This programme has been discontinued.

MA Religion

Overview

The MA in Religion provides advanced study of the religious traditions of both the West and Asia. The programme offers two pathways:

Buddhist Studies
Theology and Religious Studies.

These reflect the expertise in the Department of Religion and Theology and allow you to study various religious traditions with scholars who are world-renowned experts in those fields.

The taught element of the programme requires you to do some study of both Asian and Western religious traditions (irrespective of the pathway you choose) but also allows you to focus more rigorously on the study of either Buddhism or religion and theology more broadly. In either pathway, the aim is to help you engage in in-depth study, led by staff who teach careful, rigorous, scholarly research methods at a high level.

Programme structure

You will follow one of two pathways and complete units worth 180 credit points.

The Buddhist Studies pathway is suitable for those who either want to deepen their knowledge of Buddhism through academic study or are interested in undertaking research in Buddhist studies but have little or no formal academic training in this area at undergraduate level. There are two core units, one of which is a language unit, and a choice of optional units possibly including those available from across the Faculty of Arts. For the dissertation unit, you will engage in supervised research on a topic of your choice and submit a dissertation of between 10,000 and 15,000 words.

The Theology and Religious Studies pathway comprises two core units and four optional units. As with the Buddhist Studies pathway, you will also engage in supervised research on a topic of your choice and submit a dissertation of between 10,000 and 15,000 words.

Non-blended study requires daytime weekday attendance; blended study requires computer/wifi to access synchronous and asynchronous materials.

Visit our programme catalogue for full details of the structure and unit content for our MA in Religion.

Entry requirements

An upper second-class honours degree (or international equivalent) in Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences degree. Non-traditional qualifications/routes may also be considered.

See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.

Admissions Statement

Read the programme admissions statement for important information on entry requirements, the application process and supporting documents required.

Go to admissions statement

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to reach the requirements outlined in our profile level C.

Further information about English language requirements and profile levels.

Fees and funding

UK: full-time: £13,100 per year
UK: part-time (two years): £6,550 per year
Overseas: full-time: £28,000 per year

Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.

More about tuition fees, living costs and financial support.

Alumni discount

University of Bristol students and graduates can benefit from a 25% reduction in tuition fees for postgraduate study. Check your eligibility for an alumni discount.

Funding for 2023/24

Funding and studentship opportunities are listed on the Faculty of Arts funding pages.

Further information on funding for prospective UK and international postgraduate students.

Career prospects

Students who complete this MA programme have taken up many different careers in areas such as academic research, social work, banking and industry, counselling and teaching, research, design, journalism, advertising, film, and the arts.

This degree will build your ability to comprehend large amounts of material, think critically and express your thoughts clearly and persuasively in writing and in speech. Our graduates are highly employable because they have the ability to learn quickly and to think and communicate intelligently.