Postgraduate Courses
The MA degree in Theology and Pastoral Studies is a taught programme which equips students to think theologically at postgraduate level, and to relate their theological study to the life and ministry of the Church, with a particular emphasis on the pastoral task.
The MA programme permits students to construct a course of study and research to suit their own needs and interests. Students at the College normally complete the Master’s programme over two years, though in some cases it is possible to complete it in one year.
The Postgraduate Diploma in Theology and Pastoral Studies follows the same pattern as the MA, but without the dissertation. It normally takes two years to complete.
What subjects do you study?
The introductory module for all postgraduate students, entitled Methods, Practice, and Reflection in Pastoral Studies, is taught by a team of specialists and provides students with an overview of study and research skills in pastoral theology.
You then choose three taught modules at Master’s Level from a catalogue of courses taught by members of academic staff from the College, the monastery, our partner non-residential course, and the University’s Theology and Religious Studies Department.
The modules available range from liturgical studies to an examination of race and religion in South Africa, and from work on the reception of the New Testament in the contemporary church to the study of medieval Western Christianity. It is possible to replace one module with a module from another discipline. Two modules are designed specifically for those studying while serving in ordained ministry, and are most often taken by those serving curacies as part of IME4-7.
Finally, those studying for the Master’s degree complete a 12,000 - 14,000 word dissertation on a topic of their choice. Recent examples of titles include:
- Apocalypse and Judgement: Disaster or Hope?
- 'In the midst' or 'the centre of attention'? The distinctiveness of childhood in the context of the parish Eucharist as principal service
- From Ape-Man to Star-Child: Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey as an Allegory of Creation, Fall and Redemption
- A critical assessment of the liturgical expression of Emerging Churches with reference to theories of liturgical inculturation
- Stanley Hauerwas: Narrative, Virtue and Human Nature
- The theme of judgement in Common Worship funerals and the Order for Catholic Funerals: a contemporary and critical study
- The City of God and the Mountain Kingdom: An Augustinian Analysis of Black Theology in Southern Africa through a Series of Interlocking Questions, with Lesotho as a Case Study
Academic study and reflective practice are integrated throughout the postgraduate programme. In all parts of the course, students are enabled to interact with up-to-date thought and scholarship and to bring this into conversation with their growing experience of pastoral ministry on term-time and summer placements.
For further information on individual modules, click here.
Liturgical Studies pathway in the MA degree
It is possible to follow a pathway within the MA programme which concentrates on Liturgical Studies. For further details, contact Dr Ben Gordon-Taylor, the Director of the Mirfield Liturgical Institute, through our enquiry form.
Learning and assessment
People learn in different ways, and so, in line with best academic practice, the College offers a wide range of learning and assessment environments.
Learning takes place in lectures, seminars, tutorials, study days and workshops. There is a highly favourable student:staff ratio at the College which means that classes are generally small and interactive.
Student learning is assessed in a broad range of ways, including essays, presentations, case studies, group projects and theological reflection. There are no examinations. One-to-one tutorial support is offered on all assessed essays.
Any questions?
To make an informal enquiry about any of the postgraduate programmes at the College of the Resurrection, contact the Academic Registrar through our enquiry form.