Master's Program in Eastern Christian Studies
Our one-year Master's Program offers advanced theological education with a focus on the rich traditions of Eastern Christianity. Students engage with the biblical, patristic, liturgical, and ecclesiological foundations of the Eastern Churches through rigorous academic study and critical methodological training.
The program includes foundational courses in methodology and theory, biblical reception, patristics, liturgics and ecclesiology. Students then choose an elective course that enables them to specialise either in manuscript studies, traditional linguistic texts or modern texts, assessing how the text relates to sociological and applied practices. The program culminates in a Master's thesis on a topic of the student's choice within biblical studies, church history, liturgical studies or ecclesiology.
Students benefit from a unique learning environment that unites academic scholarship with lived tradition. The program is offered both on campus and online, making it accessible to students worldwide. During their studies, students work closely with faculty mentors and participate in seminars with peers from various Orthodox traditions.
Graduates are equipped for leadership roles in churches, educational institutions, and research, with the academic foundation needed for further advanced studies. The program prepares students not only to understand the Eastern Christian traditions deeply but also to engage critically with contemporary theological and social issues.
Requirements
Applicants must hold a Bachelor's degree, or equivalent, comprising 180 ECTS and an independent thesis demonstrating the applicant's academic writing ability, in the humanities, social sciences, educational sciences, theology, law or health sciences, as well as 60 ECTS in religious studies/theology, or Eastern Christian studies, or equivalent competence (as part of, or in addition to, the Bachelor's degree). Students with a background in other relevant subjects may also be admitted following a special assessment. Applicants must also demonstrate proficiency equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary English 6 level.
Syllabus
See the syllabus for further information.
Schedule
| Autumn term 2026, 30 ECTS | Spring term 2027, 30 ECTS |
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Module 1: 31 Aug 2026 – 8 Nov 2026 Method and Theory in Eastern Christian Studies (10 ECTS) Scriptures and Eastern Christianity (5 ECTS) |
Module 3: 18 Jan 2027 – 28 Mar 2027 Select 1: Manuscripts: Text and Context in Eastern Christian Studies (15 ECTS) or The Church in Theory and Practice (Linguistic Variant, 15 ECTS) or The Church in Theory and Practice (Non-linguistic Variant, 15 ECTS) |
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Module 2: 9 Nov 2026 – 17 Jan 2027 Patristics: Sources and Methods (5 ECTS) Liturgics and Liturgical Theology (5 ECTS) The Church as Polis (5 ECTS) |
Module 4: 29 March 2027 – 6 June 2027 Master's Thesis (15 ECTS) |