Program Overview

Program Overview

The Faculty of Philosophy offers a Bachelor's degree program in Religious Studies, which analyzes religious ideas, practices, and materialities from an empirical-cultural perspective. The program endeavors to understand these aspects in their respective historical, cultural, and societal contexts.

Facts and Formalities

• Degree: Bachelor of Arts
• Type of program: Undergraduate
• Start of program: Winter and summer semester
• Standard period of study: 6 semesters
• Language(s) of instruction: German and English
• Fees and contributions: 161.10 € / Semester
• Application procedure: Subjects with no admission restrictions
• Application deadlines: Information about deadlines can be obtained after putting together a degree program
• Part-time option: Yes

Course Content

The focus of the Bachelor's degree program in Religious Studies at Heidelberg University is the analysis of various religions in the past and the present. The program does not focus on the truth or accuracy of religious statements but on the roles religious actors, institutions, narrations, and practices play in their respective historical cultures. The course focuses on rituals and ritual objects, statements made by religious actors in interviews, the presentation of religion in various media formats, as well as written and archaeological sources. Students in the Religious Studies program analyze predominantly objective religious insights of changes in religious traditions on the basis of empirical findings.

Course Structure

The Bachelor's degree program in Religious Studies at 75% consists of a theoretical-methodological component and a religious-historical component:

• Language, Theory, and Methods: Basic and advanced modules convey knowledge of theories and methods that enable students to study global religious traditions in the past and the present. Students are introduced to methods for collecting data on religious traditions, such as historical-philological, archaeological, sociological, or ethnological methods.
• Religious History: Courses provide general overviews, conveying knowledge about major religious traditions and their current developments, as well as introductions to specific areas of specialization. Students can choose modules from the range of interdisciplinary Religious Studies modules, enabling them to independently select areas of specialization and develop their skills profile according to their career goals.

Examination Components

Examination components completed during the course of study are either presentations and essays or module examinations, such as term papers, oral examinations, and written examinations. At the end of the academic program, students write their Bachelor's thesis in the sixth semester.

Additional Degrees

• Bachelor 25%
• Bachelor 50%
• Master, consecutive