Master Program in Religious Studies

Education facts

Code: RARVM

How are people's views of themselves affected by historical eras and cultural contexts? What significance can the relationship between religion and politics have? How do cultural forms and ways of understanding affect people's view of the natural environment? In our Sweden-unique master's degree in religious studies, you learn about the interaction between man, society, culture, religion and the natural environment. The program places a particular focus on the interaction between culture and religion, between the individual and the social context and between the individual and the natural environment. It also identifies values ​​and norms that govern existential orientation. The program does not only pay attention to Swedish conditions, but has an international and historical dimension: historically, forms of cultural understanding develop in interaction with different cultures. Islamic culture and religion cannot be understood without its connection in the Renaissance culture, which is also part of the Western European cultural heritage. The Western cultural heritage, in turn, cannot be understood without its connection in the early history of the Middle East with the amalgamation of the religiously oriented high cultures of India, Egypt and Persia. Through a historical/comparative perspective on culture and religion, many of today's cultural meeting issues get a wider perspective than the narrow nationalist or "monocultural" perspective. The understanding of the cultural backgrounds of religions leads to a deeper understanding of one's cultural background and to the understanding of similarities and differences between religions. If we consider the so-called book religions Islam, Judaism and Christianity in a geographical perspective, they all come from a common area where trade routes and cultures have crossed each other for millennia. If we consider the political condition in the world today, it cannot be understood without insight into the role of religions in politics and in the reshaping of the global world. The program includes three specializations: Leadership and sustainability Didactics of religion History of Religion including Psychology of Religion The specializations form different aspects of the unifying theme, which is the relationship between religion and the changing social context in which religion is expressed. These in-depth studies are also connected to the University's operational concept of a sustainable living environment. Here, it is especially the importance of the human existential dimension and cultural self-understanding as well as the need for a holistic approach in various areas - health, leadership and more - that is in the foreground when questions about a sustainable living environment are addressed.

Entry requirements

A first cycle degree comprising at least 180 credits (ECTS), with Religion as Major (90 ECTS) or equivalent.\* English language proficiency equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary school, English 6. \*Certain closely related main areas can, in addition to Religious Studies, be considered to be eligible.

Education offerings

Each offering has its own dates and conditions. Closed offerings are retained as history and do not mean that a new application is open.

• Master Program in Religious Studies

  University of Gävle

  Start date: 31 August 2026

  End date: 17 January 2027

  Pace of study: 100 %