Biblical Studies
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.
Months of entry
September
Course content
This course focuses on the context and interpretation of biblical and pseudepigraphal texts, along with the study of biblical languages. Durham has a long tradition of outstanding biblical scholarship, providing a wide range of distinctive approaches to biblical studies, including historical, critical and theological.
Course Structure- Paul and His Interpreters - core module*
- Three optional modules
- Dissertation.
Core modules:
- Paul and His Interpreters*
- Dissertation
*Core module may be subject to change
Examples of optional modules:
Optional modules in previous years have included 2-3 choices from:
- Beginners' New Testament Greek
- Biblical Hebrew
- Advanced Hebrew Texts
- Advanced Aramaic
- Middle Egyptian
- The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and the New Testament
- Gospels and Canon
Plus up to 1 choice from:
- Paul and his Interpreters
- Patristic Exegesis
- Patristic Ecclesiology
- Christian Northumbria 600-750
- Anglican Theologyin Context
- Classic Texts in Christian Theology
- Liturgy and Sacramentality
- Conceiving Change in Contemporary Catholicism
- Twentieth-Century Catholic Theology
- Christian Gender
- Principles of Theological Ethics
- Theology, Ethics and Medicine
- Social Scientific Methods in the Study of Religion
- Ritual, Symbolism and Belief in the Anthropology of Religion
- Literature and Religion
- Catholic Social Thought
- Ecclesiology and Ethnography
- Doctrine of Creation
- Religion in the Neo-Liberal Age
- The Thought of Thomas Aquinas in Context
- Selected modules from the MA in Theology and Ministry course
- 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 and 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).
Information for international students
Scholarships available for 2022 entry will be determined in September 2021. Over 60 scholarships are available, each year. Some scholarships are awarded to more than one person. For further information see the course listing.
Fees and funding
Qualification, course duration and attendance options
- MA
- part time24 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- full time12 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
Course contact details
- Name
- Enquiries
- study@durham.ac.uk