Religious Studies

Religious Studies (or the Study of Religion/s) is a vibrant research cluster, based in theoretically informed and comparative studies of religion.

You can specialise in a variety of areas which include contemporary and historical topics and fields such as:

- Asian Studies

- History of Religions and New Religions

- Buddhist Studies

- Jewish Studies

You will be encouraged to frame your research using a range of theoretical and methodological approaches, from the classic to the cutting-edge. You will be able to draw on methodological expertise which includes biographical analysis, discourse analysis, ethnography, historical and textual studies, memory studies and narrative studies.

The thematic interests of academic staff include ethnicity, gender, indigeneity, nationalism, textuality and the transnational.

You can find out more and identify a potential supervisor by looking at the School’s staff profiles, which give details of research interests and publications, and email addresses:

You are encouraged to contact a potential supervisor to discuss your research project before making a formal application.

At the School of Divinity you will join a community of around 150 research students from around the world and from a variety of religious and non-religious backgrounds.

You will study in a stimulating environment. The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 ranked the School first in Scotland and fifth in the UK for its research power in theology and religious studies. The majority of the research activity of our colleagues is classed as world leading, reflecting the vibrancy of the School’s research culture.