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Why Study Theology at Christ's?

Our College has an interesting history of theological study and engagement.

John Milton, who was a student here in the seventeenth century, later wrote Paradise Lost, which is not only one of the greatest pieces of English literature but also an epic exploration of the big questions about God and humanity. One Christ’s Fellow, William Paley, created an influential version of the 'teleological' argument for God's existence. Charles Darwin – one of our most famous alumni – wrestled with the implications that his theory of natural selection had for belief in God. And more recently a Master of Christ's, Charles Raven, had a major impact in the debate over science and religion and rose to be Regius Professor of Divinity.

Christ's College, Cambridge Third Court
  The Sunken Garden in Third Court

Christ's theologians have included Rowan Williams (former Archbishop of Canterbury), Professor Christopher Rowland (Fellow of Queen's, Oxford), Dr John Day (Professor of Old Testament Studies, Oxford), and The Rev’d Robin Griffith-Jones (Master of the Temple, London). We offer you a chance to follow in those renowned footsteps and become part of a rich theological tradition.
 

Course content and structure

The Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion course (or ‘tripos’) is a three-year degree which allows you to specialise gradually, tailoring your academic pathway as your interests develop. You can choose from a range of religious traditions and explore them from a historical, philosophical, theological, sociological or comparative perspective.

Please visit the University website for full details of the Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion course content and structure, including the course film. You will also find information on the Faculty of Divinity degree page. If you have further questions about course content, please contact faculty-office@divinity.cam.ac.uk.
 

Teaching

Christ’s central location offers quick access to the University Library and the Faculty of Divinity where you'll find an extensive theological library, a welcoming community of undergraduates, graduates and lecturers – and free coffee.

As well as lectures organised by the University, you have weekly ‘supervisions’ here at College. These small-group tutorial sessions give you the advantage of personally-tailored tuition and are arranged by your Director of Studies, Revd. Dr Helen Orchard.
 

What do our students think?

Student Q&A film
  Watch the Christ's student Q&A film

Read the accounts by EmilyClara, Boo and Melissa who have shared their experiences of studying Theology and Religious Studies here at Christ’s.

If you’d like to hear from other Christ's students, please watch the Christ's student Q&A film, and visit our Student Profiles page.
 

How to apply

Visit How to Apply for full details and a timeline of the application process. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and school types, all over the world. If you're applying from outside the UK, please read our international students section.

News
  • If you are considering an application in October 2024 for October 2026 (or deferred Oct 26) entry, we recommend that you sign up for the next College Open Day, which will include a Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion subject meeting.
  • There is no Admissions Assessment for Theology.


Subjects: what do you need?

We welcome students from all kinds of academic background. An A-level, IB Higher or equivalent in Religious Studies is desirable but not compulsory. Most (but not all) of our applicants take essay subjects for A-level, IB Higher or equivalent. And while we welcome linguistic ability to at least GCSE level, again this isn’t compulsory.

Written work

After we receive your application, we ask you to send us two essays you feel accurately reflect your abilities and interests. These should be work written during the normal course of your studies and already marked by a teacher. We recommend you keep copies for your own reference, as we may discuss them at interview.

We publish full guidelines on written work in the Current Applicants section on 20 September each year.

Interviews

If we invite you for interviews, these usually take place in early December. At Christ's we continue do all of our interviews online, as we have done for the last three years. You can have your interviews either at home (most applicants do this) or at school (if easier). Those invited for Cambridge interviews are normally interviewed for 35-50 minutes in total. At Christ’s, we usually split the time into two interviews with academics in Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion. We may give you a short text to read before one of them, and then discuss during the subsequent interview.

During the interviews we may ask about your written work, discuss points from your UCAS personal statement and ask general questions related to theology and religious studies.

Further, more general information about interviews (including two useful films) is available in the Cambridge interviews section, and it's worth also having a look at supervisions (short film here), as interviews are similar to what you do every week as a Cambridge student.

Offers

At Christ's we don’t have fixed quotas for places, so the number of students we admit in any year depends on the strengths of the applicants. In Theology we admit around two students each year. (A total of 39 students take this course across all 29 undergraduate Cambridge colleges.)

We assess the terms of each offer individually but our typical conditional offer is:

If you're taking another qualification, we expect you to be working at or close to the top of the mark range i.e.

You can look up other qualifications in the offer levels for other exam systems and international entry requirements, and if you are applying from outside the UK please read the Christ's international students section for further information and check the country pages.

If you will have finished school when you apply, please also read about post-qualification applications, taking a gap year, and, if relevant, applying from a university.

 

Helpful resources

Theology Faculty Open Day onlineIncluding course presentation, application info, taster lectures, careers info and Q&A.
Introductory reading suggestionsReading suggestions to give you a taste of the different areas you can study in the degree.
Cambridge in your ClassroomMini lectures.
50 Religious Treasures of CambridgeA fascinating introduction to artefacts and images from museums, libraries and colleges of the University of Cambridge
An Introduction to New Testament GreekTen units aimed at helping you get off to a flying start with New Testament Greek.
Gresham College lectures on ReligionFree online lectures
Ecclesiastical History SocietyBlogs on Church History
Jubilee CentreArticles and talks on Christianity and public policy (the Jubilee Centre is right next to Christ's, by the post office)
HE+ TheologyWebsite for secondary school students who would like to explore Theology
The RE Podcast20 minute podcast useful for GCSE Religious Education. Topic-based episodes and interviews on a range of world religions.
CamGuidesIntroducing the academic and information skills that you will need during your studies, as well as how and where you would be working



Come to an open day / webinar

Our open days and events page advertises regular online opportunities as well as events you can attend in Cambridge. Note in particular that we run an annual Taster Day for students at state schools who are interested in Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion or English Literature - see info and register your interest. If you can, sign up for a College Open Day (our October, February and September events normally include a meeting with a subject specialist). Between February and August we run regular webinars:

  • Subject Matters: The importance of post-16 subject choices (this one is also run Sept - Nov)
  • Cambridge for Beginners
  • Christ's College: A look at the Grounds and Facilities
  • Personal Statements and preparing for an application

Further subject-specific opportunities you might wish to consider include Subject Masterclasses organised by Cambridge Admissions Office, and subject-specific talks in the July Cambridge Open Days. If you are a UK student from a background where there is little tradition of entry to Higher Education, you can apply to attend a Sutton Trust Summer School in Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion, or to shadow a current undergraduate studying Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion via the Cambridge SU Shadowing Scheme (do be aware that there's a high proportion of applicants to places for both of these last two opportunities so please don't be discouraged if you don't get a place).

If you can, come along to one of the Theology events at the Faculty of Divinity.
 

Want more information?

For more detail of what the course involves, look at Undergraduate Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion admissions on the University website, and read the Faculty of Divinity information for prospective students too.

If you have any other queries, please send them to admissions@christs.cam.ac.uk and we’ll help however we can.

 

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