PG Dip / MLitt Bible and the Contemporary World

The School of Divinity encourages applications from those who have an undergraduate degree in any subject, and recognises that in some cases this may have been attained a number of years ago.

A 2.1 Honours undergraduate degree is normally expected, but if your degree classification is lower, you should indicate more recent, perhaps informal, learning in your letter of intent. You do not need to have a degree in Theology or Biblical Studies in order to apply for a place on this programme; however, all applicants will be expected to have sufficient knowledge to equip them for postgraduate level of study in this area. Prospective applicants who are unable to offer a 2.1 Honours degree are invited to have discussions in advance with the course director: email divinitydistance@st-andrews.ac.uk.

If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.

The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.

Application requirements

• CV that includes your personal details with a history of your education and employment to date
• personal statement (200 to 300 words) 
• sample of your own, single-authored academic written work (2,000 words) 
• two original signed references (academic or professional) 
  academic transcripts and degree certificates 

For fees and funding options, please visit website to find out more

Students on this programme are often already in employment. Others have gone on to work in the charitable sector and to further studies. Previous students have had professional occupations in: 

• education 
• law 
• business 
• administration 
• charities 
• ministry

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students in building their employability skills.

January Entry

Semester 1

Residential study week in St Andrews: Monday 20 to Friday 24 January 2025

• The Bible and Contemporary Issues: explores a variety of approaches to interpretation to make connections between the Christian scriptures, events, trends and cultural assumptions.

Semester 2

• Residential study week: Monday 1 to Friday 5 September 2025
• Theology and the Arts: an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of theology and the arts, concentrating attention on key articles of the Christian faith and their relationship with a broad range of different art forms (such as literature, music, and the visual arts).
  Semester 3
• Residential study week in St Andrews: Monday 19 to 23 January 2026
• Surveillance, Theology and the Bible: thinking critically about multiple forms of 21st-century surveillance (such as Big Data in online advertising and policing, CCTV in shops and churches, and our mutual watching through social media).

September entry

Semester

• Residential study week in St Andrews: Monday 1 to Friday 5 September 2025
• The Bible and Contemporary Issues: explores a variety of approaches to interpretation to make connections between the Christian scriptures, events, trends and cultural assumptions.

Semester 2

• Residential study week in St Andrews: Monday 19 to 23 January 2026
• Theology and the Arts: an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of theology and the arts, concentrating attention on key articles of the Christian faith and their relationship with a broad range of different art forms (such as literature, music, and the visual arts).

Semester 3

• Residential study week in St Andrews: Monday 31 August to Friday 4 September 2026
• Surveillance, Theology and the Bible: thinking critically about multiple forms of 21st-century surveillance (such as Big Data in online advertising and policing, CCTV in shops and churches, and our mutual watching through social media).

Dissertation

MLitt students take a fourth module for their dissertation, and attend its associated study week in St Andrews. Dissertations will be supervised by members of the teaching staff who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process. The completed dissertation of 15,000 words must be submitted at the end of the course. 

Those on the PGDip programme will finish their studies after the third semester, and suitably qualified candidates will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma.