Program Overview

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MA Theology and Religion

Overview

Our imaginative and exciting programme offers a great breadth of learning with the flexibility to specialise in the areas that interest you the most. You can further develop interdisciplinary approaches by taking a module outside the Department of Theology and Religion, with the agreement of the programme director. Throughout your studies you will benefit from access to the department’s extensive resources and enjoy a close working relationship with our exceptional academic staff. You will learn to understand other people’s viewpoints, to communicate and debate effectively, to work independently and as part of a group, all skills essential for the workplace.

Entry Requirements

We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree or above in their first degree in a relevant subject area. While we normally only consider applicants who meet this criteria, if you are coming from a different academic background which is equivalent to degree level, or have relevant work experience, we would welcome your application.

English Language Requirements

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2.

Course Content

The programme is divided into units of study called modules which are assigned 'credits'. The credit rating of a module is proportional to the total workload, with 1 credit being nominally equivalent to 10 hours of work.

Students on the MA Theology and Religion study 180 credits in total. All students study the dissertation. You will choose your remaining credits from a range of Masters modules. Any requests to take modules outside of the Department of Theology and Religion are dependent on the agreement of the programme director.

Modules

• Compulsory Modules
  • THEM020: Dissertation (60 credits)
• Optional Modules
  • THEM014: Poets and the Religious Imagination (15 credits)
  • THEM124: Elements of New Testament Greek (15 credits)
  • THEM126: Intermediate New Testament Greek (15 credits)
  • THEM150: Modern Christian Thought (15 credits)
  • THEM151: Monsters in the Bible and Beyond (15 credits)
  • THEM305: Ecological Interpretation of the Bible (15 credits)
  • THEM306: Heaven and Philosophy (15 credits)
  • THEM152: The Ethics of Decision-Making (15 credits)

Fees

• UK Fees per year:
  • £12,500 full-time
  • £6,250 part-time
• International Fees per year:
  • £25,300 full-time
  • £12,650 part-time

Scholarships

The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students applying to study with us in the 2025/26 academic year, such as our Exeter Excellence Scholarships.

Teaching and Research

Our distinctive areas of teaching expertise include Eastern Orthodox Christianities; the art and architecture of West Asia; and decolonial studies in religion and the legacies of racism and empire in our disciplines. Our teaching prepares you to lead meaningful action against the climate emergency, make key breakthroughs to transform human wellbeing and help create a just and socially inclusive society.

Facilities

You will be perfectly placed to take advantage of the resources of Exeter Cathedral including the Cathedral Library and Cathedral Archives which date back to Saxon times. Our broad range of expertise within the Department will give you a unique opportunity at MA level to specialise in the areas that interest you most. The main University Library is a modern facility with extensive collections, including digital, and provides a range of study spaces as well as excellent resources.

Careers

Our MA programme is excellent preparation for a research degree in Theology if you choose to take your studies on to doctoral level. Many of our students find our MA in Theology and Religion an excellent way of furthering their career or opening up new job prospects.

Skills

Our MA programme will deepen your understanding of Theology and bring you up to date with the latest developments in the field. The skills you will develop are highly relevant regardless of the path you take. You will learn to understand other people’s viewpoints, to communicate and debate effectively, to work independently and as part of a group. We will encourage you to use your own initiative and keep an open mind while training you in a range of academic, personal and professional skills.

Research Areas

We have a very active research culture with international scholars who are publishing cutting-edge research, we encourage interdisciplinary and collaborative research which is reflected in our projects.

Specialisms

Some of our specialist areas of interest include:

• “Just War” reasoning in the twenty-first century
• Rhetoric and literary composition in the early church
• The theology and ethics of trans identity, gender variance, and same-sex relationships
• The interaction of evolutionary theory with Christian theology
• The materiality and sociality of the body in biblical traditions and ancient religion
• Eastern Orthodox Christianity
• Disability studies and biblical texts