Durham University announces distance learning MA in Catholic Theology

The Centre for Catholic Studies and the Department of Theology & Religion at Durham University are offering a MA in CATHOLIC THEOLOGY by DISTANCE LEARNING for September 2024.

The programme is distinctive because it is both academically rigorous and highly flexible.  All modules will be asynchronous, allowing students to work through the course in different time zones and at times to suit their own many different life situations, alongside work, ministry, family or caring obligations.

Teachers on the programme include: Anna Rowlands (who was recently selected for a secondment with the Vatican), Karen Kilby, Paul Murray, Carmody Grey, Rik Van Nieuwenhove, Billy Crozier, and Greg Ryan. Karen Kilby, the Bede Professor of Catholic Theology, is the Course Director.

Modules available include:

  • Catholic Theology: A Preliminary Tour
  • Catholic Social Thought and Practice
  • The Thought of Thomas Aquinas in Context
  • Conceiving Change in Contemporary Catholicism
  • Twentieth Century Catholic Theology (new for 2024/5)
  • High Medieval Franciscan Theology
  • Faith and Reason

It is also possible to enrol for a Postgraduate Certificate (2 modules) or a Postgraduate Diploma (4 modules) with the option of progressing to the full MA (4 modules plus a dissertation).

The MA is suitable both for those who have studied Theology as undergraduates and for those who have other forms of academic training.

You can find a video about the course with Karen Kilby and Anna Rowlands talking about the programme’s scope, modules and who the programme is intended for here, and full details at MA in Catholic Theology (Distance Learning) – Durham University.

The Centre for Catholic Studies is a friendly, welcoming and vibrant context for study. Outside the formal curriculum it hosts a range of conferences, lectures and research seminars, some in person but many online. It works to build community among staff, students and those who are attracted by its outreach. The Centre sits within the Department of Theology and Religion, a rich and varied department with a long history of distinguished scholarship, currently ranked 6th in the QS World University rankings 2023.

Theology is often a subject people develop a desire to study when they are a little further on in life, embedded in careers or family or other situations and not able to drop everything and move to a new place. We are deeply committed to making the academic study of Catholic Theology available to those in many different situations who have the desire and ability to benefit from it – this is why we have designed this course with as much flexibility as we can. It will be suitable for people thinking about a PhD, for people wishing to enrich their professional life in teaching, ministry or working for a faith-based organisation and for those simply wishing to deepen their understanding and intellectual engagement with the Catholic tradition.

If you have any questions or are interested in this programme please contact Theresa Phillips, the Centre for Catholic Studies Senior Administrator, theresa.phillips@durham.ac.uk or on our website www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/theology-religion/postgraduate-study/ma-in-catholic-theology-distance-learning/