Graduate Study

Postgraduate Study

The Divinity Faculty at Cambridge has a distinguished international reputation for research, teaching, and for the formation of graduate students in Theology and Religious Studies. Consistently rated as one of the top research units in the country in our subjects, it offers postgraduate training at an acknowledged world-class standard. British, European, North American and other international students are trained to Diploma, Masters (M.Phil) and doctoral level in an atmosphere of rigour, discipline and strong collegiality. Characteristic of the Faculty is an unwillingness to divorce 'theological' and 'religious studies' methods and approaches: these are seen as mutually fecund, and applied to all the religious traditions offered for study. Opportunities for cross-disciplinary work (e.g., with Philosophy, History and Philosophy of Science, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Law, Music, etc.) are likewise encouraged.

The teaching officers of the Faculty include leading experts in a wide range of fields:

  • Biblical Studies;
  • Ancient, Medieval and Modern Judaism;
  • Patristics;
  • Church History (of all periods);
  • Christian Systematic Theology;
  • Philosophy of Religion and Ethics;
  • Religion and the Natural Sciences;
  • Religion and the Social Sciences; and
  • Study of World Religions (with special reference to Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism).

Each major research area is centred on a senior seminar meeting fortnightly during term. In practice these seminars are often interdisciplinary in character (witness the D Society in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics, and the Hebrew, Jewish and Early Christian Studies Seminar); and a variety of other informal graduate seminars and reading groups also helps to expand the repertoire of exchange. A number of named lectureships (the Stantons, the Hulseans, etc.) regularly bring international figures from outside Cambridge to contribute to the research culture.

Collaborative senior research activity mainly takes place under the auspices of the Centre for Advanced Religious and Theological Studies (CARTS), which provides administrative and physical resources for faculty and post-doctoral students pursuing three-to-five-year research projects. The Cambridge Interfaith Programme, an integral part of CARTS, plays a leading international and national role in fostering and deepening Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations. The Faculty's distinctive modern building has excellent facilities for research students: a stylish common room which encourages socialization, an enclosed garden, and a large library housing a rich collection of printed material on two floors (in addition to the growing number of online databases and electronic journals). The University Library is just across West Road from the Faculty, and is a research library of international reputation with one of the largest open access collections in Europe. Its holdings include the Codex Bezae, the Cairo Genizah fragments, and the Acton Library. College libraries also offer substantial resources, especially in biblical studies, patristics and church history (e.g., the MSS of the Parker Library at Corpus Christi, or the early printed materials in Magdalene, St. John's and Trinity, among others). The libraries of the Cambridge Theological Federation and of Tyndale House are other examples of the many libraries in Cambridge which have strong collections in the field of theology and religion.

As far as career prospects are concerned, many of our research students proceed to academic positions in the UK or overseas, or to work on consultative bodies on religious and ethical matters: see 2.7, below, for some recent testimonials. It is also possible to combine preparation for ordination in the Cambridge Federation with doctoral study: this involves a special programme which takes four years, instead of the usual three.