Religious Studies (MA)
The U of R Master of Arts in Religious Studies offers courses on a variety of religious traditions, on current and thematic issues, and on academic approaches to studying religious phenomena. The essential goal of these courses is to offer students the opportunity to critically examine the realm of the religious in its varied manifestations and to illuminate some of the ways people have addressed perennial issues about life and human destiny.
As a religious studies graduate student at the University of Regina, you can expect an interdisciplinary experience with elements from history, anthropology, sociology and philosophy. Our religious studies graduate program offers small class sizes, often with one-to-one instruction. Classical languages courses are offered in the program as well.
You will develop marketable, transferable skills for careers in law, journalism, government, social work, education, and within religious institutions.
With a master’s degree in religious studies, you will learn to read and think critically and acquire research skills that facilitate the study and appreciation of diverse cultures.
Strong Connections
You’ll also benefit from our strong connections to Luther College and Campion College. Students in the religious studies graduate program can draw on course offerings and resources from these two colleges.
Religious studies is also part of a new department called Gender, Religion and Critical Studies. Religious studies shares resources, such as cross-listed courses in Women’s and Gender Studies.Quick Facts
Religious Studies Meet Your Faculty
Why Study Religious Studies at the University of Regina?
Religious studies offers a wide range of courses and approaches to studying the human experience. This mobility allows religious studies to incorporate elements from other disciplines such as history, anthropology, sociology, and philosophy.
- Small class sizes and great accessibility to instructors
- Ability to draw on Religious Studies offerings from federated colleges
- Opportunities for instruction in classical languages
- One-on-one instruction at the Master’s level, with customized content
- Activities leading to achievement of your research objectives
Broad Faculty Expertise
Religious studies faculty expertise spans multiple subjects, methodologies, religious traditions, and languages. Areas of expertise include:
- Religious traditions: “West” (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Greco-Roman) and “East” (Buddhism, Shinto, Daoism, Hinduism, Confucianism), Canadian religion
- Languages (Coptic, Sanskrit, Japanese, classical Chinese, and Modern Hebrew)
- Textual studies (Old & New Testament, Quran, Asian scriptures)
- Theory and method in the study of religion
- Current and thematic issues and topics: gender, sex, sexuality, Islam in the modern world, the supernatural, pop culture
Marketable and Transferable Skills
Our program is designed to help students develop a marketable set of transferable skills including:
- Thinking critically and creatively
- Practicing social-scientific and humanistic methods
- Communicating clearly and persuasively
- Developing structured, data-driven arguments
- Working independently in a research environment
- Developing a ‘global historical consciousness’
- Understanding a broad base of cross-cultural knowledge
- Identifying the ethical dimension
- Acquiring intellectual flexibility, remaining open to new ideas and information
- Solving complex problems with creative solutions
- Managing sophisticated understandings of major bodies of knowledge
- Working collaboratively
Collaborative Learning
Students are encouraged to be self-motivated and learn collaboratively. As a religious studies Master’s student, you’ll learn to work independently and as part of a team.Scholarships
There are some potential scholarship opportunities: Check the Graduate Awards Portal (GAP) for all opportunities.Award-winning Opportunities
Roxanne Korpan (Master of Arts in Religious Studies), is a historical researcher, writer, and educator at the Indigenous-owned and women-led research and consulting organization, Archipel. She completed her PhD in Religion and Colonialism at the University of Toronto.
Roxanne won the Jean-Marie Fecteau Prize in 2022.Religious Studies Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Once you have been accepted as a fully-qualified graduate student with no conditions or holds on your admission, then you are eligible to apply for our scholarships, awards, or graduate teaching assistant positions.
Faculty of Arts Graduate Funding
- Dean of Arts Building Dreams and Futures Scholarship
- Tommy Douglas Graduate Scholarship
Apply for these scholarships, and more, by visiting our Graduate Awards Portal (GAP), the U of R online graduate scholarship application system.
All Graduate Funding Opportunities
Visit our Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research website to learn about all graduate funding opportunities including:
- National Scholarships (including Tri Council funding)
- Awards to Study Abroad
- FGSR Funding/Special Awards
- Funding for Indigenous Students
- Funding for International Students
- Other Awards and Scholarships
- External Scholarship Opportunities
- External Student and Faculty Awards
RLST 802 - Religion after Modernity
This course examines four different theoretical locations; postpatriarchy, postmodernism, poststructuralism, and postcolonialism, and their importance to the study of religion. The course engages each theoretical location according to intersections with modernity, epistemological assertions, theoretical import, and implications for the study of religion.
RLST 890DA - Storytelling in Japanese Religions
A critical examination of the form and function of storytelling traditions in pre-modern Japanese religions among various mediums (textual, visual, theatrical). Particular attention is given to the role of narratives in the construction of local religious identities and the promotion of miraculous objects of worship.
RLST 890DD - Contemporary Conspiracy Culture
This course explores the nature of conspiracy theories in religion and culture as a cogent contemporary response to the fears and anxieties of living in a corporate world where no one can trust those in positions of power, whether in politics or religion.Concepts and Goals
Students work closely with their supervisor on their thesis research to build skills and expertise in their subject area.Build Relationships
You’ll benefit from our strong connections to Luther College and Campion College. Students in the religious studies graduate program can draw on course offerings and resources from these two colleges.Identify the Ethical Dimension
You will learn how cultural values are developed and how they impact the understanding of our own culture and the culture of others, how the present can be viewed in the context of the past, and understanding the critical forces that influence the way we think and act.Intellectual Flexibility
You will be open to new ideas and new information, leading to creative problem solving for complex issues. You will gain a sophisticated understanding of a major body of knowledge with all its complexities, power and limitations.What Can You Do With a Religious Studies Degree?
Upon successfully completing your graduate program in religious studies, you will be ready for the next step of your career.
Some graduates have gone on to work in law, journalism, government, social work, education, and with religious institutions. Many of our alumni have become key players in their organizations, including taking on leadership positions. The jobs that graduates can go on to include:- Professor
- Clergyperson
- Child and Youth Worker
- Human Rights Advocate
- International Aid Worker
- Non-Profit Administrator
- Public Policy Advisor
- Teacher
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