Theology and Religion (GDip)

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.

The diploma is an ideal course to take if you are wanting to transition from another discipline to theology and religion, which you might wish to pursue at MA level. It is also ideal if you have already studied theology and religion to first degree level in another country, and wish to become familiar with the critical approach to these subjects that is typical in British public universities.

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

October

Course content

This course is intended for those who hold a Bachelor's degree in another discipline, but who wish to acquire a knowledge of Theology and Religion at a level which would permit them to undertake further study in the subject.

The dissertation module is a core module on this course and you have to choose one module from the following optional modules: Social Scientific Methods in the Study of Religion or Gospels and Canon or Classic Texts in Christian Theology and another two modules from a range of optional modules availale varies from year to year

Examples of optional modules:

Optional modules in previous years have included two choices from:

• Aramaic
• Biblical Theology
• Paul and His Interpreters
• Conceiving Change in Contemporary Catholicism
• Liturgy and Sacramentality
• Christian Gender
• Principles of Theological Ethics
• Social, Scientific Methods in the Study of Religion
• Twentieth-Century Catholic Theology
• Anglican Theology in Context
• Gospels and Canon
• Middle Egyptian
• Patristic Ecclesiology
• Classic Texts in Christian Theology
• The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and the New Testament
• The Bible and Hermeneutics
• Ecclesiology and Ethnography
• Catholic Social Thought
• Doctrine of Creation
• England's Religious Revolution 1640-62
• The Thought of Thomas Aquinas in Context
• Religion in the Neo-Liberal Age
• Christianity in the Second Century
• Faith and Reason
• World and Image: Classic Foundation for Christian Visuality
• Introduction to New Testament Greek
• Christian Fundamentalism and the Modern World
• Advanced Hebrew Texts
• Literature and Religion
• Ritual, Symbolism and Belief in the Anthropology of Religion
• Christian Northumbria 600-750
• High Medieval Franciscan Theology
• Theology, Nature and Environment
• Modules from the MA in Theology and Ministry
• Modules from the level 3 modules or level 1-2 language modules offered by the Department of Theology and Religion
• Modules from another Board of Studies
• Modules from the level 1-2 language modules by the University's Centre for Foreign Language Study
• Extended Study in Foreign Language

Information for international students

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.

Fees and funding

For further information see the course listing.