MA In Theology and Religion
Birmingham, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 up to 2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline *
EARLIEST START DATE
Request earliest startdate
TUITION FEES
GBP 10,530 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for UK students | 7 May 2024 for international students
** for UK full-time Students | £24,120 for International full-time students
Introduction
The MA in Theology and Religion is designed to accommodate the study of religions and spiritualties, past and present, and prepares you for professions that depend upon an advanced understanding of how religious histories, ideas, texts, and practices permeate all societies. It also provides ideal preparation for further research at the doctoral level.
The programme has a wide range of modules and you can create your own pathway by choosing those that are most relevant to your interests. We cater for interests in historical traditions, rituals and practices, contemporary spiritualities, world religions, religious texts, politics, histories, and ethical issues.
You will be encouraged to be critically robust in the analysis of your own and others’ presuppositions, to work independently with the guidance of module tutors and thesis supervisors, and to approach your studies in ways that demonstrate awareness of and engagement with the multi and interdisciplinary nature of issues under discussion.
Students are trained to interrogate their own presuppositions and those of others in a critically robust manner, to approach the study of theology and religion in ways that show sensitivity to the multi-disciplinary theories and issues. Transferrable skills include the ability to deploy relevant evidence and contextual considerations and present this in the context of a written piece of work, an examination, or an oral presentation. Students also gain skills of a personal organization in terms of working to deadlines, preparing contributions for group discussion, and ensuring the best use of tutorials and seminars.
Why Study this Course?
- Flexibility – the range of options on offer allows you to study religion, theology, biblical studies in historical and/or contemporary contexts, to suit your areas of interest.
- Excellent reputation – Times Higher Education ranked the Department of Theology and Religion second in the country for its performance in the latest Research Excellence Framework exercise. The University of Birmingham has also been ranked as one of the world's top 50 institutions to study Theology and Religious Studies in the 2021 QS World University Rankings.
- Extracurricular opportunities – you will be exposed to a variety of opportunities to enhance your student experience, including regular coffee mornings for staff and students, visiting speakers, lecture series, and social events.
- Small classes – teaching on the Masters-level modules involve mainly small-group seminars allowing you to really get to grips with the learning material.
- The city – Birmingham is an ideal place to study Theology and Religion. The city is one of the most culturally and religiously diverse communities in Europe and the department has excellent relationships with the city’s faith communities.
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Scholarships and Studentships
Scholarships to cover fees and/or maintenance costs may be available. To discover whether you are eligible for any award across the University, and to start your funding application, please visit the University's Postgraduate Funding Database.
International students can often gain funding through overseas research scholarships, Commonwealth scholarships or their home government.
Postgraduate loans
Government-backed Master's loans are available to help UK and EU students to finance their studies. For those starting courses after 1 August 2020, loans are available of up to £11,836 for Master's students in all subject areas. Criteria, eligibility, repayment, and application information are available on the UK government website.
Curriculum
Core Module
You will study two core modules:
- Research Methods in Theology and the Study of Religion
- Dissertation Preparation and Guided Reading
Optional Modules
You will choose four optional modules from a range which typically includes:
- Religion in Contemporary Global Politics 1
- Special Study - Autumn
- Inter-Faith Relations and Issues
- Approaches to Islamic Studies (modern and traditional)
- Critical Thinkers of Modernity, Science, Society, and Religion
- Gender, Sexualities, and Religion
- Atheisms: From Voltaire to Dawkin
- Conceptualizing God in Christian Theologies
- Theology and Economics
- Special Study – Spring
UK/EU students also have access to two additional options offered by Al-Mahdi Institute in Birmingham, as part of their collaboration with the Department of Theology and Religion:
Medieval Arabic Thought
Focussing on the philosophical and theological ideas of medieval Arabic thinkers, this module provides you with an opportunity to study a range of thinkers and their ideas, ranging from topics such as the Graeco-Arabic translation movement during the so-called Islamic ‘Golden Age’ to the impact of Neoplatonism on Islamic philosophy, the proofs of God’s existence, political philosophy, theological reactions to Hellenistic philosophy, ethics, and philosophical Sufism. It aims to give you the ability to navigate original texts in their historical context, the ability to unpack and assess philosophical arguments, to appreciate the ecumenical nature of shared philosophical and theological concerns among Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and the ability to assess the compatibility or lack thereof of faith and reason during the Islamic middle ages.
Assessment: 4,000-word essay
Thematic Study of Shi’ism: History, Doctrines, and Religious Authority
This module will you an opportunity to review an extensive list of Western scholarship (in English) on key themes that have formed and continue to form the unique identity of Shi’ism within Islam. These themes could include the beginnings of Shi’ism; theological doctrines of Shi’ism; legal doctrines of Twelver Shi’ism; authority structures within Shi’ism; and contemporary issues of the Twelver Shi’i world.
Assessment: 4,000-word essay
Dissertation
In addition to your taught modules, you will conduct a piece of independent research with the support of a supervisor, culminating in a 15,000-word dissertation.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Postgraduate Employability
You will be encouraged to make the most of your postgraduate experience and will have the opportunity to:
- Receive one-to-one career advice, including guidance on your job applications, writing your CV, and improving your interview technique, whether you are looking for a career inside or outside of academia
- Meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs and employer presentations
- Attend an annual program of careers fairs, skills workshops, and conferences, including bespoke events for postgraduates in the College of Arts and Law
- Take part in a range of activities to demonstrate your knowledge and skills to potential employers and enhance your CV
What’s more, you will be able to access our full range of career support for up to 2 years after graduation.
Postgraduate Employability: Theology and Religion
As a postgraduate at the Shakespeare Institute, you will develop a broad range of creative, research, and theatre skills, as well as in-depth subject knowledge. Over the past 5 years, 88% of our postgraduates were in work and/or further study 6 months after graduation (2012 - 2017).
In recent years, our postgraduates have successfully entered a variety of sectors from teaching in secondary and higher education to performing arts, publishing, museum, library, and archive work. Employers that graduates have gone on to work for include the National Trust, Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Shakespeare's Globe, the University of Birmingham, and the University of Oxford.
Program delivery
We have two teaching semesters per year, the autumn semester and the spring semester. Semester dates can be found on our website.
As a full-time student, you will typically take three modules in each semester, followed by your dissertation. Depending on the modules you take, you can typically expect six hours of classroom time per week, two per module. If you are a part-time student, you will typically take three modules each year, followed by your dissertation.
Each module represents a total of 200 hours of study time, including preparatory reading, homework, and assignment preparation.
Teaching Year
We have three teaching terms per year, the autumn, spring, and summer terms. Term dates can be found on our website.
As a full-time student, you will typically take three modules in each of the first two terms, followed by your dissertation. If you are a part-time student, you will typically take three modules each year, followed by your dissertation.
Each module represents a total of 200 hours of study time, including preparatory reading, homework, and assignment preparation.