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Study of Religions

Bachelor's degree in full-time or combined form. The language of instruction is Czech.

The programme can be studied as a single subject or in combination with another programme.

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What will you learn?

The three-year Bachelor’s degree study programme in the Study of Religions pro-vides a comprehensive overview of the main religious traditions of the past and pre-sent, and the fundamentals of the theory, methodology, and history of the discipline. In addition, the main study plan enables students to acquire basic knowledge of a se-lected source language. The study plan also includes practical training in writing and presentation skills as well as in the selection of methods of historical, comparative, sociological, anthropological, and psychological research into religion. This practical training places an emphasis on identifying relevant sources of information, the devel-opment of analytical skills, the formulation of coherent and well-founded attitudes to phenomena of human culture both orally and in writing, creative thinking, and the adoption of an interdisciplinary mind-set. Attention is also paid to the development of skills necessary for the application of the study of religions in social practice.

“Towards the foundations of human culture.”

The curriculum is organized on the basis of a credit system, offering individual choices concerning the study programme timeline and thematic modifications accord-ing to the individual area of interest. Type A/compulsory courses cover the main reli-gious traditions of the world, an introduction to the discipline and its transformations, and practically oriented methodological training. The vast range of optional courses on offer further develop and enrich the programme.

This study programme is suitable for graduates of all types of high schools who are interested in the dynamics of religion and in its functioning in both historical and con-temporary societies. The study programme provides a high-quality Bachelor’s degree education in the humanities and the social sciences provided by an internationally well-recognized department. The programme’s graduates are qualified for positions requiring analytical skills and orientation in the religious, cultural, and ethnic contexts of functioning and changing human societies.

Practical training

The study programme does not involve required practical training.

Further information

Visit the website of the Department for the Study of Religions and find out what events we hold outside of class, what activities you can get involved in, and much more.

Career opportunities

Graduates are qualified for positions requiring critical thinking and cross-cultural adaptability. They usually work in teaching, journalism, administration, specialized sectors of the tourist industry, non-governmental organizations, the media, project writing in both the public and private sectors, companies focusing on the develop-ment of games and on leisure activities, and start-ups requiring creative thinking. They can offer employers strong analytical skills, creative thinking, presentation skills, flexibility, intercultural orientation, familiarity with the assumptions and meth-ods of several disciplines within the humanities and the social sciences, the skill of writing original texts that are both formally and factually correct, the capacity to think in global and interdisciplinary terms, and the ability methodically to pursue complex, demanding, and long-term projects.

Admission requirements

This programme is taught in Czech.

The criteria for admission for studies are the results of the written Field of Study Examination. Applicants may also be admitted based on other criteria, see Admission without the Entrance Examination. The Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University disregards the results of SCIO National Comparative Examinations.

You can file your e-applications for studies from 1 November to 28 February.
Field of Study Examinations will be held from 21 April to 24 April.
The date and time of the examination will be stated in the electronic invitation for the examination, which will be uploaded to your e-application. The faculty will not be sending paper invitations. Applicants applying for the major study plan and minor study plan in a combined study must comply with the conditions for admission into both plans.

Learning Potential Test (TSP)

For admission for studies in this degree programme, you do not need to take the TSP.

Field of Study Examination

This examination is only in Czech. It is intended to check the applicants’ knowledge of the given field of study. It is done in the form of a written test.

Basic description of the Field of Study Examination:

The field of study test has three parts:
  • reading comprehension of a short English text (20 points)
  • multiple choice questions (40 points)
  • 5 open questions (40 points)
The applicants are expected to have general knowledge of European history, general cultural knowledge, and basic knowledge of the most important texts of European religious traditions, mainly the Bible.

Sample question: Buddhism is a religion which originated from:
a) Tibet
b) India
c) China
d) Japan

Admission without the entrance examination

You may be exempt from the entrance examination based on at least one of the following criteria:
  1. participation in a national round of Students’ Professional Activities (SOČ) in the field of philosophy, political studies, and other humanities;
  2. secondary school results from profile subjects of Czech (Slovak) language, history, basics of social sciences and a foreign language of the applicant’s choice.

Secondary school results may be applied for an exemption from the entrance examination by those applicants whose average grade was 1.5 or higher in each of the four profile subjects. The total average result in all subjects is not taken into consideration. Secondary school seminars are also disregarded. The average grade of each profile subject is calculated based on the results of the last four years of study in the following way: the mid-year grade is calculated from the final year, whereas the final grades are calculated from the previous three years. It is also necessary that applicants have studied each of the profile subjects for at least two years during the last four years.
Enter your grades in your e-application. Then print the grades out and let your secondary school certify them with a stamp and a signature. Upload the scan of the certified grades into your e-application. You can also upload officially certified school reports or any other documents certifying your school results.
Please upload the officially certified documents directly to your e-application in the section Application for the Exemption from the Entrance Examination no later than 28 February.

Criteria for evaluation

  • Total number of points in the Field of Study Examination: 100
  • Limit for successfully passing the Field of Study Examination: 60
Points are not deducted for incorrect answers.

Recommended literature

For the entrance examination:

  • Jaromír Schön, Občanský a společenskovědní základ. Náboženství, Kralice na Hané: Computer Media 2012.
  • Bible. Písmo svaté Starého a Nového zákona, český ekumenický překlad, Praha: Česká biblická společnost 1985.
Further recommended literature:
  • Bělka, Luboš - Fujda, Milan - Kubovčáková, Zuzana, Náboženství světa II: východní tradice, Brno: Masarykova univerzita 2014. (dostupné online)
  • Filipský, Jan, Encyklopedie indické mytologie: postavy indických bájí a letopisů, Praha: Libri 1998.
  • Horyna, Břetislav a Helena Pavlincová, Judaismus-Křesťanství-Islám, Olomouc: nakladatelství Olomouc, 2003.
  • Chalupa, Aleš a kol., Náboženství světa I: západní tradice, Brno: Masarykova univerzita 2014. (dostupné online)
  • Kropáček, Luboš, Duchovní cesty islámu, Praha: Vyšehrad, 6. vyd. 2018.
  • Schubert, Kurt, Židovské náboženství v proměnách věků: zdroje, teologie, filosofie, mystika, vyd. 3., rev. Praha: Vyšehrad, 2010.

Minimum score and numbers of accepted applicants in past years

Study options

Single-subject studies

Students have a pre-defined list of required courses, which are supplemented with selective and elective courses. The student pays full attention to the single field of study chosen.

Combined studies

In this type of studies, the students focus on the main degree programme (120 credits) supplemented with another, minor, programme (60 credits). The student enrols in the degree programme in which he/she majors. Both the programmes are stated in the university diploma. You will find possible combinations on the websites of individual degree programmes.​ An exception is programmes preparing students for teaching professions, where both fields of study are equal and the thesis may be written in any of them.

Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Arts

Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Economics and Administration

  • Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
    + Economic Policy (minor) – Faculty of Economics and Administration
  • Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
    + Economics (minor) – Faculty of Economics and Administration
  • Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
    + Public Economics and Administration (minor) – Faculty of Economics and Administration

Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Informatics

  • Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
    + Informatics (minor) – Faculty of Informatics

Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Social Studies

  • Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
    + Environmental Studies (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies
  • Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
    + European Studies (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies
  • Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
    + International Relations (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies
  • Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
    + Media Studies and Journalism (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies
  • Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
    + Political Science (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies
  • Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
    + Psychology (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies
  • Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
    + Public and Social Policy and Human Resources (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies
  • Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
    + Security & Strategic Studies (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies
  • Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
    + Social Anthropology (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies
  • Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
    + Social Work (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies
  • Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
    + Sociology (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Study of Religions as a minor degree programme

Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Arts
Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Economics and Administration
  • Economics (major) – Faculty of Economics and Administration, full-time studies
    + Study of Religions (minor)
  • Economic Policy (major) – Faculty of Economics and Administration, full-time studies
    + Study of Religions (minor)
  • Public Economics and Administration (major) – Faculty of Economics and Administration, full-time studies
    + Study of Religions (minor)
Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Informatics
  • Informatics (major) – Faculty of Informatics, full-time studies
    + Study of Religions (minor)
Combinations with programmes from Faculty of Social Studies
  • Security & Strategic Studies (major) – Faculty of Social Studies, full-time studies
    + Study of Religions (minor)
  • Social Anthropology (major) – Faculty of Social Studies, full-time studies
    + Study of Religions (minor)
  • Psychology (major) – Faculty of Social Studies, full-time studies
    + Study of Religions (minor)
  • Media Studies and Journalism (major) – Faculty of Social Studies, full-time studies
    + Study of Religions (minor)
  • Political Science (major) – Faculty of Social Studies, full-time studies
    + Study of Religions (minor)
  • Social Work (major) – Faculty of Social Studies, full-time studies
    + Study of Religions (minor)
  • Sociology (major) – Faculty of Social Studies, full-time studies
    + Study of Religions (minor)
  • Environmental Studies (major) – Faculty of Social Studies, full-time studies
    + Study of Religions (minor)
  • International Relations (major) – Faculty of Social Studies, full-time studies
    + Study of Religions (minor)
  • Public and Social Policy and Human Resources (major) – Faculty of Social Studies, full-time studies
    + Study of Religions (minor)
  • European Studies (major) – Faculty of Social Studies, full-time studies
    + Study of Religions (minor)

Courses – curriculum examples

An example of your study plan:

Single-subject studies

Combined studies

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Aesthetics (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Ancient History (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Archaeology (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Archival Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Art History (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Auxiliary Historical Sciences (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Baltic Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Chinese Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Classical Archaeology (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Czech Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Dutch Language, Literature and Culture (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + English Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Ethnology (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + French Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + General Linguistics (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + German Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + History (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Information and Library Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Italian Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Japanese Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Latin Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Mediterranean studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Modern Greek Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Museology (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Musicology (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Pedagogy (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Philosophy (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Portuguese Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Spanish Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Theory and History of Film and Audiovisual Culture (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Theory of Interactive Media (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Economics (minor) – Faculty of Economics and Administration

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Environmental Studies (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + International Relations (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Media Studies and Journalism (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Political Science (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Psychology (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Security & Strategic Studies (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Social Anthropology (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Sociology (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Ancient Greek Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Catalan Language and Literature (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Combined Art Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Computational Linguistics (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Interpreting of Czech Sign Language (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Polish Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Russian Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Social Education and Counselling (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + South Slavonic and Balkan Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Theatre Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Ukrainian Studies (minor) – Faculty of Arts

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Economic Policy (minor) – Faculty of Economics and Administration

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Public Economics and Administration (minor) – Faculty of Economics and Administration

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Informatics (minor) – Faculty of Informatics

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + European Studies (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Public and Social Policy and Human Resources (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Study of Religions (major), full-time studies
 + Social Work (minor) – Faculty of Social Studies

Follow-up studies

After completion of the Bachelor’s studies, graduates can continue further studies in the Master’s degree programme in the Study of Religions or any other Master’s degree programme (after satisfying the admission requirements).

Study information

Provided by Faculty of Arts
Type of studies Bachelor's
Mode full-time Yes
combined Yes
distance No
Study options single-subject studies Yes
single-subject studies with specialization No
major/minor studies Yes
Standard length of studies 3 years
Language of instruction Czech

Do you have any questions?
Send us an e-mail to

Mgr. Aleš Chalupa, Ph.D.

Consultant

E‑mail:

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