Master's Degree


If you have already decided to pursue a Master's degree at the Department of Religious Studies in Vienna, but are not yet sure how to apply, please read the following guidelines.

Information concerning the staff, curriculum (only available in German), areas of supervision, as well as the course catalogue (publication for winter term: 1st of July; for summer term: 15th of January) is provided by clicking on the respective item. If you have further questions, please contact the Studies Service Center (SSC) of the Faculty of Catholic Theology (ssc.ktf@univie.ac.at). We ask you to try to address possible questions by checking the information provided on our homepage prior to contacting us.


2.1 Premises

To be admitted to the Master's Programme in Religious Studies, students must have completed an eligible Bachelor's or Diploma Programme at a recognised post-secondary educational institution. Information about eligible diplomas can be found in the curriculum. If a diploma is not stated, the directorate of studies will decide individually on admission during the evaluation of applications. Therefore the admission can be:

  • granted without additional requirements;
  • granted with additional exams of up to 30 ECTS taken out of the Bachelor's Programme , which have to be taken during the Master's Programme (defined by the directorate of studies);
  • rejected.

Students who have already completed the two extension curricula in Religious Studies will be admitted to the Master's program without any additional requirements.


2.2 Admission

Here you can find the application and admission periods.

The admission procedure as well as the required documents depend on whether you have received your prior diploma at the University of Vienna or somewhere else. Furthermore, your citizenship is of relevance.

Generally speaking, the admission procedure involves the following steps:

  1. You register and upload the required documents via u:space;
  2. You will receive a notification, informing you about the status of your application for admission (usually this takes several weeks, therefore we suggest that you apply as early as possible);
  3. Your student ID card (u:card) can be requested via u:space after successful admission;
  4. Information regarding the payment of the tuition fees / students' union fees can be retrieved via u:space as well.


2.2.1 Ad 1: Application of Admission via u:space

The following information concerns students with degrees from institutions other than the University of Vienna. For graduates of the University of Vienna, refer to the following steps.

You need to register in u:space and activate your u:account which you will need throughout your study programme. The e-mail address you enter in the registration will be the one used in all correspondence with the Admission Office throughout the course of the admission process.

Prepare the following documents for upload (in pdf format):

  1. Your document of completion of studies with the legal requirements fulfilled for the country it was issued in;
  2. Your diploma supplement/transcript of records/index;
  3. In case you have a non-EU citizenship: proof of special entrance qualification;
  4. A translation of all the above-mentioned documents made by a certified translator or governmental agency (if the documents were issued in languages other than German or English);
  5. A scan of your passport/personal ID;
  6. Proof of German or English competency as required in the specific curriculum (see the curriculum of the specific programme);
  7. A passport photograph.

The processing of your application will take several weeks, therefore we recommend:

  • Apply as early as possible;
  • Make sure the uploaded documents are legible and the scan is of high quality (300dpi resolution);
  • Upload the pdf-files in the right fields in U:SPACE (e.g., original secondary school graduation certificate + legalisation + translation, all in the field "secondary school graduation certificate"; the special entrance qualification in original + translation in the field "special entrance qualification," etc.).

Attention: Late applications or incomplete documentation will result in longer processing times and make an enrollment in the semester applied for impossible. We ask for your understanding that the University of Vienna cannot provide any information about the processing status.

Once the Admission Office has completed the processing of your application, you will receive a notification by e-mail. If the attached letter is a letter of admission you can be enrolled.


2.2.2 Ad 2: Enrollment for Study Programme

You will find information about the supplementary exams (if required) in your admission letter. You do not need to enroll for the Bachelor Programme for taking these exams; you can take them while you are already in your Master's Programme (it is recommended to take them at the beginning of your postgraduate studies).

Attention: It is not allowed to be enrolled as a full student for the same study programme at two Austrian universities at the same time. In case you want to transfer from another university to the University of Vienna you should de-register from the previous one once you have received the admission letter of the University of Vienna.


2.2.3 Ad 4: Payment of the tuition fees/students’ union fee

You can pay the fees by using one of the following types of payment:

  • By eps online payment via u:space > Financial matters > Tuition fee/Students' Union fee;
  • By credit card (only Visa or Mastercard) via u:space > Financial matters > Tuition fee/Students' Union fee;
  • By online banking; you can find the required data in u:space > Financial matters > Tuition fee/Students' Union fee;
  • Via payment form which you will get in a bank. You can find all required data and a template how to fill in the payment form in u:space > Personal Matters > My Documents > Payment request.

Once you have paid the prescribed tuition fees/students’ union fee you are enrolled in the study programme.


2.3 What happens after admission?

Once the balance in u:space > Financial Matters > tuition fees/students' union fee is zero, the fee is paid. In case of online banking or payment via payment bill this may take up to seven working days.

Then you can print your student documents via u:space > Personal Matters > My Documents (that is, the student record sheet/Studienblatt and the confirmation of enrollment/Studienbestätigung). Your student ID card (u:card) can be requested via u:space > Personal Matters > My u:card. The u:card is also your library card. It will be sent to you via mail to the given mailing address (EU/EEA/Switzerland only). Please note that the printing and mailing process can take up to two weeks.

After the final step of the admission you can start planning your semester and registering for the courses (currently only available in German) within the specific registration periods.

Further helpful information is provided via these links: