Practical Theology (specialisation)

Entry requirements

1. A completed Bachelor's degree in Theology or related area

2. A proficiency in English

In order to take part in this programme, you need to have fluency in both written and spoken English.This requirement has been satisfied when the student meets the conditions, listed on our website.

Months of entry

February, September

Course content

Searching for traces of meaning in everyday practices, and looking beyond traditional shapes of religiosity.

In the Master’s specialisation in Practical Theology, focuses on the search for theological concepts that match the changing shape of the Christian religion in the life of individuals as well as fresh expressions of religious institutions. The goal is to understand how certain people or groups of people view spirituality today, how they give meaning to lives and how this, sometimes, is at odds with traditional religious conventions.

Researchers at Radboud use unique methodologies that focus on a qualitative study of narratives, communication, and ritual (liturgy) and have expertise in spiritual biographical research, practice-oriented research and discourse analysis. Radboud also has extensive experience in survey research, including comparative cross-religious research. Radboud University and its Theology department are Roman Catholic in origin, but its Master’s programme in Theology is open to all students. Our students have very diverse religious and cultural backgrounds.

What will you learn?

• Gain insight into theological theory-building to understand dynamics and meaning of lived religion four different levels: the personal, inter-group relations, organisational and societal level
• Learn to use empirical research methods in order to build new theory
• Get experience designing, conducting and presenting your own research

Career prospects

Graduates of this Master’s specialisation in Practical Theology may find work in a variety of positions:

• Academic research
• Policy making
• Journalism
• Spiritual caretaker
• Educator

*This is a specialisation of the Master's in Theology

If you have any questions, email us here: study-information@ru.nl

Learn more via the Radboud University contact form.

Information for international students

Application deadlines

Non-EU/EEA students

• The deadline for non-EU/EEA students who wish to apply for a scholarship is 31 January prior to the September intake. For the requirements and selection procedure for scholarships, please check our scholarship overview.
• The deadline for those not applying for a scholarship is 1 April for non-EU/EEA nationals for the September 2026 intake. You can apply for the September 2026 intake from 1 October 2025.

EU/EEA students

• The application deadline for EU/EEA students with housing assistance for the September 2026 intake is 1 May, and the deadline without housing assistance is 1 July. You can apply from 1 October onward for the 2026/2027 academic year.

The application deadlines for Master’s starting in February are 1 November for non-EU/EEA citizens and 1 December for EU/EEA citizens.

Fees and funding

Radboud University offers 3 different scholarships that are open to prospective Master's students from non-EU/EEA countries and who want to follow an English-taught Master's programme.

Radboud Scholarship Programme

The Radboud Scholarship Programme offers talented, highly motivated, non-EU/EEA students with outstanding study results the opportunity to be awarded a partial scholarship for an English-taught Master’s programme.

NL Scholarship (for prospective students)

The NL Scholarship (formerly known as Holland Scholarship) is a partial scholarship for non-EU/EEA students who want to do their Master’s in the Netherlands.

Fulbright-Radboud Scholarships

The Fulbright Commission, sponsored by Radboud University, is offering scholarships for talented American students to study at Radboud University.