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Start Dates
Degree type

MA

Course length

1 year full-time, 2 years part-time

Location

Durham City

Program code

V8K407

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Course details

The MA in Theology and Religion serves both the specific needs of those focused on progressing towards doctoral research and also of those looking to continue relatively broad-based postgraduate studies in Theology and Religion, forexample in support of a career in teaching.

  • Choice of one of the three core modules
  • Three optional modules
  • Dissertation.

Core modules:

One of the following:

  • Paul and His Interpreters (or an alternative module in Biblical Studies in some years)
  • Classic Texts in Christian Theology
  • Social Scientific Methods in the Study of Religion

Plus a Dissertation.

Examples of optional modules:

Optional modules in previous years have included 2-3 choices from:

  • Advanced Hebrew Texts
  • Advanced Aramaic
  • Middle Egyptian
  • The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and the New Testament
  • The Bible and Hermeneutics
  • Paul and his Interpreters
  • Gospels and Canon
  • Patristic Ecclesiology
  • England's Religious Revolution 1640-1660
  • Liturgy and Sacramentality
  • Conceiving Change in Contemporary Catholicism
  • Twentieth-Century Catholic Theology
  • Christian Gender
  • Principles of Theological Ethics
  • Catholic Social Thought
  • Doctrine of Creation
  • Classic Texts in Christian Theology
  • Christianity in the Second Century
  • Faith and Reason
  • Word and Image: Classic Foundations for Christian Visuality
  • Intro to New Testament Greek
  • Intro to Biblical Hebrew
  • High Medieval Franciscan Theology
  • The Thought of Thomas Aquinas in Context

Plus up to 1 choice from:

  • Selected modules from the MA in Theology and Ministry
  • Level 3 undergraduate module, or any Level 1–2 language module offered by the Department of Theology and Religion, taken in conjunction with the designated Extended Study in Theology & Religion module
  • 30 credits from another Board of Studies (including appropriate credit-bearing language modules offered by the University’s Centre for Foreign Language Study).

Learning

Most MA teaching is delivered through small group seminars and tutorials. These exemplify and encourage the various skills and practices required for independent scholarly engagement with texts and issues. Teaching in the Department of Theology and Religion is research led and is informed by staff research, but more importantly, it aims to develop you as independent researchers, able to pursue and explore your own research interests and questions. This is why the independently researched MA dissertation is the culmination of the MA course. Such engagement with texts and issues is not only an excellent preparation for doctoral research, but it also develops those skills of critical analysis, synthesis and presentation sought and required by employers.

Many MA classes will contain a ‘lecture’ element, conveying information and exemplifying an approach to the subject matter that will enable you to develop a clear understanding of the subject and improve your own ability to analyse and evaluate information and arguments. Seminars enhance knowledge and understanding through preparation and interaction with other students and staff, promoting awareness of and respect for different viewpoints and approaches, and developing skills of articulacy, advocacy and interrogation. Through small group discussions and tutorials, feedback is provided on completed work, with the opportunity to discuss specific issues in detail, enhancing knowledge and writing skills.

The dissertation module includes training in generic research skills, from the use of the library to issues in referencing and bibliography. The subject specific core module introduces you to questions of interpretation and argument in the disciplines encompassed by theology and religion helping you to develop your own interests and questions. The latter is a piece of independent research, but it is fostered and guided through individual tutorials with a superviser with who you will meet throughout the academic year.

Entry requirements

The standard entry requirement is a BA (Honours) degree (UK 2:1 or equivalent, for example, a GPA of 3.7 on a 4.0 scale) in Theology, Religious Studies or a related discipline.

The two principal exceptions to this rule are as follows:

  • Graduates of other disciplines who have studied at undergraduate or equivalent level in one or more of the areas in which they hope to work, through their first degrees, through training for the ministry of the churches, and so on
  • Students from overseas universities who have successfully reached a point in their theological studies comparable with completion of a British BA at the standard noted above - for example, on the German model, passing the Zwischenprüfung or Kolloquium and two semesters at the Hauptseminar level.

The University will contact the referees named in your application directly. Please ensure that your referees are able to provide a reference in a timely fashion. If you are also applying for a Durham MA bursary, please ensure that your referees understand that their references will be used both for admission and for a very competitive funding process.

English language requirements

Fees and funding

Full Time Fees

Tuition fees
Home students £11,800 per year
EU students £24,750 per year
Island students £11,800 per year
International students £24,750 per year

Part Time Fees

Tuition fees
Home students £6,500 per year
EU students £13,700 per year
Island students £6,500 per year
International students £13,700 per year

The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study, are set according to the academic year of entry, and remain the same throughout the duration of the programme for that cohort (unless otherwise stated).

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

Scholarships and Bursaries

We are committed to supporting the best students irrespective of financial circumstances and are delighted to offer a range of funding opportunities. 

Find out more about Scholarships and Bursaries

Career opportunities

Theology and Religion

Graduates enter a wide range of career areas, including law, government, marketing, business and finance, industry, charity work, teaching, media, the clergy and journalism. Employers include: Linklaters, Kirkland and Ellis, Coltraco Ultrasonics, the Home Office, Durham Police and Jaguar Land Rover.

Department information

Theology and Religion

The Department of Theology and Religion is where ‘belief’ and ‘beliefs’ are taken seriously, respected and studied, whether those beliefs are atheistic, humanistic or religious. Our home, Abbey House (pictured right), is next door to Durham Cathedral, and is a beautiful and inspiring place to pursue research in theology and religion.

For more information see our department pages.

Rankings

  • World Top 10 in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2022
  • 3rd in The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2023
  • 3rd in The Complete University Guide 2023
  • 3rd in The Guardian University Guide 2023

Staff

For a current list of staff, please see the Theology & Religion Department pages.

Research Excellence Framework

  • 4th in the UK for Research Power (REF 2021)
  • 91% research graded world-leading or internationally excellent (REF 2021)

Facilities

Library facilities for Theology and Religion in Durham are extensive, and the holdings at the Bill Bryson Library are only the beginning.

Our next-door neighbour, Durham Cathedral, houses another theological library: The Sharp Library, which focuses on modern and pastoral theology. Additionally, the Meissen Library, located on level 3 of the Bill Bryson Library, is the largest collection of German-language theological materials in Britain.

Some of the College libraries (notably St. Chad's College and St. John's College) hold extensive theological collections and the Department has some library resources of its own, in particular in Hebrew and Jewish studies.

Apply

Find out more:

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

Visit Us

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

Join a Postgraduate Open Day
  • Date: 01/09/2023 - 31/08/2024
  • Time: 09:00 - 17:00
Find out more
Self-Guided Tours
  • Date: 01/09/2023 - 31/08/2024
  • Time: 09:00 - 16:00
Find out more

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