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Theology and Ministry

At the core of our Postgraduate Certificate lies the desire to integrate theology and ministry in a way that enriches both.
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Start Dates
Degree type

PCert

Course length

1 year full-time, 2 year part-time

Location

Durham City

Programme code

V60514

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Course details

At the core of our Postgraduate Certificate lies the desire to integrate theology and ministry in a way that enriches both. This integration is the hallmark of all of our modules and is exemplified in our programme’s core module, Theological and Practical Reflection on Mission & Ministry. Here students explore Practical Theology, an approach to theology that seeks to take practice and experience seriously, both as a context for the development of new insight and faithful response in light of Scripture and tradition, and as a source of new questions to bring to Scripture and tradition.

This approach engages the whole range of theological sub-disciplines and is also interdisciplinary in its use of social scientific or other academic disciplines. Above all, it reflects a desire to live faithfully in the light of rigorous and prayerful thinking.

You will gain the Postgraduate Certificate in Theology and Ministry by completing two taught modules (60 credits). The following modules are validated for the MA in Theology and Ministry but, as modules are usually taught on a bi-annual basis, we cannot guarantee the running of certain modules during a course of study.

Course structure

Year 1 modules

Core modules:

· Theological and Practical Reflection on Mission & Ministry (core module)

Optional modules:

In recent years optional modules have included:

  • Preaching from the Old Testament
  • The History and Theology of the Charismatic Movement
  • Intellect and Imagination: Apologetics in the Mass Media
  • Preaching from the New Testament
  • Leadership in Christian Ministry
  • Theological Approaches to Spiritual Direction
  • Mission and Ecclesiology: Critical Frameworks for Pioneering
  • Forgiveness and Pastoral Ministry Today
  • Advanced Old Testament Studies
  • Christian Doctrine in the Life of the Church
  • Advanced New Testament Studies
  • The Thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Context
  • Political Theology in History and Today
  • Jesus the Christ: Christology for Ministry

Learning

Modules are delivered either in weekly lectures across Michaelmas or Epiphany term, or in residential blocks of two and a half days each, Monday – Wednesday morning or Wednesday afternoon – Friday. The timetable changes from year to year, so please contact us if you’d like to know the schedule for the upcoming academic year.

In 2025 - 2026, Cranmer is committed to enabling online access for all MA modules. We work with students to establish a pathway that works best for them.

Assessment

All modules on this course are assessed with formative and summative assignments in a range of forms – some written, some verbal, and all determined in part by the module’s specific subject.

Entry requirements

You will be expected to have at least a 2:1 Bachelor’s degree, or international equivalent, in Theology, Religious Studies or a related discipline. We will also consider candidates with a degree in another subject, provided they have relevant experience or study in Theology or Religious Studies to at least Higher Education Certificate level. 

Your application must include a personal statement with a maximum of 500 words which may include the following:   

  • Why have you chosen the Postgraduate Certificate in Theology & Ministry at Durham University?  
  • What are your specific theological interests and how do they relate to your chosen programme?  
  • Which specific theological texts interest you and why?  
  • How do your prior qualifications prepare you for your chosen programme?  
  • What do you hope to get out of the course?  

Additional requirements  

We also request an academic reference when applying.  

Alternative qualifications

International students who do not meet direct entry requirements for this degree might have the option to complete an International Foundation Year.

Home students who do not meet our direct entry requirements, may be eligible for our Foundation Programme which offers multidisciplinary programmes to prepare you for a range of specified degree programmes.  

English language requirements

Country specific information

Fees and funding

The fees for this academic year have not been confirmed yet.

The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase and are expected to rise throughout the programme of study. The fee listed above is for the first year of the course only.
 
More information is available here: Tuition fees - how much are they - Durham University
 

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

Career opportunities

Cranmer Hall

Our degrees are designed to give you a strong and broad foundation of subject-specific knowledge as well as transferable skills and personal qualities developed during your studies: thinking clearly, writing well, presenting arguments, analysing texts, assessing evidence, solving problems, pursuing and organising research. These skills are highly valued across many sectors.

Our graduates readily find employment in fields such as church leadership and ministry, chaplaincy, para-church organisations, youth and children’s ministry and the charity sector.

A significant number also progress onto higher-level study, such as postgraduate study in Theology and Ministry or our Doctor of Theology and Ministry programme.

The majority of our students go straight into employment after completing their studies with us.

Department information

Cranmer Hall

Cranmer Hall is a vibrant and diverse Christian community forming Christlike leaders for today’s church through transformational learning.

We cherish our rich Anglican and Evangelical tradition, our beautiful North East context, and our world-class Durham University setting as part of St John’s College.

We are a Christian community, members of Christ’s body who need each other in our diversity to learn and flourish as disciples of Christ. Come and meet people different to you who will become friends for life.

We form Christlike leaders, training people in a wide range of knowledge and skills whilst believing that character matters so much more than competence. Come willing to be changed by God’s Spirit more into the likeness of his Son to the glory of the Father.

We serve today’s church, believing that the unchanging gospel of grace is ever relevant and needed in a changing world. Come to see the world afresh through God’s eyes and to be sent out with a renewed heart for the church as central to God’s mission.

We offer transformational learning, seeking to go deeper in the Scriptures, the inheritance of faith, and the practices of the church within one of world’s leading universities. Come and explore your faith like never before.

Facilities

Cranmer Hall is part of St John’s College, founded a little over 100 years ago to provide a place for evangelical Anglicans to train for ordained ministry in the context of Durham University.

Apply

Find out more:

Apply for a postgraduate course (including PGCE International) via our online portal.  

How to Apply?

Visit Us

The best way to find out what Durham is really like is to come and see for yourself!

Events and Open Days
Join a Postgraduate Open Day
  • Date: 10/02/2025 - 11/02/2025
  • Time: 09:00 - 17:00
Find out more
Self-Guided Tours
  • Date: 01/09/2024 - 31/08/2025
  • Time: 09:00 - 16:00
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