Bachelor of Arts (BA) Majoring in Religious Studies
Dunedin, New Zealand
DURATION
3 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
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EARLIEST START DATE
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TUITION FEES
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STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Introduction
Bachelor of Arts (BA) Majoring in Religious Studies
The Bachelor of Arts (BA) is Otago's most flexible undergraduate degree Program, enabling students to study from a selection of more than 40 arts and social science subjects, as well as papers offered elsewhere in the University. Academic breadth is complemented by in-depth knowledge gained through majoring in one or two subjects with the option of minors in one or two others.
Students are taught by research-active scholars, are expected to undertake a diverse range of learning tasks and are challenged to develop their intellectual independence. Graduates of the Program are well-informed, versatile, independent thinkers with the information literacy, communication, research and interpersonal skills necessary for a career or further academic study. The completed BA is an possible qualification for the PGDipArts in the major subject of the degree.
Why study Religion?
Religion is as old as humanity itself. Despite the rise of science and modern technology, the majority of people in the world today are religious, and current demographic trends reveal that – as a whole – the world is becoming more religious. In order to understand humans, human history, and the contemporary world, we need to understand the multifaceted nature of religion and its place in human societies.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Several scholarship options are available. Please check the university website for more information.
Curriculum
Every degree Program shall consist of papers worth not less that 360 points,
- shall include at least 180 points for papers above 100-level, of which at least 72 points shall be for papers above 200-level,
- shall satisfy at least one of themajor subject requirements listed above. No paper above 200-level may count for more than one Major Subject Requirement,
- may include one or more optional minor subjects which satisfy the Minor Subject Requirements listed inArts and Music Schedule A, orScience Schedule A, orApplied Science Schedule A, orCommerce Schedule A, orBHealSc Schedule Part 2. No paper may count for both a Major and a Minor Subject Requirement or for more than one Minor Subject Requirement unless that paper is at 100- or 200-level and is specified as compulsory for both Requirements.
- may include papers which are not listed in Arts and Music Schedule C
- up to 90 points; or
- as specified in the Arts and MusicMajor Subject Requirements; or
- as specified in theMinor Subject Requirements.
Major subject areas
For a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, you must major in at least one of the following subjects:
- Anthropology
- Asian Studies
- Biblical Studies
- Chinese
- Christian Thought and History
- Classics
- Communication Studies
- Computer Science
- Economics
- Education
- English
- English and Linguistics
- European Studies
- Film and Media Studies
- French
- Gender Studies
- Geography
- German
- Global Studies
- History
- Indigenous Development/He Kura Matanui
- Information Science
- Japanese
- Language and Linguistics
- Linguistics
- Māori Studies
- Mathematics
- Music
- Pacific Islands Studies
- Philosophy
- Philosophy, Politics and Economics
- Politics
- Psychology
- Religious Studies
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Sport Development and Management
- Statistics
- Theatre Studies
- Tourism, Languages and Cultures
Minor subject areas
Selecting a minor subject is not compulsory and there may be other combinations of papers more appropriate to your degree. There are no particular subject requirements for the other papers of your degree, but if you wish you may have another subject specified as a minor subject in your degree by passing the prescribed papers for any of the listed subjects.
Program Outcome
Postgraduate studies include master's degrees by research or by coursework (either in Religion or in Buddhist Studies) and a PhD. Graduates in Religion who choose to go overseas have been accepted for postgraduate study at some of the world's best universities.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Religious Studies graduates can be found in many walks of life, including MP, UN adviser, lecturer, analyst, archivist, development organiser, and even a TV show host.
Our graduates have particular qualities valued by employers in many fields including:
Excellent critical thinking and writing skills
The ability to find information, analyse it in a logical and systematic manner, and communicate it clearly
Wide-ranging knowledge of both human history, culture and contemporary affairs
The ability to enter with empathy into the minds and hearts of others, to understand what motivates and shapes their behaviour.
Program delivery
Application details
Applicants must apply online. They should also attach all the necessary supporting documents which includes scanned copies of their official high school or foundation transcripts (awards gained, marks, grades); scanned copies of the relevant official transcripts of previous university study; and provide proof of their identity this is usually achieved by providing a certified copy of the personal details page of their passport or a birth certificate (in English). Applicants may also be required to submit an Educational Credential Evaluators report (ECE). As soon as applicants have completed their online application, their proof of identity document must be posted to International Office, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. International student applications for semester 1/summer school study close: Oct-31; Semester 2 study close: Apr-30.