PGDip in Theology and Religion

About the course

The Postgraduate Diploma in Theology and Religion is provided for those wishing to pursue graduate study in theology and religions but whose first degree is not in theology or religious studies.

This course offers an intensive period of study which you will complete either in nine months as a full-time student or in twenty-one months as a part-time student.

You choose three papers which are typically taught through a series of eight tutorials supported by lectures and classes; a fourth paper may also be chosen if you wish to extend your studies. These papers are chosen from the syllabus for the faculty's BA in Theology and Religion and cover four major subject areas.

• Biblical studies
• systematic theology and ethics
• history of religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism
• religion and religions, including contemporary Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.

You might choose to study a range of papers from across these areas, for example, an aspects of the New Testament, Old Testament, the nature of religion or modern doctrine. Alternatively, you might prefer to focus on a single area, for example, the sources and formations of Hinduism, modern Hinduism and further studies in Hinduism or in feminist approaches to religion.

Assessment

Most papers are examined by a three-hour written examination whilst others are assessed by one or more submitted essay(s). Depending on the combination of papers you choose, you may write either two short essays of up to 4,000 words each, or one long essay of up to 8,000 words in place of one written examination. The essay subjects will be approved by the Faculty of Theology and Religion and the tutor teaching the paper.

Graduate destinations

Students who earn a graduate qualification with the University of Oxford often progress to further academic study within the Faculty or in other universities. Other graduates secure employment as, for example, school teachers, civil servants, lawyers, clergy or parliamentary research assistants.

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the equivalent of the following UK qualifications: a first-class or strong upper second-class (67% or above) undergraduate degree with honours in a degree that is not in theology, religious studies or a related subject. Entrance is very competitive. For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.8 out of 4.0.