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 can sometimes also be interdisciplinary in its engagement 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 MA in Theology and Ministry by completing the core module, three optional taught modules and a dissertation (total 180 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)
Dissertation
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
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. The MATM includes a dissertation of 15,000 words.
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.
If you do not meet these formal requirements but have significant relevant experience, training, or unaccredited study, we still encourage you to apply. Admission onto one of our related postgraduate programmes may be possible on a case-by-case basis.
Your application must include a personal statement with a maximum of 500 words which may include the following:
Why have you chosen the MA 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.
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.
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.
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.
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