To be a student on the BA (Hons) in Religion, Society and Culture is to undergo a process of self-discovery, within a supportive and friendly community, made up of fellow students, and staff.

Human beings always have had, and always will have, worldviews, and fundamental beliefs about the way the universe is, and their role in it. And this is the part of the human condition that is studied in a Theology and Religion Department, from a range of methodological and disciplinary perspectives: social scientific/anthropological; textual; historical, and philosophical/ethical. The Theology and Religion Department is a place where ‘belief’ and ‘beliefs’ are taken seriously, respected, and studied, whether those beliefs are atheistic, humanistic, or religious. So, for example, if you are interested in worldviews, including, for example, atheism, Christianity, or humanism, the Department of Theology and Religion is the place for you.

This process of learning and teaching is conducted using a variety of the following methods:

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Tutorials
• Study skills classes.

All of these activities support, and are supported by, your own independent and scholarly engagement with texts and issues, and the writing of assignments, on which you will receive feedback. Through the process of doing the degree, you will grow as an independent and creative thinker and researcher.

In the first year you will receive about 8–9 hours of timetabled contact each week. First year modules are intended to provide the foundational understanding and skills necessary for work in theology and the study of religion. Weekly lectures will introduce you to the broad questions and current issues in the subject area, and will enable you to develop a clear understanding of the subject and to improve your skills in evaluating and analysing information. Seminars (typically six in each of your six modules) will give you the opportunity to engage with the topics introduced in lectures and to discuss key issues in small groups; they also promote awareness of and respect for different viewpoints and approaches, and help you articulate and develop your own views in dialogue with others. You will also be able to get detailed feedback on your essays, to help you improve the quality of your written work.

For each hour of timetabled contact, you will be expected to complete about three hours of independent research. This will enable you to broaden your subject knowledge, prepare for lectures and seminars, and complete written assignments. We will provide you with reading lists, handouts, suggestions for preparation, and other online materials to guide you in your research.

There are also four general lectures in the first year on study skills. These provide you with the basics about accessing the library, reading, note-taking, essay writing, and the like. But they also set you on the path to becoming an independent learner, helping you to understand how to find out for yourself the resources you will need and the skills you will have to develop for effective intellectual engagement with texts and issues.

Every member of staff has weekly office hours when they are available to meet with students on a ‘drop-in’ basis. You will also get a personal academic adviser who meets with you a number of times each year, and is responsible for your overall academic progress. He or she is usually the first person you would turn to if you have queries or problems. Academic advisors are also very helpful when it comes to finding someone to write a reference for you!

The second and third years develop this approach of research-led learning. There is a much greater choice of modules in the second year, to allow you to pursue your own interests within theology and religion by building on the understanding and abilities you have begun to develop in the first year. There is also an increased emphasis on the development of critical and analytical skills, and on the ability to write more extensive pieces of writing based on your own research. As modules specialise more strongly in particular areas, the type of teaching varies more markedly between modules, and the kind of contact you experience depends to a greater extent on the modules you take. On average in the second year, the number of timetabled contact hours is similar to those in the first year, as are the number of hours you will need to dedicate to your own independent learning.

The culmination of the process of becoming an independent researcher is the third-year dissertation, a large research project that counts for one-third of your marks for your final year. This gives you the opportunity to engage at an advanced level with creative cutting-edge research at the forefront of the discipline, working on a topic of your choice, with a specialist within the Department. On account of the time you will need to undertake this research, timetabled contact in the third year is reduced (to an average of just under six hours a week), but this is balanced by six 45-minute tutorials of one-to-one contact with a supervisor dedicated to discussing your own research project, together with a number of classes on dissertation research skills. The dissertation is excellent not only for those students interested in further academic research, but also represents the cumulative development of skills in analysis, synthesis, presentation and interpretation which the degree aims to foster and which are highly prized by future employers.

In addition to all this, the Department also has an extensive series of research-related activities which you are warmly encouraged to attend. These include several research seminars and public lectures from high-profile guest speakers and visiting scholars; the University also frequently hosts eminent and well-known visiting speakers. You will also receive invitations to attend regular workshops that are organised by the Department and the Careers and Enterprise Centre.

A level offer – AAB including a social science or humanities subject.

BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma – DDD and A levels as above.

Typical IB score 36 to include 665 in higher level subjects.

In addition to satisfying the University’s general entry requirements, please note:

• We welcome applications from those with other qualifications equivalent to our standard entry requirements and from mature students with non-standard qualifications or who may have had a break in their study. Please contact our Admissions Selectors.

• We are pleased to consider applications for deferred entry.

• If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take an International Foundation Year pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre

Science A levels

Applicants taking Science A levels that include a practical component will be required to take and pass this as a condition of entry. This applies only to applicants sitting A levels with an English examination board.

Alternative qualifications

• Other UK qualifications

• EU qualifications

• International qualifications

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

English language requirements

Country specific information

Full Time Fees

The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full time 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.

Of those students who graduated in 2019:

• 80% are in paid employment or further study 15 months after graduation across all our programmes

Of those in employment:

• 91% are in high skilled employment
• With an average salary of £23,000.

(Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk)

Durham is a place of self-discovery, where ‘belief’ and ‘beliefs’ are taken seriously.

Human beings always have had, and always will have worldviews and fundamental beliefs about the way the universe is, and their role in it. This is the part of the human condition that is studied in Theology and Religion at Durham, from a range of methodological and disciplinary perspectives: social scientific/anthropological; textual; historical; and philosophical/ethical.

For more information see our department pages.

Rankings

• 7th in the QS World University Subject Rankings 2022
• 2nd in The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2022
• 3rd in The Complete University Guide 2023
• 3rd in The Guardian University Guide 2022.

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 21)

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.

The historic library at Palace Green holds the University's Special Collections, including extensive collections of rare books and manuscripts of particular interest to students of Theology and Religion.

Find out more:

You will learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and study skills classes, developing your knowledge and your ability to undertake your own independent and scholarly engagement with texts and issues.

Weekly lectures will introduce you to the broad questions and current issues in the subject area, and enable you to develop a clear understanding of the subject and improve your skills in evaluating and analysing information. Seminars will give you the opportunity to engage with the topics introduced in lectures and to discuss key issues in small groups; they also promote awareness of and respect for different viewpoints and approaches, and help you articulate and develop your own views in dialogue with others. You will also be able to get detailed feedback on your essays, to help you improve the quality of your written work.

Assessment

Modules are assessed by essays and end-of-year examinations, some by a combination of the two. Forty per cent of your degree will be assessed by coursework. In your final year, you will submit a dissertation, which allows you to explore in depth a topic of your choice.

A level offer – AAB including a social science or humanities subject.

BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma – DDD and A levels as above.

Typical IB score 36 to include 665 in higher level subjects.

In addition to satisfying the University’s general entry requirements, please note:

• We welcome applications from those with other qualifications equivalent to our standard entry requirements and from mature students with non-standard qualifications or who may have had a break in their study. Please contact our Admissions Selectors.

• We are pleased to consider applications for deferred entry.

• If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take an International Foundation Year pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre

Science A levels

Applicants taking Science A levels that include a practical component will be required to take and pass this as a condition of entry. This applies only to applicants sitting A levels with an English examination board.

Alternative qualifications

• Other UK qualifications

• EU qualifications

• International qualifications

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

English language requirements

Country specific information

The tuition fees for 2024/25 academic year have not yet been finalised, they will be displayed here once approved.

The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of full time study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.

The tuition fees shown for overseas and EU students are for one complete academic year of full time 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.

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 education, social work, politics, journalism, business management, banking, the clergy, the performing arts and the charity sector. A significant number also progress onto higher-level study, such as postgraduate study in Theology and Religion or professional qualifications in law and education.

Of those students who graduated in 2019:

• 80% are in paid employment or further study 15 months after graduation across all our programmes

Of those in employment:

• 91% are in high skilled employment
• With an average salary of £23,000.

(Source: HESA Graduate Outcomes Survey. The survey asks leavers from higher education what they are doing 15 months after graduation. Further information about the Graduate Outcomes survey can be found here www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk)

Theology and Religion is an exciting and diverse discipline that explores humanity’s views and fundamental beliefs about the way the Universe is, and their role in it. This is the part of the human condition that you will study at Durham from anthropological, textual, historical and ethical perspectives.

The Department of Theology and Religion is an inclusive and friendly international teaching and research community where ‘belief’ and ‘beliefs’ are studied in detail, whether those beliefs are atheistic, humanistic or religious.

With more than 30 academic staff, and an intake of about 70 undergraduates each year, the Department is one of the largest in the UK. Our research-led approach means you will be taught by subject specialists whose interests span many areas. We have a historic strength in the study of Christian thought, history, practice and texts, while offering strong provision in politics, ethics, non-Christian faith traditions, humanism and atheism.

Our undergraduate degrees offer flexible pathways to suit your interests and career goals, including the possibility of a work placement or year abroad.

We offer a range of activities outside timetabled sessions to complement academic learning: the Department has an extensive series of research-related activities which you are encouraged to attend. These include several research seminars and public lectures from high-profile guest speakers and visiting scholars.

For more information see our department pages.

Rankings

• 7th 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 21)

Facilities

The Department is based at Palace Green in the historic and picturesque city centre, and within easy walking distance of the Students’ Union, colleges, Durham Castle and Cathedral.

Our library facilities are extensive, and the main University library, the Bill Bryson Library, is only the beginning. The Meissen Library is the largest collection of German-language theological materials in Britain. Some of the College libraries hold theological collections and the Department has some library resources of its own, including Hebrew and Jewish studies. Our neighbour, Durham Cathedral, houses The Sharp Library which focuses on modern and pastoral theology.

The historic library at Palace Green holds the University's Special Collections, including extensive collections of rare books and manuscripts of particular interest to theology and religion students.

Find out more: