Overview

The Graduate School of Religion and Theology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam provides you with first-class personal supervision by leading experts in an exciting and stimulating research environment.

We offer a challenging PhD training and supervision programme and organize expert meetings and seminars in which you can present your work in progress, interact with fellow students and scholars from all over the world, and build your own network for an academic career and profession.

Research

Our supervisors represent a wide range of academic disciplines, from research in Christian theology and study of religion in its wide variety (Biblical studies, history of Christianity, systematic theology, ecumenics, practical theology), to Islamic studies, Buddhist, Hindu and Jewish studies, ethics, philosophy of religion, comparative religion, interreligious dialogue, social-scientific study of religion, religion and trauma, religion in the public domain, religious heritage, and so on.

Our research projects aim to serve the academic community, society and faith communities all over the world.

Programme Structure

Research Teams include:

Cities of God: Lived Christianity in Amsterdam
New Testament and Christian Origins
Contextual Biblical Interpretation and Theologies
Decolonizing Interreligious Studies
Digital Approaches to Sacred Texts
Future of Academic Theology/Religious Studies
Islamic Theology
Peace, Trauma, and Religion
Reformed and Evangelical Theology
Religion for Sustainable Societies
Religious History and Heritage
Strong Religion and Extreme Beliefs
Transformations of Religiosity

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 48 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2027-02-03 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-09-01 00:00:00
Starting 2027-09-02 00:00:00
- Apply before 2027-02-01 00:00:00

Language

English

TOEFL^® IBT

92

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Credits

30 ECTS

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Disciplines

Theology and Religious Studies View 4 other PhDs in Theology and Religious Studies in Netherlands

Join for free or log in to access our complete career info list.

Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

92

Schedule TOEFL®

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

Master’s degree, or an equivalent qualification from an institute of higher education. A vocational master's degree (for example a Master of Divinity) does not suffice.
Applicants must be(come) member of one of the FRT research teams and have at least two supervisors.

Application documents:

Letter of application
(Preliminary) Training and Supervision Plan (TSP)
Pre-proposal of the applicant’s intended PhD research
Article, thesis or paper of choice to demonstrate academic writing skills
Curriculum Vitae including academic work carried out
Scan of Bachelor and Master’s diploma and transcript (when the diploma and/or transcript is not in English, Dutch, French or German, we require a certified translation of these documents)
Course descriptions of the Master’s courses that have been completed containing a research component
A copy of an identity document that is legally valid in the Netherlands (such as a passport)

Tuition Fees

Additional Details

Membership fee: €500 per year.

Living costs

Amsterdam

Netherlands

1000 - 1500 EUR / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

In order for us to give you accurate scholarship information, we ask that you please confirm a few details and create an account with us.

Loading

Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Religion and Theology.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

About

Overview

Research

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

Additional Details

Living costs

Amsterdam

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

Our partners