, anthropologists, sociologists and psychologists are working together to critically investigate religion as a cultural factor that is so influential in the modern world. Of particular importance for the research and teaching in this department is the critical analysis of constructions of “Eastern” and “Western” forms of religion.
- Christianity and the History of Ideas. The scholars in this department focus on the impact of the Christian intellectual tradition in the past as well as the possibilities of a rapprochement of religion and the secular in our time.
The course units are taught by internationally recognized scholars. They will provide you with an up-to-date overview of the state of the art of the subjects you are studying, often drawing on their own research.
Research Centres and activities
Much of the research connects with the activities of:
- Centre for Religion, Conflict and Globalization
- Centre for Religion, Health and Wellbeing
- Centre for Religion and Heritage
- Institute of Indian Studies
- Qumran Institute
- CRASIS: Culture, Religion and Society in Graeco-Roman Antiquity
These centres and research groups regularly invite speakers and organize events where students, PhD students and staff engage in lively discussions.
Year 1
In the first year, you will study the great world religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism). You will consider the historical origin of these religions and their modern-day manifestations. You will be introduced to various approaches to the study of religion, including psychology, sociology, anthropology, and philosophy. You will address questions such as: What is a religious experience? What are the claims to truth made by religions?
Courses
- Christianity: History, Sources and Praxis (7.5 EC)
- Concepts and Methods 1: Study of Religion (7.5 EC)
- Anthropology of Religion (7.5 EC)
- Religion in South Asia (7.5 EC)
- Judaism: History, Sources and Praxis (7.5 EC)
- Psychology and Sociology of Religion (7.5 EC)
- Islam: History, Sources and Praxis (7.5 EC)
- Philosophy of Religion and Spirituality (7.5 EC)
Year 2
In the second year, you will learn to use different perspectives to analyze religious expressions and place them in their cultural context. In addition, you will follow lectures on the social, cultural and political impact of religion. What influence does religion have on a secular society? What media do religious groups use to promote their image? Is the role of religion in politics different in the West than in the East? What is the position of women in a migrant community?
Courses
- Concepts and Methods 2: Researching Religion (7.5 EC)
- Rituals in Theory and Practice (7.5 EC)
- Ethics, Religion and Care (7.5 EC)
- The Sacred Image (7.5 EC)
- Religion, Media and Popular Culture (7.5 EC)
- The Text Awakens: Reading and Using of Religious Texts (7.5 EC)
- Religion, Diversity and Identity (7.5 EC)
- Religion and Politics (7.5 EC)
Year 3
In the third year, you can follow course units from other degree programs, study for six months abroad, or follow a placement. You will also conduct research within your chosen specialisation, for example, among immigrants: Do they experience their religion differently in their new homeland? You will report on your research in your Bachelor's thesis.
Courses
- Optional module (7.5 EC, optional)
- Quranic Arabic 1 (7.5 EC, optional)
- Minor Spiritual Care (Dutch only) (30 EC, optional)
- University Minor (for example, Educational Minor) (30 EC, optional)
- Climate Change, End Times and Sustainable Futures (7.5 EC, optional)
- Optional Module (7.5 EC, optional)
- Quranic Arabic 2 (7.5 EC, optional)
- Religion, Space and Place (7.5 EC, optional)
- Specialisation: Cultural and Political Impact of Religion (7.5 EC, optional)
- Specialisation: Origins of Religion: Foundational Texts and their Transformations (7.5 EC, optional)
- Thesis Seminar (7.5 EC)
- Bachelor Thesis (10 EC)
- Science Communication (5 EC)
Study abroad
- Study abroad is optional
- For an average of 20 weeks
- Maximum of 30 EC
Job prospects
If you complete a follow-on Master's degree after your Bachelor's degree, you increase your chances on the job market. If you choose a Master's programme at our Faculty, you will do a placement at an organization, institute or company that is involved in religion and culture. Most of our graduates end up in one of seven clear job profiles after gaining a Master's degree:
- Care
- Policy & Management
- Education
- Academia
- Church
- Culture
- Media
Below you will find a list of the jobs held by our alumni.
- Care: spiritual carer at a care institution, independent therapist.
- Policy & Management: policy officer / advisor with a government institution, cultural institution or political party, staff member/advisor for an aid organization, embassy staff, security advisor to the military, etc.
- Education: religious studies teacher, education officer.
- Academia: researcher at a university or research institute.
- Culture: employee at museum
- Media: journalist, editor.
In addition, a significant number of our graduates are self-employed in one of these sectors.
- Regularly voted as a top-rated programme in the Netherlands, at a top 100 university;
- Taught entirely in English;
- Unique combination of anthropology, sociology, psychology, (art) history, political science, philosophy, and ethics.
- International teachers and students;
- Small classes with intensive supervision;
- Program relates the latest research and theories to current developments;
- Taught at a non-denominational university;
- Groningen is a vibrant yet safe place to live.