Religion
Entry requirements
A bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) or equivalent qualification in a relevant discipline, such as religious studies, theology, sociology or politic, philosophy or history.
Relevant professional experience will also be considered/taken into consideration.
Months of entry
September
Course content
Religion continues to shape our society and our understanding of the world. Deepening our knowledge of religious beliefs and practices is essential to responding to some of the greatest societal, ethical and political challenges we face.
On this course you'll explore how religious traditions shape our understanding of the world, and how they sometimes facilitate, disrupt, or otherwise influence society and culture.
You'll learn about the relevance of theology, sacred scripture, religious ritual, and faith-based organisations to contemporary issues such as climate change, terrorism, global development, gender, sexuality and race discrimination, migration and diaspora.
You'll also critically interrogate the concept of ‘religion’ in the context of different theories of politics, policy and social change, engaging with hotly debated and contested topics such secularisation, religious identity and representation, and religion and the public sphere.
The course draws on academic expertise from across the School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science, including theological, philosophical, sociological and anthropological approaches to the topic.
Our academic staff have expertise on a range of religious traditions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, and new religious movements. They approach religion from a variety of angles, but they share a commitment to studying and teaching about religion critically and emphatically as a relevant factor in understanding our contemporary world. We have active links with charitable, activist, community and faith organisations in the city and beyond.
As a postgraduate student, you'll be able to participate in our Centre for Religion and Public Life, and Centre for Philosophy of Religion and Theology. You'll be encouraged to join in with our fortnightly seminars and occasional research days, showcasing the work of our very own researchers at Leeds as well as external scholars.
This course can be used for preparing for further research or to develop within any sector where religion is relevant (for example the voluntary, advocacy, NGO, or policy sectors), or simply to further your interest in this fascinating area.
You can study full-time or part-time, and we also offer postgraduate certificate (PGCert) and postgraduate diploma (PGDip) versions of the course.
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Information for international students
English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.
Improve your English
International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.
This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Arts and Humanities (6 weeks) and Language for Social Science and Arts: Arts and Humanities (10 weeks).
If you need to study for longer than 10 weeks, read more about our postgraduate pre-sessional English course.
Fees and funding
If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government. Find out more at Masters funding overview.
Qualification, course duration and attendance options
- MA
- part time24 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- full time12 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
Course contact details
- Name
- Postgraduate Admissions Team
- prhs_pgenquiries@leeds.ac.uk
- Phone
- +44 (0)113 343 3263