This Master of Arts trains you to analyze contemporary and emerging forms of religion from a global perspective, with a particular focus on how religious dynamics shape and are shaped by questions about our collective futures. The programme emphasizes the development of research and critical-thinking skills needed to investigate major global challenges and their religious dimensions, preparing you to interpret complex social phenomena and to contribute to informed public and academic debates.
You will study how religion intersects with issues such as climate change, resource scarcity, pandemics, social discrimination and inequality, international conflict and terrorism, neo‑imperialism, poverty, (ethno)nationalism, migration and social cohesion. The curriculum is explicitly interdisciplinary: you will be able to draw on expertise across the University of Bayreuth in areas including sustainability, political science, economic history, global nutrition and public health, anthropology, sociology, Islamic studies and African studies. The programme’s research orientation highlights plurality and relationality, offering both foundational knowledge of particular religious traditions and regions and opportunities to examine translocal movements, encounters and interdependencies among religious groups.
Key facts and application notes
This master’s curriculum is a 120 ECTS program that mixes compulsory and elective work to give both breadth and depth in the study of religion in a global context. Coursework is organized into a set of paired modules (I–II) across core topics, methodology, central theoretical concepts, regional or language specialization, thematic fields, and interdisciplinarity. Teaching and assessment are balanced between taught modules, a research seminar and study project, and an independent capstone in the form of a 30 ECTS master’s thesis.
The programme also offers practical and applied options: students can choose an internship or pursue independent studies for practical experience and professional orientation. The Research Seminar (two parts) plus the Study Project provide progressive training in academic research and project design, preparing students for the thesis. The structure supports specialization (through regional or language modules and thematic fields) while ensuring strong methodological and interdisciplinary foundations.
Learning outcomes emphasize the ability to conduct independent, interdisciplinary research on religion and global processes; to apply qualitative and/or quantitative methods; to critically engage with central concepts in the field; and to communicate research findings in written and oral formats suitable for academic and professional contexts.
Key modules and credit allocation
Admission requirements
This programme normally expects applicants to hold a Bachelor's degree totalling 180 ECTS credits in the study of religion and/or related cultural or social sciences (for example: Islamic studies, African studies, social and cultural anthropology, sociology, history, political science). Within that degree at least 30 ECTS must come from courses in religious studies and/or cultural and social sciences. Degrees from other systems are accepted if they are equivalent and meet the minimum grade requirement of 2.5 (“good”) on the German grading scale or an internationally comparable grade.
Your degree’s equivalency is assessed by the programme’s board of examiners and is not finally determined until your application is processed; therefore the board cannot provide a binding pre-assessment. All applicants must also submit a cover letter (maximum two pages) explaining their suitability for the MA — e.g., main previous study areas, study-abroad experience, internships, interest in the methodological and theoretical approaches of social/cultural studies of religion, and initial ideas for a research project to be developed during the Master’s. You may apply before your Bachelor’s is formally completed, but specific minimums must already be met at time of application.
Key application requirements
Winter Semester (International)
15 July 2026
Winter Semester (EU/EEA)
15 October 2026
Graduates are prepared for careers that require strong research, analytical and intercultural skills, both within and beyond academia. The programme’s emphasis on contemporary global challenges and its practical internship/independent study option support pathways into research and teaching, policy and public administration, NGOs and international organisations, development and humanitarian work, cultural institutions, and public communication.
The interdisciplinary training also equips you for roles in research support, consulting, project management and advocacy where expertise in religion, social dynamics and global issues is an asset.