Theology and Religion at Durham University - UCAS

Course options

There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

Our Graduate Diploma in Theology and Religion offers you the opportunity to pursue your interest in this significant and fascinating feature of human existence even though your undergraduate degree may have been in another subject. This highly flexible conversion course gives you the control to select from a wide range of optional modules based on your intellectual curiosity and career aspirations. Successful completion enables you to go on and study for an MA in the field of theology and religion.  We are a recognised global leader in the exploration of theology and religion and you will be able to choose from topics as diverse as Hebrew prose texts, the links between science and theology, New Testament ethics and the globalisation of Christianity. Within the Department, we offer a breadth and depth of theological and religious expertise through the Centre for Death and Life Studies, the Centre for Catholic Studies, the Michael Ramsey Centre for Anglican Studies and the International Centre for Moral Injury. You will also benefit from highly effective cross-departmental and interdisciplinary links between the department and, for example, the University’s Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and the Institute for Medieval and Early Modern Studies. We also work in partnership with external theological institutions. This course gives you the means to explore the aspects of theology and religion which interest you, regardless of the subject of your graduation degree, delivered in the inspirational environment of the city of Durham itself where the magnificent Cathedral is evidence of the city’s own major religious role over nearly two millennia. 

Modules

Course structure This course does not feature compulsory modules and instead comprises six optional modules chosen from an extensive range of subjects. Examples of optional modules: Literature and Theology of the Old Testament; New Testament Theology; Syriac; Hebrew Prose Texts; Death, Ritual and Belief; Creation and New Creation: Imaging God; Reading the New Testament in Greek; Science and Theology: Exploring the Interface; Religion in Contemporary Britain; Atheism, Belief and the Edge of Reason;  Topics in Christian Ethics; Early Christian Doctrine: Trinity and Christology; Christ and the Human Mystery: Imaging God; Myth and Meaning: The Structural Analysis of Mythology; Research Project and Colloquium in Theology and Religion;  God and the Universe of Faiths; Catholic Theology in the Modern World; Sacred India: Land, Politics and Identity; The Reformation and its Legacy; Medieval Theology and Spirituality; Sects, Prophets and Gurus; Jewish Religion in Antiquity: Belief Systems, Ethics, Political Conflicts; Faith, Identity and Power in Latin America; Create, Image, Enact: Christian Theology and the Arts;  Augustine of Hippo; Introduction to the theology of Bonaventure; Emotion, Religion and Identity; Theology and Culture in Atlantic History; Aramaic; Advanced Greek Texts; Issues in Old Testament Studies; New Testament Ethics;  Religion and Film; Emotion and Identity in Religion; Christian Fundamentalism and the Modern World;  Christian Tradition and the Practice of Politics; John and the Archheretics: The Gospel of John, the Letters of John and the Origins of Gnosticism (in Greek); Jesus Christ in the Twentieth Century; The Historical Jesus; Religious Diversity in African Contexts;  Thomas Aquinas: Background, Context and Legacy;  Religion, Media and Popular Culture; Picturing Biblical Texts; The Globalisation of Christianity; Theology, Nature, Environment; Faith and the Experience of War: Byzantium and Eastern Orthodoxy; Medieval Theology and Spirituality; The Reformation and Its Legacy;  Competing Gospels: Jesus inside and outside the Canon;  Performative Theology; The Cross of Christ; The Thought of St Bonaventure; Tractarians and Modernists – Catholic Retrievals; Sacred India.

Assessment method

Teaching includes a mixture of lectures, seminars and tutorials, giving you an average of 7.5 hours of timetabled contact per week and providing a launchpad for your growth as an independent learner. The classroom teaching and learning will typically amount to around 25% of learning time with the remaining 75% spent working independently.  The flexible structure enables you to choose the equivalent of six modules from an extensive range. This includes the option to complete a Graduate Diploma dissertation for which you would have the support of a supervisor. The dissertation is the equivalent of two modules and would count for a third of your marks.  You will also be encouraged to engage with the extensive programme of research-related activities in the Department, including research seminar series and public lectures by high-profile guest speakers and visiting scholars.  Assessment is rigorous and continuous with the majority of assessments based on coursework. Most of the modules from which you will be able to choose, are assessed by essays, presentations and oral examinations or any combination of those methods. The biblical language modules also include written examinations.  The optional Graduate Diploma dissertation is an independent piece of research of up to 12,000 words in length. This is the equivalent of two standard modules.


How to apply

International applicants

If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take a pre-Masters pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.

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 scale of 4.0 scale), but applicants from non-traditional backgrounds or with other qualifications may be considered subject to interview and a review of written work.


English language requirements

Durham University welcomes applications from all students irrespective of background. We encourage the recruitment of academically well-qualified and highly motivated students, who are non-native speakers of English, whose full potential can be realised with a limited amount of English Language training either prior to entry or through pre-sessional and/or in-sessional courses. It is the normal expectation that candidates for admission should be able to demonstrate satisfactory English proficiency before the start of a programme of study, whether via the submission of an appropriate English language qualification or by attendance on an appropriate pre-sessional course. Acceptable evidence and levels required can be viewed by following the link provided.

English language requirements

https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/international/entry-requirements/english-language-requirements/


Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £7000 Year 1
Northern Ireland £7000 Year 1
Scotland £7000 Year 1
Wales £7000 Year 1
Channel Islands £7000 Year 1
EU £16300 Year 1
International £16300 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £16300 Year 1

Additional fee information

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).

Sponsorship information

For further information see the course listing.

Theology and Religion at Durham University - UCAS