About us

The Department of Religious Studies, located in Vienna’s historic city centre, is Austria’s flagship institution for teaching and scholarship on Religious Studies, and a major international contributor to a variety of areas within the field. It currently runs programmes and modules at all levels, ranging from B.A. to Ph.D. The scope of course offerings includes introductory and specialised courses on a number of religious traditions, approaches, and theories. Next to ca. 140 postgraduate students enrolled in the Department’s M.A. and Ph.D. programmes, our B.A. modules (Erweiterungscurricula) attract more than 500 students annually from various disciplines across the university. The University of Vienna is one of the oldest (established in 1365) and largest universities in Europe, with currently about 93,000 students. Its almost 7,000 academics are dispersed throughout Vienna at 60 locations. The enormous range of studies, covering 180 degree programmes, ranks the University among only a few institutions of higher education of this size worldwide, supplying a vast panoply of course offerings for the student of Religious Studies in addition to the Department’s core teaching. The Department of Religious Studies draws on a research library that offers one of the best-stocked research collections on Religious Studies in Europe. Additionally, the department houses a steadily expanding library collection on source materials (Quellenbibliothek) related to a wide array of religious groups and traditions.

Media enquiries and interview requests are most welcome. Prospective students may contact the Department’s student representatives or get in touch with staff members directly.