Program Overview

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Catholic Social Teaching MA

About

Promote human dignity and social justice with our Catholic Social Teaching master’s. Drive necessary change with our Catholic Social Teaching master’s. You’ll explore key principles, history, and contemporary issues while covering topics like:

• Liberation theology
• Global development
• Systematic theology
• Ministry

A one-of-a-kind learning experience

Our Catholic Social Teaching MA is the only one taught face-to-face in the UK and Ireland.

Foundations in Catholic social teaching

We built our foundations teaching poor Catholic communities. And, as part of our Catholic mission, we’ve since worked to create a compassionate, just, and sustainable world.

Specialist teaching and support

You will learn from research-active academics committed to your wellbeing. Our student, Aikaterini, tells us they were “always encouraged and fully supported”.

Study around your schedule

You can take our Catholic Social Teaching MA on a part-time or full-time basis, meaning you’ll study around your commitments.

Course Content

Modules

Full-time students will study six core 20-credit modules (including Ecclesiology in Contemporary Perspective) plus a dissertation or service-learning based research in one year.

Part-time students will study three core 20-credit modules in their first year.

In their second year, they will study two core 20-credit modules and then choose to study either Ecclesiology in Contemporary Perspective or Systematic Theology and Contemporary Themes.

They can choose either a dissertation or service-learning based research to study in either their second or third year.

Please note: it is possible that a module listed on the website will not be able to run due to reasons beyond our control. For more information please refer to our course information disclaimer.

• Basic Principles and History of Catholic Social Teaching Core
• Catholic Social Teaching Applied Core
• The Theologies of Liberation and Political Theology Core
• Global Development, the Environment and the Market Core
• Systematic Theology and Contemporary Themes - part-time CST students only Optional
• Ecclesiology In Contemporary Perspective Core for F/T. Option for P/T.
• Pastoral Theology of Ministry: Scripture and Ministry Core
• Dissertation Core option
• Service-Learning Based Research Core option

Entry Requirements

• 2:2 Previous degree
• An interview is required before entry to the programme.

International Requirements

• International students should check our country-specific pages for equivalents.
• If English is not your first language you will need to achieve an IELTS score of 6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in any section.

Fees & Funding

September 2025

• Home: £10,800
• International: £18,450

January 2026

• Home: £10,800
• International: £18,450

Funding Information

Distance-learning

• If you are studying the programme at distance, your fees may differ slightly:
  • Home: £10,800
  • International: £11,910

Additional costs

Please note: Tuition fees are annual and may increase as detailed in our tuition fee variation disclaimer.

• Your tuition fees will cover the cost of all mandatory elements of your programme.
• Additional costs could be incurred depending on optional modules chosen and other projects undertaken.

Alumni discount

• A 20% tuition fee discount is available for our alumni (undergraduate and PGCE) planning to study this Master's degree.
• Those studying for a PGDip of PG Cert are not eligible for the discount.

Funding

• Except for any iQTS courses, you can check on the UK government website to see if you may be eligible for a loan of up to £12,167 to help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate programme.
• Home and international students for non-iQTS courses may also be eligible for external sources of funding.
• International students should check their eligibility for our International Scholarship.

How the degree is taught

Assessment methods

• There will be five taught modules in this programme.
• Everyone will study the two initial core modules, and study a further two modules out of a choice of three.
• There will also be a module comprising a 15,000-word dissertation.
• In the taught modules there will be a 5,000-word essay and a shorter piece of work such as an article review, case study, or presentation.

Career opportunities

• With our Catholic Social Teaching master’s, you will develop essential transferable skills like patience, communication, and creative problem-solving.
• Some examples of job roles and areas of work for graduates of Catholic Social Teaching MA include:
  • The Church
  • Education
  • Charities
  • The voluntary sector
  • The statutory sector
  • Business