Cambridge has a long-standing history of teaching Theology, and the Divinity Faculty here is top-notch. The resources are outstanding, and you can access several ancient texts: an early version of the New Testament, the Genizah collection, and the relics stored in the nearby Fitzwilliam Museum. You will also have the opportunity to take language papers, granting you the skills needed to assess primary texts yourself.
This course explores Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism through a combination of lectures, classes, and supervisions. In first year, the goal is to present you with a broad range of concepts and theories. You must take a paper in biblical studies and a scriptural language (NT Greek, Qur’anic Arabic, Hebrew or Sanskrit). You then choose three further papers from a list of six, covering subjects in Christianity, modern-day religion, global religious practice, and philosophy/ethics.
In your second year you have complete freedom, and select four papers from a list of seventeen. You might decide to continue studying a scriptural language or could also follow a Social Anthropology pathway. Other options explore Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, and philosophy/ethics, including a paper from the Philosophy degree.
In your last year, you have the option of writing a dissertation. You could, again, continue to study a scriptural language. Overall, you must study four papers – the topics you can choose from rotate each year, but usually include advanced papers in Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, philosophy, and even Natural Sciences. You can choose to complete a dissertation of 10,000 words instead of one paper.
Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion is a smaller faculty at Cambridge, with an average intake of 55 new students per year. The course has a higher offer rate at around 40% over the last few years and is predominantly female. You will not need to have any particular subjects at A-Level (or equivalent), but you will have to take an assessment at interview. This course provides you with cultural awareness and the ability to critique, analyse, and present arguments. These skills apply to a wide range of career paths, from law, to finance, to media, to academia.
