Program Overview

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Bible and the Contemporary World – online (Modular, PGDip, MLitt) 2025 and 2026 entry

Overview

The PGDip and MLitt in Bible and the Contemporary World is a part-time online programme aimed at both lay people seeking personal development and clergy seeking continued professional development.

Duration

From 15 weeks part-time (single module) to maximum 5 years part-time (MLitt)

School

School of Divinity

Fees

Home

• From £2,595 to £4,010 per module

Overseas

• From £5,750 to £8,650 per module

Why study this course?

The PGDip and MLitt in Bible and the Contemporary World is a part-time online programme aimed at both lay people seeking personal development and clergy seeking continued professional development.

Highlights

• Gain an understanding of how public issues and culture both shape and are shaped by Christian theology, biblical interpretation and practice.
• Join an international and interdenominational group of students, most of whom are lay people.
• A residential study week in St Andrews starts each module with lectures and seminar discussions and allows you to meet your fellow participants and tutors.
• Opens possibilities for future doctoral work in fields such as practical theology or for those who seek to deepen their critical thinking in careers (often in the voluntary sector) that have a religious dimension.

Course duration

From 15 weeks part-time (single module); minimum 18 months part-time, maximum 4 years part-time (PGDip); minimum 2 years part-time, maximum 5 years part-time (MLitt)

Teaching

Delivered through lectures and online bulletin board discussions.

Assessment

Students typically write four essays for each module (one for each unit) and receive written feedback.

Dissertation

A 15,000-word project with regular support.

Support

Students will have one personal tutorial with a tutor (usually via online video messaging or telephone) per module where they can discuss their recent essay.

Modules

The course runs across three semesters, starting in January and ending in May or starting in September and ending in December, depending when you start the course.

Each module typically comprises:

• online lectures and seminars
• 100% coursework assessment

Students will take the modules in different orders depending on their point of entry.

January entry

Semester 1

• Residential study week in St Andrews: Monday 20 to Friday 24 January 2025
• The Bible and Contemporary Issues: explores a variety of approaches to interpretation to make connections between the Christian scriptures, events, trends and cultural assumptions.

Semester 2

• Residential study week: Monday 1 to Friday 5 September 2025
• Theology and the Arts: an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of theology and the arts, concentrating attention on key articles of the Christian faith and their relationship with a broad range of different art forms (such as literature, music, and the visual arts).

Semester 3

• Residential study week in St Andrews: Monday 19 to 23 January 2026
• Surveillance, Theology and the Bible: thinking critically about multiple forms of 21st-century surveillance (such as Big Data in online advertising and policing, CCTV in shops and churches, and our mutual watching through social media).

September entry

Semester 1

• Residential study week in St Andrews: Monday 1 to Friday 5 September 2025
• The Bible and Contemporary Issues: explores a variety of approaches to interpretation to make connections between the Christian scriptures, events, trends and cultural assumptions.

Semester 2

• Residential study week in St Andrews: Monday 19 to 23 January 2026
• Theology and the Arts: an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of theology and the arts, concentrating attention on key articles of the Christian faith and their relationship with a broad range of different art forms (such as literature, music, and the visual arts).

Semester 3

• Residential study week in St Andrews: Monday 31 August to Friday 4 September 2026
• Surveillance, Theology and the Bible: thinking critically about multiple forms of 21st-century surveillance (such as Big Data in online advertising and policing, CCTV in shops and churches, and our mutual watching through social media).

Dissertation

MLitt students take a fourth module for their dissertation, and attend its associated study week in St Andrews. Dissertations will be supervised by members of the teaching staff who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process. The completed dissertation of 15,000 words must be submitted at the end of the course.

What it will lead to

Careers

Students on this programme are often already in employment. Others have gone on to work in the charitable sector and to further studies. Previous students have had professional occupations in:

• education
• law
• business
• administration
• charities
• ministry

Students on our Masters programmes are provided with the skills they need to succeed in an international job market, both academic and non-academic.

Further study

Many Divinity graduates continue their education by enrolling in PhD programmes at St Andrews or elsewhere in the UK and abroad.

Why St Andrews?

The School of Divinity at St Andrews regularly hosts international conferences and smaller symposia on themes across the field of biblical and theological studies.

Alumni

When you graduate you become a member of the University's worldwide alumni community. Benefit from access to alumni clubs, the Saint Connect networking and mentoring platform, and careers support.

Entry requirements

The School of Divinity encourages applications from those who have an undergraduate degree in any subject, and recognises that in some cases this may have been attained a number of years ago.

A 2.1 Honours undergraduate degree is normally expected, but if your degree classification is lower, you should indicate more recent, perhaps informal, learning in your letter of intent. You do not need to have a degree in Theology or Biblical Studies in order to apply for a place on this programme; however, all applicants will be expected to have sufficient knowledge to equip them for postgraduate level of study in this area. Prospective applicants who are unable to offer a 2.1 Honours degree are invited to have discussions in advance with the course director.

If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.

English language proficiency. See English language tests and qualifications.

Application requirements

• CV that includes your personal details with a history of your education and employment to date
• personal statement (200 to 300 words)
• sample of your own, single-authored academic written work (2,000 words)
• two original signed references (academic or professional)
• academic transcripts and degree certificates

Fees and funding

January 2025 entry

• Home: £2,595 per module, £3,895 MLitt dissertation module
• Overseas: £5,750 per module, £8,630 MLitt dissertation module

September 2025 entry

• Home: £2,670 per module, £4,010 MLitt dissertation module
• Overseas: £5,750 per module, £8,650 MLitt dissertation module

Scholarships and funding

We are committed to supporting you through your studies, regardless of your financial circumstances. You may be eligible for scholarships, discounts or other support:

• GREAT Scholarship
• St Andrews Sanctuary Scholarship
• St Leonard's funding opportunities
• Graduate discount (15% off tuition fees)

Divinity scholarships