The Faculty
The Faculty of Theology and Sciences of Religions (FTSR) of the University of Lausanne is a university institution dedicated to research and education in Sciences of Religions and Theology.
It represents a multidisciplinary microcosm. Historians mix with anthropologists, sociologists, philosophers and theologians. Specialists in text corpora are in dialogue with specialists in field studies and social science methods.
It offers two streams of study: Sciences of Religions and Theology. In an interdisciplinary perspective, courses are given in collaboration with the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences.
The FTSR also maintains close collaboration with other faculties of human and social sciences and theology in Switzerland and Europe, thus enriching its research with other approaches. It is the only Faculty in French-speaking Switzerland to offer a Bachelor of Sciences of Religions.
Sciences of Religions at the University of Lausanne
Sciences of Religions are central to many present-day concerns. Here at the University of Lausanne, the range of courses in this field is very broad and varied, the most extensive in Switzerland. Our faculty, with its partners, is a centre of excellence in the discipline.
If you are interested in Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, esoteric traditions or the new spiritualities – and if you are interested in comparative approaches, which include history, sociology, psychology, anthropology or migration studies – then you will have at our university the possibility of creating an individual programme, consistent and coherent, which will open you to a wide range of opportunities from academic research to education, including administration, politics, diplomacy, media, and many others according to your interests and aptitudes.
The educators of international stature – the historians of religions, sociologists, anthropologists, historians, psychologists or philosophers – who will teach you, are all at the cutting edge of research in the different fields covered by Sciences of Religions.
Theology at the University of Lausanne
If you are interested in studying any of the following: biblical sciences; Old and New Testament exegeses; reading biblical texts in the original languages of ancient Hebrew and postclassical Greek; systematic theology; philosophy; the overarching issues of the establishment of Christianity and its dogmas; theological and philosophical ethics; thought on contemporary questions and problems; the history of Christianity from the first centuries to the present day; practical theology and the study of a living religion; sciences of religions and their many disciplines; then the courses in theology offered at the University of Lausanne will open the way to many fields. If the principal prospects are in church ministry and academic research, others, such as media, politics, education and humanitarian work, may be considered depending on your interests and competences.
The courses of theology, at both bachelor’s and master’s degree level, are provided in collaboration with the Faculties of Theology of the Universities of Geneva and Neuchatel. The students, who enjoy the benefits at Lausanne of a well-recognized centre of excellence in Biblical Sciences and Sciences of Religions, can thus also benefit from the facilities and expertise of the two other universities.
The educators of international reputation who will teach you, not only biblical scholars, historians, systematists, ethicists, philosophers and linguists, but also sociologists, psychologists and anthropologists, are all at the cutting edge of research in the various fields covered by Theology and the Sciences of Religions.
The Faculty of Theology and Sciences of Religions includes four Research Institutes:
