Theology & Religion

Theology and religion is a discipline that engages seriously with the most fundamental questions about human existence: the nature of the divine, the basis of morality, the meaning of suffering, the relationship between faith and reason, and the role that religious traditions have played and continue to play in shaping cultures, communities and conflicts. At the University of Durham, one of the world's leading centres for the academic study of religion and theology, this three-year full-time degree draws on a research environment of exceptional depth and breadth, spanning biblical studies, historical theology, philosophy of religion, Christian doctrine, ethics, and the comparative study of world religions. The programme includes a foundation year option and incorporates sandwich, year abroad and work placement opportunities, making it highly flexible and enriched beyond the purely academic.

You will engage with primary texts from multiple religious traditions as well as with the full range of critical and methodological approaches that constitute the academic study of religion, including historical-critical methods, phenomenology, social scientific approaches and philosophical theology. Durham's close relationship with its cathedral and the wider historic and religious landscape of the city provides a distinctive context for this kind of study, and the programme's range means you can develop particular expertise while maintaining breadth. The year abroad and placement give your study an additional practical and international dimension.

Graduates from theology and religion degrees enter careers in the church and other faith communities, education, journalism, the civil service, international development, humanitarian organisations, law, counselling and arts and culture. The discipline develops skills in reading complex texts, constructing careful arguments, understanding diverse perspectives and writing with precision and sensitivity, all of which are broadly applicable. Many graduates proceed to postgraduate study in theology, philosophy, religious studies or teacher training.