Religion, Health and Wellbeing

Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

						
							How does work contribute to wellbeing? What role does religion and spirituality play in our experience of health and wellbeing? How does the biomedical focus of current healthcare practice affect us?


					
open_in_newstudy website

locatieGroningen
diplomaMA 
typeregulier, 60 EC
start1 september
taalvolledig English
voornamelijk Dutch
opleidingsduur12 maanden voltijd
accreditatiesNVAO
croho-code60824
numerus fixusnee
honoursheeft honours track
This interdisciplinary degree programme examines what it means to be ill or healthy in diverse, individualized and highly technological societies, from psychological, cultural, ethical, and political perspectives. Not only does religious diversity influence how we try to recover or maintain our health, it also influences what we think 'health' is in the first place and what we consider meaningfull work.
This track within the Master's Programme in Theology and Religious Studies, has three specializations:
Ethics and Diversity
Spiritual Care [Geestelijke Verzorging]
Work and Meaning [Werk en Zingeving]
The specialization in Ethics and Diversity imparts the academic knowledge and skills to examine the anthropological, sociological, and ethical dimensions of health and well-being. This specialization is taught in English. The other two specializations are taught in Dutch. See the Dutch page of this website for information on the Dutch taught specilizations.



					

Waarom aan de University of Groningen?

unique combination of clinical, empirical, conceptual, and historical approaches
the Spiritual Care (Geestelijke Verzorging) specialization is accredited by the SKGV (Stichting Kwaliteitsregister Geestelijke Verzorging)
we relate the latest research and theories to current developments
taught by internationally recognized experts in the field at a non-denominational university

Studieprogramma

opbouw
1e jaar

opbouwFor a description of the course units of Ethics and Diversity, see: https://www.rug.nl/ocasys/rug/vak/showpos?opleiding=6266.
For a description of the course units of Spiritual Care, see: https://www.rug.nl/ocasys/rug/vak/showpos?opleiding=243.

The MA track in Religion, Health and Wellbeing consists of:

An introductory course unit: Perspectives on Religion, Health and Wellbeing (5 ECTS)
A course unit on Research Methods (5 ECTS).
Three of four electives, depending on your specialization (15 or 20 ECTS).
Placement (10 ECTS) and Thesis (20 ECTS).

	1	2	3
	periode
Compulsory: Perspectives on Religion, Health and Wellbeing	5 EC
Elective WM: Perspectieven op Werk keuzevak	5 EC
Elective WM: Zinnig in gesprek keuzevak	5 EC
Elective ED & SC: Ethics in Health Care	5 EC
Elective SC: Geestelijke Verzorging keuzevak	5 EC
Elective ED: Religion, Gender, and Sexuality keuzevak	5 EC
Elective WM: Werkgeluk en leiderschap keuzevak		5 EC
Elective WM: Zingeving en organisatiestructuren keuzevak		5 EC
Compulsory: Conducting Research on RHW		5 EC
Elective ED and SC: Psychopathology and Religion keuzevak		5 EC
Elective ED: Gender, Religion, and Sexual Nationalism keuzevak		5 EC
Elective ED: Ethics and Medical Humanities keuzevak		5 EC
Placement (SC) stage		15 EC
Placement (ED & WM) stage			10 EC
Thesis + Thesis Seminar afstuderen			20 EC

specialisatie Ethics and Diversity

What is health? What is wellbeing? In Europe, these seemingly simple questions are usually answered from a biomedical perspective.

However, how people experience wellbeing is also influenced by their religious and cultural background. In this specialization, you will find out how various contexts influence what people perceive to be healthy or unhealthy.

You will study ethical issues related to the end of life and the dominant biomedical approach in healthcare. What do people regard as good health care? And for whom is this "good"? You will learn to ask critical questions about wellbeing and health care in this modern and diverse world.
You will be taught about religion and sexual wellbeing, ethics and end of life, cure and disease in various contexts, and psychopathology.

In addition to the two compulsory courses you will take four additional course units:

Ethics in Health Care
Religion, Gender, and sexuality;
The End of Life: Bioethics and beyond;
Gender, Religion and Sexual Nationalism, or Psychopathology and Religion (Dutch)

All course units are taught in English, unless stated otherwise.

specialisatie Spiritual Care

How do people give their lives a sense of purpose and how do they process significant events? At some time in our life, we will all face decisions concerning health and illness, life and death.

As a student of Spiritual Care, you learn to support people in crisis situations by counselling them about purpose and spirituality. You will be taught religious psychology, psychopathology, ethics and philosophy. In addition, you will explore pastoral and spiritual care in contemporary society and the place of spiritual carers in primary healthcare or in a healthcare institution. Students with no previous education in theology or religious science will have to follow a pre-Master's programme first.

Alongside the two compulsory course units you also follow course units in Ethics in Health Care, Spiritual Care and Psychopathology and Religion, as well as an intensive placement.

This specialization is taught in Dutch.

specialisatie Work and Meaning

How does work contribute to wellbeing? Which role does religion and spirituality have in how we experience health and wellbeing?

Work is an important factor for experiencing a meaningful live. Structural attention for this within organizations, contributes to the wellbeing of employees and helps companies to reflect on their societal impact. This contributes to maintaining a healthy and resilient organization.

In this specialization, you will learn to critically reflect on what work means for the formation of identity, how people organize their work together, and how work contributes to society. Within organizations, you will promote the needed attention for meaning.

Besides the two compulsory English taught course units, you will follow four additional course units taught in Dutch:

Zinnig in gesprek
Perspectieven op werk
Werkgeluk en leiderschap
Zingeving en organisatiestructuren

Onderwijs

onderwijs
study guidance
honours

taal van onderwijs	100% en 80% nl
onderwijsopzet	70% zelfstudie 20% theorie 10% praktijk
avondonderwijs	n.v.t.
afstandsonderwijs	n.v.t.

onderwijsvormen

group discussion, lecture, individual assignment, literature study, oral presentation, research, research proposal, seminar, internship, tutorial, self study

study load

1 ECTS = 28 hrs. of study. One year contains of 60 ECTS. You will have on average 6 hrs. of lessons per week at the Faculty, the rest of the hours is reserved for preparation of the classes and studying.

study abroad

The Master has several exchange contracts with other universities within and outside Europe to follow a part of the study at these universities. It is also possible to undertake a traineeship or graduation research abroad. For our exchange partners, see: https://www.rug.nl/ggw/education/prosstud/exchangeprogrammes/partneruniversities

study guidance

Master's students are expected to show a large degree of independence. If necessary you can make use of various forms of study supervision and study support. For example, you can contact a mentor or your study advisor. While writing your thesis, you will receive personal supervision from one of the lecturers.

Immediately after arrival, students who gained their Bachelor's degree at a different faculty or university as well as international students will be allocated a mentor who will help them get to know the Faculty. You can also go to the study advisor if you have doubts about your abilities or for whatever reason run the risk of study delay. You will receive intensive supervision while writing your thesis. The Master's programme includes a thesis seminar, where attention is paid to how to tackle writing a Master's thesis, and where the progress of the process is monitored closely. You will also receive structural supervision from the lecturer who is the specialist in the field of your thesis.

honours-/excellence program Master's Honours Programme

The Master's Honours Programme was developed especially for students who want to get more from their studies. The programme of 15 ECTS is followed in addition to your regular Master's programme.

It is a one-year interdisciplinary programme that is designed to introduce students to various aspects of leadership.The theme of leadership is explored from various angles in the Masterclasses. Leadership skills are the focus in the Leadership Labs and Workshops. The Master's Honours Programme concludes with a Master Work – a project of your choosing that you design and implement.

Toelating en kosten

startmomenten

1 september 2021

aanmelding deadline : 1 mei 2021
wettelijk tarief : € 2168 (€1084 in het eerste jaar)

1 september 2022

aanmelding deadline : 1 mei 2022
collegegeld nog niet bekend

Students with a Dutch Bachelor's degree send all the documentation by mail to onderwijs.ggw@rug.nl, even if a direct access is applicable.

Dutch students with a non-Dutch Bachelor's degree send in all their documentation after registration in Studielink via the Online Application System (OAS).

The specialization in Spiritual Care has additional admission requirements.

toelatingseisen

cijferlijst
A grade list of the marks of your bachelor's degree programme with an explanation of the followed courses.

taaltoets
Sufficient proficiency in English is required. Minimum requirements: TOEFL 580 paper/237 computer/92 internet or IELTS: 6.5 (6.0 on each part). Native speakers of the English language, as well as Dutch applicants with a VWO certificate, are exempt from this requirement.

vooropleiding
Bachelor's degree in Theology, Religious Studies, Arts, Philosophy or Social Science (e.g. Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology). Depending on your former study and courses a reading package will be provided. We assume that you are aware of the concepts and theoretical discussions outlined in this literature. Students with another bachelor's degree can be permitted via a bridging programme.

For admission requirements for the Dutch taught specializations, see the Dutch page of this website.

resumee

motivatiebrief
A letter of motivation to the admissions board explaining the choice for this study programme (max. 1 page) is required, accompanied with a writing sample of an academic paper, preferably your Bachelor's (or Master's) thesis.

toelatingsgesprek

studie kosten

bron: University of Groningen
bedrag	kostenpost
€ 12000	levensonderhoudper jaar
€ 740	studiematerialenper jaar
€ 400	visa/permitper jaar

inbegrepen in collegegeld

registration fee

examination

estimated monthly costs

bron: Nibud
bedrag		kostenpost
€	303	kamerhuur in Groningenrond het landelijk gemiddelde
€	22	internet+tv
€	152	boodschappen/kostgeld
€	32	telefoon
€	117	verzekeringen
€	172	collegegeldop basis van € 2060 per jaar
€	80	studieboeken en -spullen
€	29	drinken/snoep/snacks
€	77	uiterlijkkleding, kapper, schoenen
€	30	contributies/abonnementen
€	132	vrije tijdstappen, uit eten, vakantie
€	42	vervoernaast de OV-kaart
€	45	overig

€	1171	totale maandelijkse uitgaven landelijk gemiddelde is € 1181

Hiernaast staat een overzicht van de gemiddelde kosten die een uitwonende student heeft. Niet iedere student heeft met iedere kostenpost te maken. Het totaalgemiddelde is dus niet gelijk aan de optelsom van alle kostenposten.

Bekijk ook de uitgebreide toelichting: wat kost studeren?

Studenten en studentenleven

studentaantallen

51	studenten volgen deze opleiding
71%	daarvan is vrouw
4	eerstejaars gestart in 2017
75%	daarvan is vrouw
29331	studenten aan de University of Groningen
51%	daarvan is vrouw

bron: StudieData

studievereniging

Gerardus van der Leeuw

Gerardus van der Leeuw is the faculty community of Theology and Religious Studies of the University of Groningen.
The objective of Gerardus van der Leeuw is twofold. On the one hand, Gerardus van der Leeuw intends to organize activities that are scientifically relevant to its students, such as lectures to deepen and broaden the students' knowledge. On the other hand, the association aims to organize various leisure activities, for instance socials, trips and parties.

Op kamers in Groningen

55216	studenten studerend
31914	studenten woonachtig
€ 303	gemiddelde kamerprijs
	kamer betaalbaarheid
21 m²	gemiddelde kameroppervlak
	kamer beschikbaarheid

bron: Nationale Studenten Enquête

aan het woord: studenten en docenten

Estelle Stegenga - NL
Thijs Hoogeveen
Sjoukje Eringa

Estelle Stegenga - NL

Understanding “the bigger picture”

When I followed the minor “Religion in the Modern World” at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies during my bachelor's in Pedagogical Sciences, I realized how important it is to learn to understand different perspectives in today's society. After my bachelor's degree, I was seeking a master's degree where students would be broadly trained so that the "bigger picture" could be better understood.

So far I have been very enthusiastic about the Religion, Health & Wellbeing - Ethics & Diversity master's programme...

Additionally, we are challenged to think critically about the texts we read. Because of the small scale, there is a positive atmosphere and there is a lot of room for discussion and feedback.Until now, Gender, Religion and Sexuality has been my favorite course unit. The construct gender was approached from different religions, from a Western and non-Western point of view and from different disciplines. I enjoyed this course with great pleasure and it was often really eye-opening. It was interesting to understand a little better how the meaning of gender and sexuality is shaped by religion, culture and history, among other things.I am going to write my thesis about the possible consequences of the new law on citizenship education for a diverse society. I don't know exactly what I want to do after my master's, but I think I would like to work for a non-profit organization.

lees verder ...

Thijs Hoogeveen

afgestudeerd in 2014 werkzaam als Geestelijk Verzorger bij UMCG

The reciprocity is what makes the work inspiring

The decision to study Spiritual Care in Groningen was an important one for me, as I believe it was for many other students. Indeed, it was the consequence of personal development and events in my life until then. After my studies in Industrial Engineering and Management, I witnessed spiritual care at my volunteer job in a hospice. I thought it was a very special profession.The UG degree programme in general spiritual care appealed to me because I don't adhere to any one religion. Plus, I could follow the Master's degree programme after a shortened pre-Master's programme...

Psychopathology & Religion is a good example of this. They challenge you to reflect on the theory and your own position in it as a future spiritual carer. The combination of course units and a placement also spark a different learning process: that of dealing with stress and (re)claiming your own space and inspiration to function properly as a spiritual carer.I now work as a spiritual carer at the UMCG, where I did my placement. I enjoy working in a hospital very much. On the one hand because it is about collaborating with other care providers in a dynamic organization; on the other hand because it allows you to counsel people at a precarious time in their lives: being sick and hospitalized is often a very profound experience. It is a time at which existential questions may arise and spiritual care may be needed. In the hustle and bustle of a hospital environment, spiritual care enables you to focus on the effects of illness on a person, but also to find someone's sources of strength and inspiration. I believe that the conversations we have can be wholesome and rewarding for patients and spiritual carers alike. So you could say there is reciprocity in our relationships with people, which makes the work inspiring for me.

lees verder ...

Sjoukje Eringa

werkzaam als Geestelijk Verzorger bij Den Hoven

A solid basis for practice

What attracted me in Spiritual Care was its attention to meaning and existential questions. The opportunity to become an independent spiritual carer made the Groningen programme ideal for me...

I was drawn to elderly care because of its special way of communicating with residents. My creativity is constantly being challenged there by questions like: how can I get through to residents? What do their seemingly unrelated statements mean? How can I connect with their reality? My tasks here are very diverse. Of course I talk to people, in groups and individually. But I also provide palliative care and lead liturgical services and memorial services in the residents’ living room. In addition, I participate in various networks, such as the Alzheimer Café and the Palliative Network, and I keep in touch with spiritual carers and ministers in the area.Since my graduation, I have gained so much experience that I returned to the Faculty recently. Not as a student, but as a lecturer, teaching the course unit in Conversation Techniques and Group Dynamics and to supervise internships of students in Spiritual Care.

lees verder ...

Keuzehulp

Studievergelijker

University of Groningen
Leiden University
Radboud University Nijmegen
University of Amsterdam
Tilburg University
VU University Amsterdam

1/22 University of Groningen
Religion, Health and Wellbeing

€ 303 gemiddelde kamerhuur

4 eerstejaars

75% vrouw

? uur contacttijd/week

80% Nederlandstalig
100% Engelstalig

	deze opleiding	landelijk
algemeen oordeel	4.1	4.0
inhoud	4.1	3.9
docenten	4.3	4.1
studiefaciliteiten	4.1	3.8
studielast	3.6	3.5
studiebegeleiding	3.9	3.7

instelling	opleiding	instroomeisen
Utrecht University	Leraar VHO godsdienst/levensbeschouwing full-time,part-time educational	geen aanvullende eisen
Leiden University	Leraar VHO in Godsdienst en levensbeschouwing part-time educational	geen aanvullende eisen
University of Amsterdam	Lerarenopleiding Godsdienst en levensbeschouwing educational	geen aanvullende eisen
University of Amsterdam	Lerarenopleiding Godsdienst en levensbeschouwing part-time educational	geen aanvullende eisen

Religion, Health and Wellbeing

Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

Deze opleiding

Waarom aan de University of Groningen?

Studieprogramma

specialisaties

specialisatie Ethics and Diversity

specialisatie Spiritual Care

specialisatie Work and Meaning

Onderwijs

onderwijsvormen

study load

study abroad

study guidance

honours-/excellence program Master's Honours Programme

Toelating en kosten

startmomenten

toelatingseisen

studie kosten

inbegrepen in collegegeld

estimated monthly costs

Studenten en studentenleven

studentaantallen

studievereniging

Gerardus van der Leeuw

Op kamers in Groningen

aan het woord: studenten en docenten

Estelle Stegenga - NL

Understanding “the bigger picture”

Thijs Hoogeveen

The reciprocity is what makes the work inspiring

Sjoukje Eringa

A solid basis for practice

Keuzehulp

Studievergelijker

Feiten en / studie in cijfers

studentoordelen

Na de studie

Beroepsperspectief / arbeidsmarkt

aansluitende masteropleidingen

Potentiële beroepen

Contact