The Bachelor examinations are written examinations taken on both studied subjects.

In Religious Studies, three topics are chosen for the exam questions from the three modules

-Comparative Religion,

-Theory of Religion

-History of Religion

The chosen examiner creates the exam questions based on the literature and tthemes discussed with the student. The chosen literature should include papers, monographs, essays, chapters, and essays from edited volumes.

Recommendation: Organize a consultation with your prefered examiner at least two weeks before exam registration (dates).

To find a topic, it is worthwhile to recapitulate your own courses from the modules and to research which other courses were also offered in these modules in the past.

To register for the BA examination, 60 CP in both study subjects and both seminar papers for Religious Studies are required.

"Students who have earned at least 60 CP in the subject at the time of registration and can provide evidence of the number of graded seminar papers specified in the curriculum are admitted to the Bachelor's examination in one subject." (Regulations of the Faculty of Philosophy and History of the University of Basel for the Bachelor's program).

Since 2019, the Bachelor's examinations for both study subjects can be written separately, i.e. in different examination sessions

Are you already planning to write a Master's thesis and have you fulfilled all requirements for it?

Every semester there is a time window in which you can register your Master's thesis. For this you have to fill in a Master's Thesis Contract with the title of the planned Master's Thesis and with the signatures of the advisor and co-supervisor. These persons must hold a doctorate and at least one person must hold a professorship at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Basel. Exceptions can be granted by the Dean of Studies upon request.

The Master's thesis is written within a period of approximately nine months. However, one cannot take a leave of absence during this time, but must be enrolled as usual. Usually a Master's thesis is 70-90 pages long, but exact expectations have to be discussed with the supervisors in advance!

The thesis must be submitted directly to the supervisor. A supervisor must also confirm this submission in writing. A statement must also be submitted.

All details can be found in the regulations of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The master examinations are oral examinations taken in both studied subjects.

In Religious Studies, three topics are chosen for the exam questions from three of the four main modules:

-Religion, Narration and Media

-Alternative History of Religion

-Religion, Economics and Law

-Comparative Religion.

The exam questions will be based on the literature and the student's hypothesis, as discussed with and determined by the examiner. Literature includes papers, monographs, essays, chapters, and essays from edited volumes.

Recommendation: Organize a consultation with your prefered examiner at least two weeks before exam registration (dates).

To find a topic, it is worthwhile to recapitulate your own courses from the modules and to research which courses were also offered in these modules in the past.

To register for the Master's thesis, 20 CP in both study subjects and the obligatory seminar paper in the (main) study subject are required.

"Students are admitted to the Master's thesis in one subject if a) at the time of registration they have acquired at least 20 CP in both subjects together and have fulfilled any requirements and provided proof of language proficiency, and b) can provide proof of at least one of the obligatory seminar papers in the subject in which the Master's thesis is written."

(Regulations of the Faculty of Philosophy and History of the University of Basel for the Master's program).

To register for the MA examinations, 25 CP and the obligatory seminar paper in the examining subject are required.

"Students are admitted to the Master's examination in a subject if they have cumulativelya) acquired 25 credit points in that subject, b ) can provide evidence of at least one of the obligatory seminar papers in the subject, c ) fulfilled any requirements, and d) provided any language certificates."

(Regulations of the Faculty of Philosophy and History of the University of Basel for the Master's program).

Note, that now the registration for the Master's exams is no longer bound to the submission of the Master's thesis. Since 2019 the Master's exams for both subjects can be taken in different exam sessions (no longer have to be in the same semester)

Time management

Make an appointment with your desired supervisor well in advance or at the beginning of the semester so that you can register ontime. For all registrations and submissions, deadlines and dates are set by the Faculty of Humanitties and Social Sciences.

Think about your hypothesis, topics of interest and possible literature before the first meeting. You should then develop the definitive research question and a fixed literature list during the course of the semester, also with input from your main supervisor. Agree with your supervisor how much and which literature you will use for your topics.

For the registrations (BA, MA and MA thesis) the Phil.-Hist. faculty provides the registration forms.