Why Lancaster?

• Study a course designed to explore religion through the lens of different disciplines
• Learn from experts who specialise in research areas such as the roles of women in Islam and global Christianity
• Our team are at the cutting edge of the discipline and you’ll benefit from their insights into new religious movements
• Build your professional experience by presenting your ideas and getting feedback at the department’s postgraduate conference
• Use the advanced research skills you’ll develop to enhance your career or pursue a future in academia

Religion plays a role in many aspects of today’s world – from popular culture to conflict, gender equality to our understanding of the past. We’ve designed this course to help you unravel those relationships using research methods from different disciplines such as sociology and anthropology.

Hone your research skills

We kickstart this course with our Studying Religion module. It covers a lot of ground – you’ll study areas like social and cultural transformations of religion and spirituality, as well as sharpening your skills in making sense of conflicting data from different sources and forming an evidence-based argument.

You’ll also dig deeper into an area that interests you with our dissertation module. Past students have looked at a very wide range of topics, depending on their own interests. For example, they’ve written about religion and spirituality during lockdown, and charismatic leadership in new religious movements.

A range of areas to explore

Alongside core modules, you might analyse Indian source texts on politics and ethics or perhaps discuss major debates in religious and atheistic thought. With our Independent Study module, you can pick any area within the subject to explore.

Religious Studies is a rich and fascinating area of study, constantly evolving as our understanding expands and matures. Your MA Religious Studies degree will show potential employers that you understand cultural differences and appreciate diversity. This is something that’s valued across a range of sectors.

Careers

By the time you finish the course, you’ll have a set of transferrable skills on your CV. Your ability to evaluate arguments, assess evidence and think critically will be invaluable to employers, as will your understanding of religious and cultural diversity.

Our graduates go on to secure a range of public service roles within:

• Charities
• Organisations in the voluntary sector
• The Civil Service
• The police
• Education

Alternatively, you might decide to carry on studying with a PhD – an excellent opportunity to specialize further and make your mark in this field of research.