Study of Religions

The two-year Master’s degree study programme in the Study of Religions develops the understanding of religious traditions of the world and deepens student insight into the theory, methodology, and history of the study of religions in a wide interdisciplinary context. As an option, students can also develop their knowledge of a chosen source language. The Master’s degree study programme accentuates writing and presentation skills, qualified use of various types of data, and an understanding of the main theoretical paradigms in the contemporary study of religion and related fields rather than tests of knowledge. Students deepen their insight into phenomena of human culture, develop creative thinking and an interdisciplinary approach, and choose a path towards teaching, research, or work in the media, non-governmental organizations, or other public or private bodies. This Master’s degree study programme offers a high-quality social scientific and humanistic education, which is comparable to similar programmes at the world’s leading universities.

“Towards the foundations of human culture.”

The curriculum is organized on the basis of a credit system, offering individual choices concerning the study timeline and thematic modifications according to the individual field of interest. Compulsory courses mostly cover theory and method in the humanities and social sciences, explained by means of particular examples from different religious traditions, and also include four practical seminars related to preparation of a thesis. Optional courses help broaden the knowledge of a range of religious traditions (eastern, western and archaic religious traditions, and religion in modern society) and deepen competences in the chosen methodology.

The Master’s degree study programme is suitable for graduates of the Bachelor’s degree programmes in the Study of Religions and related fields such as anthropology, sociology, ethnology, cultural studies, history, and psychology who intend to deepen their understanding of religious traditions viewed in the light of current international debate and from a fundamentally interdisciplinary perspective. It prepares students for occupations requiring excellent analytical skills and insight into the religious, cultural, and ethnic contexts of the operation of human societies and changes taking place within them.

Practical training

The study programme does not involve compulsory practical training.

Further information

http://religionistika.phil.muni.cz/en

Graduates are qualified for positions requiring critical thinking and cross-cultural adaptability. They usually work in teaching, journalism, administration, specialized sectors of the tourist industry, non-governmental organizations, the media, project writing in both the public and private sectors, companies focusing on the development of games and on leisure activities, and start-ups requiring creative thinking. They can offer employers strong analytical skills, creative thinking, presentation skills, flexibility, intercultural orientation, familiarity with the assumptions and methods of several disciplines within the humanities and the social sciences, the skill of writing texts that are both formally and factually correct, the capacity to think in global and interdisciplinary terms, and the ability methodically to pursue complex, demanding, and long-term projects.

Deadline for submitting applications: January 1 - April 30

Who the programme is intended for: The specialization is offered to graduates of all Bachelor’s degree programmes.

Subject matter of the entrance examination: oral examination. The oral examination will take place on the basis of the presentation and defence of the preliminary Master’s thesis project prepared on the form of the research project proposal, which applicants send in electronic form to the e-mail religion@phil.muni.cz, no later than 8 June (in the case of registration for the autumn semester) or 8 January (in the case of registration for the spring semester) of the given calendar year.

Website Department for the Study of Religions.

General information on the course of the admission procedure to the follow-up Master’s degree programmes at FA MU can be found here. Documents for the current admission procedure are kept in Materials for Applicants.

Criteria for evaluation

Pass/fail line of the entrance examination: 60 points (out of 100).

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Minimum score and numbers of accepted applicants in past years

After completion of Master’s studies, graduates can continue further studies in a doctoral degree programme in the Study of Religions or, depending on their focus during Master’s studies, in related fields such as anthropology, sociology, ethnology, cultural studies, history, and psychology.