MA in Religion and Pluralism, Ancient & Modern
Groningen, Netherlands
MA
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 May 2027*
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2027
TUITION FEES
EUR 18,700 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* Dutch, EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA students
** for Non-EU|for EU/EEA EUR 2,530
Key Summary
About: The MA in Religion and Pluralism, Ancient & Modern at the University of Groningen examines in‑ and exclusion across the Graeco‑Roman world, Late Antiquity, the medieval era and the modern period. You’ll study relations among Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and learn to analyze textual and material sources using archaeology, codicology, paleography, epigraphy and philological methods.
Career Outcomes: Graduates can work as advisers and policymakers on interreligious issues, cultural professionals, journalists or media specialists, secondary or higher education teachers, or academic researchers. Other paths include heritage, NGOs and public policy, where skills in textual analysis, interpretation and intercultural competence apply.
Since time immemorial, there has been a tension between 'us' and 'them'. Which role did in- and exclusion play in antiquity? What are the boundaries of tolerance in societies, in past and present?
In Europe, this tension is strongly felt in relations between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Partly due to present migration from Islamic countries, questions of identity and 'belonging' are still strongly linked to religious persuasion. This MA-track focuses on the (internal) diversity, existence and coexistence of the three major monotheistic religions, and how these relationships have shaped our contemporary societies.
You will explore the impact of religious diversity on the formation of social identities across the Graeco-Roman world, Late Antiquity, the medieval era, and the modern period. Central to this is the tension between tolerance and acceptance on the one hand, and rejection and exclusion on the other, as they unfolded over the past two thousand years.
The programme trains you to analyse textual sources that reflect encounters between these religious traditions, applying a wide range of methods and perspectives: archaeology, codicology, paleography, epigraphy, and philological analysis and interpretation.
Year 1
- Core Module: The Construction of Religious Identities in Europe: Religious Diversity in the Greco-Roman World (10 EC)
- Elective: Dark Heritage: Memorialising Death and Disaster (5 EC, optional)
- Elective: Material Religion: Things, Performances and Belief (5 EC, optional)
- Elective: On the move: People(s), Cultures, and Religions (5 EC, optional)
- Elective: Apocalypse and Politics (5 EC, optional)
- Elective: Growth and Expansion of Religious Identities: Religious Disputes in the Formation of Christianity and Islam (5 EC, optional)
- Elective: Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding (5 EC, optional)
- Elective: Religion, Gender and Sexuality: from Politics to Everyday Life (5 EC, optional)
- Research Methods: Fragments and Ruins: Heritage and Historical Approaches to the Past (5 EC)
- Internship (10 EC)
- Master's Thesis + thesis seminar (20 EC)
As a graduate you can become an adviser and policymaker on interreligious issues and multicultural society. You may work in cultural organisations and companies in the public sector. In addition, you can work in the media. You can become a teacher of religion or philosophy. If you want to pursue an academic career, you can follow this track as a specialization within the Research Master's programme.
Check where our alumni end up after graduating on our alumni page.
Job examples
- Media & Journalism - The current debate often refers to perceived historical realities. Your expertise in the formative periods of Judaism, Christianity and Islam enables you to ask critical questions concerning modern-day claims about these religious traditions. You can use your knowledge and skills as an editor at a publishing company, broadcasting company, newspaper or news and current affairs magazine. You could also work as a freelancer.
- Education - Once you have completed this Master's programme you will have enough knowledge of the subject to become a secondary school teacher in the subject of Religious Studies and Philosophy or Social Studies. You could also opt for a position in higher vocational education, for example teaching Theology at a university of applied sciences. As you also need didactic skills as a teacher, it is advisable to do a Master's in Education after you have completed your regular Master's programme.
- Consulting & Policy - You are able to provide well-founded advice on interreligious issues and multicultural society. You can use this expertise in an advisory position at cultural organizations, in companies or in the public sector. Your knowledge equips you for policymaking positions in this field.
Why study this program in Groningen?
- the integrated approach of religious pluralism, politics, and their many global interfaces
- focus on the historical context of modern societies
- taught by internationally recognized experts in the field
- opportunity to pursue your own research interests
- expertise on various religions taught at non-denominational university
- the best MA program in Theology and Religious Studies in the Netherlands.