Religion - Study of Religions

Course Outline

The HDip Arts: Study of Religions gives you an intensive course in the study of religions. The course will appeal to those who have a degree, but have not previously studied religions to degree level.



You’ll select modules drawn from the undergraduate course ‘Religions and Global Diversity’. Through this programme, you’ll have access to research-informed teaching in a variety of religious traditions such Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and East Asian religions and in methods and theories in the academic, cross-cultural study of religions.



The Higher Diploma in Arts shall consist of modules to the value of 60 credits taken from a range of existing 2nd and 3rd Arts modules in the relevant subject.



Registration with the Teaching Council: For applicants who are taking the Higher Diploma with a view to Teaching Council subject registration, the Higher Diploma is recognised by the Teaching Council for teacher subject registration. In general, if you wish to qualify with Religion as a teaching subject, you are advised to refer to the school curriculum and match the modules to that broad field. Modules are chosen in consultation with the programme coordinator in September.



Students wishing to satisfy Teaching Council requirements will take 60 credits of RG courses (selected in consultation with the Programme Coordinator) plus ED6319.



Many subjects have discipline-specific requirements and you are advised to check the requirements for the subject area by consulting the website of the Teaching Council to verify the following:



1) Curricular Subject Requirements

2) Subject Declaration for Religious Education

Over the year, you will study a range of religious traditions and approaches to the study of religions through a selection you make based on available modules for the particular academic year, drawn from the following modules:

AS3009 Religious and Philosophical Traditions of Korea

RG2008 One God - Judaism, Christianity and Islam

RG2300 Islam: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

RG2301 Buddhism in Practice

RG2302 Christianities in a Global Age

RG2304 Religions of East Asia

RG2305 Authority and Community in Contemporary Christianities

RG2307 Indigenous Religions

RG2308 Hinduism and Indian Religions

RG2309 Contemporary Religions in Ireland

RG2310 Western Esotericism and New Religious Movements

RG2311 Contemporary Islam: Exploration in Film, Media and Music

RG2312 Material Religion

RG2314 Folk Religion in a Global Age

RG2315 Ethnographies of Pilgrimage: Semiotic and Comparative Perspectives



Review modules available this Academic year by choosing RG – Religions and Global Diversity in the Subject Area field of the Advanced Search here Search Modules (courseleaf.com).



Modules are 10 credits unless otherwise indicated.



The Dissertation in the Study of Religions offers supervised research in any area of interest in the study of religions, whether or not it has been covered in the taught modules of the HDip programme.



As a HDip student you can take, with the permission of the department, up to 10 credits of religion-related modules in other departments: e.g. Asian studies, folklore, sociology, history, philosophy, Classics, history of art. You can study a language such as Chinese, Japanese or Korean.

It is intended for those who already have a 3 or 4 year primary degree, preferably in the area of Arts or the Sciences, and who wish to study the subject Study of Religions intensively over one academic year.



The Higher Diploma in Arts is a conversion programme and applicants would not normally have studied the relevant subject to Honours Degree level previously.



For Applicants with Qualifications Completed Outside of Ireland

Applicants must meet the required entry academic grade, equivalent to Irish requirements. For more information see our Qualification Comparison page.



International/Non-EU Applicants

For full details of the non-EU application procedure visit our how to apply pages for international students.

• In UCC, we use the term programme and course interchangeably to describe what a person has registered to study in UCC and its constituent colleges, schools, and departments.

• Note that not all courses are open to international/non-EU applicants, please check the fact file above. For more information contact the International Office.



English Language Requirements

Applicants who are non-native speakers of the English language must meet the university-approved English language requirements.

Closing Date

Rolling deadline. Open until all places have been filled. Early application is advised.



Non-EU Closing Date

Open until all places have been filled or no later than 15 June. Early application is advised.

Assessment

You will be assessed by a variety of methods including essays, presentations, in-class tests, learning journals, fieldwork research reports and (in a small number of cases) exams.

60 credits

1 year full-time, 2 years part-time.

Start Date 8 September 2025

Skills and Careers Information

As societies worldwide become increasingly closely interlinked whilst remaining culturally diverse, understanding people’s very different religious beliefs and practices become essential for teachers, public sector workers, professionals in NGOs, the media, business, healthcare, human resources, etc.



As well as the enhanced general transferable skills acquired through an Arts/Social Sciences postgraduate programme, the Study of Religions course provides particularly deep insights into different religions and cultures which will help you in any kind of employment involving people. Students successful in the HDip may also apply to enter the department’s MA Contemporary Religions, which offers a pathway to research at MPhil/PhD level.