About the faculty

Religion matters in society. There is growing awareness of the complexity and multifaceted nature of religion in the past and present. We use a multidisciplinary approach in studying religion in all its facets, one that combines theories and methods of the humanities and the social sciences. The dynamic relationship between religion, culture and society is at the heart of our teaching and research.

Our Faculty’s depth and breadth in methods and expertise, our combination of theology and religious studies, and our autonomy as an institution mean that we are well positioned to contribute substantially to understanding religion and translating our findings for the wider scholarly and general public. We seek to provide students, the general public, governmental and non-governmental organisations with academically supported knowledge and skills and to jointly enter into a process of reflection on religion and society. Because religion matters; whether you are religious, or not.

The Faculty of Religion, Culture and Society is one of the founding faculties of the University of Groningen (1614), offers two Bachelor's Programmes, five tracks in our one-year Master's Programme, a two-year Research Master's Programme, including an Erasmus Mundus Programme, a PhD-programme, and post-academic courses. We host six research institutes and participate in various networks.

Our degree programmes are considered to be one of the best in the Netherlands, and our research is of the highest standard. We are unique in the Netherlands, because we are the only independent Faculty at a state university in the field of religious studies. Because we get to design our own policies, we will continue to play a leading role in the field of theology and religious studies.