Living Texts: a Master of Theology track

Specialisations

Within the Living Texts track you may choose different specialisations. 

• Do you want to write a thesis in the field of the Old or New Testament? Then choose the Biblical Sciences specialisation.
• Are you interested in the field of church history? Then you should choose the church history specialisation.

Courses

Within the study programme you will follow these courses:

• Introducing Academic Research in Biblical, Systematic and Practical Theology
• Interpreting the Bible in Ethics
• Overcoming Slavery and Racism in Theology
• The Bible in its Ancient Context
• Master thesis 1
• Master thesis 2

Do you want to study theology with us? You can apply online for the 2025-2026 academic year.

• Application deadline for students from outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland: 1 April 2025. 
• Application deadline for students from the European Union, EEA or Switzerland: 1 May 2025.

You can apply for the Master of Theology if you meet all of the following conditions: 

• You have a Bachelor's degree in Theology or a related field. Your degree has been awarded by an accredited university. The comparability of your degree will verified by consulting distinctive independent sources.
• You can provide us with the results of an English language proficiency test. Exemptions are in place for native speakers of English and inhabitants of countries where English is the only official language.
• You fulfil the requirements for the academic track in which you wish to participate. 

Tuition fees for the 2024-2025 academic year are € 2.530 if you are a citizen of the EU, EEA, Turkey or Surinam. If you are a citizen from any other country, your tuition fee in 2024-2025 is € 6.629.

You can choose one of these options for payment:

• Pay the entire tuition before the start of the academic year
• Pay the tuition in ten monthly instalments.

Note that next to your tuition, other costs are involved. As a foreign individual staying in The Netherlands, you should take into account administrative fees, costs of living, and various other costs, like health insurance and travel costs. 

Have you already applied for admission to the Master of Theology programme at PThU? Several scholarships are available for students:

• PThU Scholarship 
• Holland Scholarship
• Van der Veen-Schenkeveld Scholarship for Promising Female African Theologians

Other scholarships may be available. You can find more information on the website of the Netherlands Organization for International Co-operation in Higher Education (NUFFIC).

Do you want to study Theology at the PThU as an exchange student? And does your home university have an official exchange agreement with the PThU? If so, you can apply for a student exchange period at the Protestant Theological University. As an exchange student you do not need to pay a tuition fee at the PThU, but you will continue to pay tuition at your home institution. Credits earned at PThU will be recognised at your home institution, after completing your exchange period. Exchange periods can be 2.5 months, a semester or a full academic year.

Are you interested in an exchange year at the Protestant Theological University in the Netherlands? It is important to know that the university only offers English-taught courses at a master's level. For that reason we only accept applications from master students (or from bachelor students with a sufficient command of Dutch). Exchange students can choose to study at the PThU during the first semester (September – January) or for a full academic year.

Worried about your level of English? The PThU offers all our international students the possibility of following the Academic Writing Course during the first weeks of their master. In this seven week course, you will focus on academic writing and structuring of a thesis. The course is offered by our partner Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.

What does it mean to study abroad? What do you need to arrange in terms of visa, insurance, tuition? We've collected some practical information for you.