Theology (MPhil)

In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that religion is a very important factor in the interplay between people and the development of humanity in general, individually as well as socially. A thorough study of religion, taking into account all its specific qualities and dimensions, is of paramount importance to our present-day society.

The research master Theology is a cooperation between Utrecht University and Tilburg University (Department of Religious Studies and Theology and Faculty of Catholic Theology). However, UU and Tilburg University offer separate programmes, consisting of an obligatory part, and a part in which the student may choose out of courses offered by one of these universities. Below, you will find the Tilburg University programme. Students registered at Tilburg University follow the major and minor of this programme, and write their master's thesis within this programme.

Please note, the Tilburg University part is also a cooperation. Courses may be offered in Tilburg, or in Utrecht, where the Faculty of Catholic Theology is located.

The programme consists of a major in one of the four key focus areas:

• Biblical Studies
• Systematic and Ethical Studies
• Liturgical and Ritual Studies
• Religious Pluralism

Each major consists of four courses of each 7,5 ECTS, followed by a master's thesis of 30 ECTS (see below).

Besides the major the programme consists of:

• A minor (15 ECTS). The minor courses are taken from one of the other majors, preferably the programme which is nearest to the student's major (Biblical Studies - Systematic and Ethical Studies/Liturgical and Ritual Studies - Religious Pluralism)
• A master colloquium (15 ECTS)
• Methodological skills, also including language proficiency (15 ECTS).
• Choice courses (15 ECTS)

Requirements
The programme starts on 1 September each year and the deadline for admission is 15 April for non-Dutch students and 1 June for Dutch students.

Deadlines for starting at the end of January are 1 October for non-EEA students, and 1 December for EEA students.
Before applying, check that you meet the following requirements:

Bachelor students should meet the following requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline. While a bachelor in theology is not a prerequisite for admission to all fields of theology in the research master, additional course work may be required, depending on the field in which the student has graduated, and on the disciplinary field in which the student intends to specialise.
• An average score of 7.5 (out of 10) on their preliminary examinations in the second and third years of their completed Bachelor’s programme and a minimal score of 8 on their final Bachelor’s thesis, or equivalent scores for these study units in a non-Dutch higher education system.
• Sufficient talent, affinity and motivation with respect to doing scientific research, as demonstrated in the Bachelor’s thesis (or a comparable essay), or in a dedicated research proposal;
• Sufficient knowledge of the English language. If a student according to the Admission Committee can not show a sufficient command of English he/she has to pass the TOEFL, a language admission test, with a score of at least 575 on the paper-based version and a score of 232 on the computer-based version of this test.

Master students* should meet the following requirements:

• Master's degree in a relevant discipline. While a master in theology is not a prerequisite for admission to all fields of theology in the research master, additional course work may be required, depending on the field in which the student has graduated, and on the disciplinary field in which the student intends to specialise.
• An average score of 7.5 (out of 10) on their preliminary examinations of their completed Master’s programme and a minimal score of 8 on their final Master’s thesis, or equivalent scores for these study units in a former or non-Dutch higher education system.
• Sufficient talent, affinity and motivation with respect to doing scientific research, as demonstrated in the Master’ s thesis (or a comparable essay), or in a dedicated research proposal;
• Sufficient knowledge of the English language. If a student according to the Admission Committee can not show a sufficient command of English he/she has to pass the TOEFL, a language admission test, with a score of at least 575 on the paper-based version and a score of 232 on the computer-based version of this test.

* To students who have successfully completed a Master’s or a comparable final academic examination in a relevant discipline, the Admission Committee proposes an reduced programme which, according to the Admission Committee, warrants successful completion of the programme with all exemptions from units of study taken into account.

Enrolment
Please make sure you enclose the following documents:

• Application form
• A copy of the bachelor thesis or a comparable essay or dedicated research proposal
• certified copies of your university and pre-university diplomas (plus English transcripts)
• your TOEFL English-language test (the score must be at least 600). (If you can demonstrate an adequate level of English a TOEFL test may not be necessary)
• a copy of your passport
• your Curriculum Vitae and a letter of motivation

One aim of the research master is to prepare students for research positions.

• The Dutch Research School for Theology and Religious Studies NOSTER currently coordinates the Ph.D. training programme of 54 Ph.D. Students, who are all employed (mostly as AIO or OIO) by the Dutch universities. Since not all AIO’s and OIO’s are members of NOSTER, the actual number of AIO’s and OIO’s is larger. In Flanders (Belgium), the number of Ph.D. students in theology is similar to that in the Netherlands; in Leuven alone, there are 40.
• Besides research positions within Faculties of Theology, Ph.D. positions in other Faculties may be open to graduates of the Research MA. A Research MA graduate specialized in church history may obtain a Ph.D. position in History within the Arts Faculty; a Research MA graduate specialized in systematic theology/ethics may obtain a Ph.D. position in philosophy.
• Besides research positions within the universities, there are research and management positions in churches, religious organizations, political parties, the educational sector and the government (e.g., the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science), which require research qualifications, but not a Ph.D. Degree.

Thus, for some students the Research Master provides a basis for further (Ph.D.) training, whereas for other students the Research Master completes their training for an academic working environment.