I want to prepare for...

Studying at the ETF Leuven gives you a broad perspective on faith, Church and society. Our graduates are working in all sectors of society, but a large proportion of them are working in education, in churches or Christian organizations or on the mission field. Our programs have particular focuses on these sectors.

… a career in education

As an institution for university level education, we train teachers to work in higher secondary education.

After or during your Master’s studies, you can follow our specific teacher training course and have the ideal qualifications to get a job as a teacher of religion in Flanders or the Netherlands. You will not only have a strong professional knowledge, but you also have learned teaching skills in theory and in practice.

Under certain conditions, you can also teach Protestant Evangelical Religious Education at primary schools or at the level of lower secondary education with a Bachelor’s degree in theology and religious studies.

The teacher training course can be partially integrated into the Master’s program.

…a position in a Church or Christian organization

While many free churches (Evangelical/Pentecostal) do not require a specific training for their pastors or church workers, they greatly appreciate our alumni (Bachelor and/or Master). The major Religion, Church and Society is particularly suited for ministry in a local church. Churches and denominations that offer their own affiliated training programs usually allow an easy transfer of our Bachelor and Master students, particularly if they have completed the major Formative Sources.

For more information about transitions to specific churches or church training programs, please contact the academic secretariat.

…the mission field

ETF Leuven is an international and interdenominational institution, where lecturers and students enrich one another with their very different backgrounds. Our programs pay much attention to diversity and dialogue. Many of our teachers themselves have experience of living and working in other European, African, American and/or Asian cultures, often as missionaries.

A good many graduates of ETF Leuven live and work abroad. Usually they are sent out by churches or missionary organizations and often they have already followed a professional education elsewhere. Several courses in our Bachelor’s and Master’s programs and the one-year, mission-oriented theology program in particular, have courses with a specific focus on mission and missiology.

…academic research

At an academic institution such as ETF Leuven, education and research are closely linked. If you aspire to a career as a researcher in theology and religious studies, you will find at ETF Leuven both a good education and a good research environment.

The Master’s program pays particular attention to the development of the research capacity of the student. After this, you can apply to the international PhD program, in which you prepare a doctoral dissertation under the guidance of a supervisor.

…an open future

Even if you do not know exactly what you want to do, a program at ETF Leuven is a good choice. A program in theology provides you with a broad frame of reference that enables you to reflect on church and society at an academic level. This capacity is very useful in many sectors of society.

Many students when they start to study at ETF Leuven do not know exactly what they want to do afterwards. Often their future takes shape during their studies. Sometimes this means that after the Bachelor’s program, a student follows a Master’s program elsewhere which prepares for a different professional profile. In the flexible European education system, such a transition usually goes smoothly. Others continue their theological education and after their Master’s program find various careers in and outside of the church context.