Overview
Fachportal Kulturen und Gesellschaft

Religious Studies

Would you like to know…

  • How it came to be that certain things were described as “religious” and what this means?
  • Why many people in modern European society consider religion a private matter, do not like to talk about religion and regard themselves as decidedly non-religious?
  • Why churches in our society are losing members while we often speak of a “return of religion” globally?
  • Where the religions in Switzerland and elsewhere originate from, how they are organised and what they believe?
  • How the religious landscape of Switzerland has been affected by secularisation and migration?
  • Why religion can both contribute to amicable co-existence and fuel conflicts? 

...then you should study religious studies.

  • Religious studies can be studied at almost all universities in Switzerland: in Basel, Bern, Freiburg, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne and Zurich. The subject and the competent institutes vary in terms of organisation (it may be attached to philosophy faculties, theology faculties or it may be cross-faculty) but all relevant courses have similar expertise. The Bachelor’s course results in all cases in a Bachelor of Arts and the Master’s course in a Master of Arts. Doctorate programmes in religious studies generally results in a Dr. phil.
  • The different universities offer different specialisations: while religious history with a focus on Ancient Religion is offered in Geneva, Lucerne focuses on research on current affairs and issues regarding integration of religious migrant communities; those with a special interest in religious theory, would be in good hands in Basel, while Freiburg has a relatively strong focus on historical and present-day religions in Europe. In Bern, the regional focus is on Asia. Lausanne and Zurich offer a wide array of humanities and social sciences as part of cross-faculty collaborations. The curricula are similarly diverse. All universities cover basic theoretical issues and methodical approaches in religious studies, as well as basic knowledge of the history of the discipline. Mobility between universities is fully guaranteed.
  • Find out about concrete study options in religious studies through the websites of the teaching chairs, institutes and institutions!
  • It is possible to complete a doctorate in religious studies at all universities. Examples of joint initiatives are the doctoral programme in Religious Studies at the universities of Basel and Zurich, and the “Programme doctoral d’Histoire et Sciences des Religions” (doctoral programme in history and the study of religions” at the universities of Freiburg, Geneva and Lausanne.

    Overview of universities

    Joint doctoral programmes in Religious Studies in Switzerland