BA (Hons) Theology and Religious Studies (including a Foundation Year)

How do ancient texts help shape people’s choices in the modern world? Is mindfulness a Buddhist practice or a Western therapeutic technique? Where does evil come from, and what should we do about it? What’s the connection between believing, belonging, and behaving? Do new religious movements present a danger to society? What tools does Christian doctrine provide for addressing the climate crisis? What does the Bible really say? Is religion a force for good in the world, or a source of conflict?

Questions about religion, faith, and spirituality are vital in modern, global society. A degree in Theology and Religious Studies equips you to understand the ongoing significance and meaning of religious perspectives in the contemporary world, as well as inviting you to think critically and constructively about beliefs, practices, and ethical concerns in traditions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Asian religions. Our programme welcomes and supports students from a variety of faith, belief, and non-belief backgrounds.

Excellence

Our courses are nationally recognised for their excellence. We are rated 1st in the UK for Teaching Quality Score (Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023), 1st for Student Experience Score (Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023) and are Top for Satisfaction with Feedback in the Guardian University Guide 2022 and 2023. We received 100% Overall Satisfaction in the subject area of Theology and Religious Studies in the latest National Student Survey (Discover Uni 2022), and 85% of our students go on to work or further study within 15 months of completing their course (Discover Uni 2022).

Flexibility

Our programme is designed to give you maximum flexibility to pursue your own interests. Whether you’re entering directly from school/college or you’ve been away from education for a while; whether you know right now what you want to focus on at University, or you’re wanting to discover ideas you’d never thought about before: our first year curriculum gives you the skills and knowledge to dive straight in, and our staff have the range of expertise to support you, wherever your curiosity takes you.

Staff Expertise

Theology and Religious Studies at Chester is in the top 10 in the UK for World-leading and Internationally-excellent research (REF2021 Results Analysis – Elsevier).

At Chester, you will never be taught by someone who’s just working out of a textbook—you’re more likely to be taught by someone who wrote the textbook. Our staff are subject experts with deep knowledge of the religious traditions they teach, from Christian theology and the Bible to contemporary spirituality and New Religious Movements. Alongside expertise in specific traditions, we have particular strengths in theology and religion in combination with: gender and feminism; film and popular culture; politics and religious violence.