What do people believe about the world and their place in it? How do those beliefs shape society and culture? Can those beliefs be critically examined, scrutinised and tested?
BA Theology and Religion will teach you how to use the tools of philosophy, social science, history, literature and language to understand human beliefs and world views, past and present. We do this both from within, seeking to test our own beliefs, and from without, as critical observers. We have a historic strength in the study of Christian thought, history, theology, practice and texts, while offering strong provision in politics, ethics, non-Christian faith traditions, humanism, atheism and the social-scientific study of religion.
In addition to academic learning, we have 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 also have the choice of applying to add a placement year or a year abroad to your degree, increasing the course from three years to four.
In the first year, modules are provide the foundational understanding and skills necessary for work in theology and the study of religion, including beginning to explore independent research.
In the second year, there is a much greater choice of modules 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. Amongst other things, you will conduct a guided research project.
The third year includes a dissertation that allows a deep, independently driven, investigation of a topic of your choice, alongside your choices from a suite of specialist modules exploring critical questions in depth.
Course structure
Year 1 modules
Core modules:
Research Workshop in Theology and Religion begins your training as an independent researcher in this subject. You will choose two specialist topics from a list offered (such as ‘Re-writing Scripture’, ‘The Age of Witch-Hunting’ or ‘The Meaning of the Cross’) and work on them intensively in small groups tutored by expert staff, working towards a research project in one of those topics that you will design.
Worldview, Faith and Identity outlines established approaches to the study of religion. The module introduces ideas of identity, faith and worldview as foundations for religious thought and practice.
Introduction to the History of Christianity provides an introduction to the history of Christianity and to its relationships with its social and cultural contexts including the representation of different periods, different regions, different social groups such as historically marginalised groups, and different methodologies.
Introduction to Christian Theology (philosophical studies) will equip you with a grasp of the history of Christian theology and provide a comprehensive map of the major figures, ideas and debates which function as a minimal context for intelligent work in Christian theology. The module will introduce the method of thinking theologically, by habituating you in the thoughts of leading theologians.
Introduction to Bible: Texts, History, Culture (scriptural studies) introduces important passages and themes in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and New Testament, and explains some of the ways in which biblical scholars approach texts.
Optional modules:
New Testament Greek
God and Evil
God and the Good: Philosophy of Religion and Ethics
Islam Observed: Ethnographic Accounts of Muslim Practice.
Year 2 modules
Core modules:
Research Project and Colloquium
builds on the first-year Research Workshop, as you choose a topic from a list offered and work in a tutor-led small group, each generating your own research project and developing the skills you will need for your final-year dissertation.
Optional modules:
Literature and Theology of the Old Testament
New Testament Theology
Decolonising the Bible
Death, Ritual and Belief
Creation and New Creation: Imaging God
Atheism, Belief and the Edge of Reason
Topics in Christian Ethics
Christ and the Human Mystery: Imaging God
Sacred India: Land, Politics and Identity
Jewish Religion in Antiquity: Belief Systems, Ethics, Political Conflicts
Theology and Comedy
Religion in Contemporary Britain
Year 3 modules
Core modules:
Dissertation
In your final year, you will submit a dissertation on a related topic of your choice, approved by an academic advisor. The dissertation allows you to explore in depth a topic of special interest to you.
Optional modules:
Advanced Greek Texts
Issues in Old Testament Studies
The New Testament and Christian Ethics
Religion and Film
Emotion and Identity in Religion
Christian Fundamentalism and the Modern World
The Reformation and its Legacy.
Additional Pathways
Students can apply to be transferred onto either the with Year Abroad or with Placement pathway during the second year. Places on these pathways are in high demand and if you are chosen your studies will extend from three years to four.
Accreditation
Our graduates proceed to a very wide variety of careers, with over 90% progressing to employment or further study within six months of graduation. The skills our students learn - how to understand complex materials from many different angles, to analyse difficult texts, to frame clear and nuanced arguments, to blend rigorous logic with emotional intelligence - are valuable in a great many walks of life.
In recent years we have had students go on to work in ...
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 for most modules 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 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 mostly assessed by essays and end-of-year examinations, some by a combination of the two. Typically around forty per cent of your degree is assessed by coursework.
Our curriculum places a strong emphasis on becoming self-directed learners. You will be provided with reading lists, handouts, suggestions for preparation and other materials to guide you in your independent research.
There are research elements in each year of the degree, culminating in your final-year dissertation, exploring in depth a topic of your choice.
Entry requirements
A level offer – AAB
Contextual offer – BBB
BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma/OCR Cambridge Technical
Extended Diploma – DDD
and A levels as above
IB Diploma score – 36
to include 665 in higher level subjects
In addition to satisfying the University’s general entry requirements, please note:
We also consider other level 3 qualifications, including T-levels.
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.
including a social science or humanities subject. Religious Education is not a required subject.
The fees for this academic year have not been confirmed yet.
Full-Time Study
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 will be subject to an annual inflationary increase expected to rise throughout the programme of study. The fee listed above is for the first year of the course only; fees for subsequent years will be confirmed not less than 3 months before the start of the academic year to which the increase is intended to apply and will be published on the Finance webpages.
In deciding the annual level of increase, the University will take into account inflationary pressures on the costs of delivery. Tuition fees will rise annually by up to the higher of:
6%, or
the latest annual percentage increase in the Consumer Prices Index.
Part-Time Study
The tuition fees shown for home students are for one complete academic year of part-time study and are charged proportionately to the Full-Time fee. Fees for subsequent years of your course may rise in line with an inflationary uplift as determined by the government.
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 2020-21:
87%
in work or further study.
Of those in employment:
93%
in high and medium skilled employment
£30,000
is the average salary.
(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)
Department information
Theology and Religion
Durham is a place of self-discovery where ‘belief’ and ‘beliefs’ are taken seriously. Join us to explore religious thought, practice and scripture in a world-leading Department of Theology and Religion.
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 50 academic staff and an intake of about 100 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.
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.
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Use the UCAS code below when applying:
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V614
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