Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion

A uniquely wide-ranging degree, exploring the religious beliefs which shape so many of the world’s most inspiring traditions and fiercest debates.

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Overview

Interdisciplinary, supportive, outstanding

Worldwide, six out of seven people describe themselves as religious, with religious beliefs influencing society and politics globally. As a graduate of our Faculty, you will be well equipped to play an important part in this world, valued for your intercultural literacy, critical thinking, research skills and understanding of the depth and nuance of human experience. The Faculty welcomes students from all religious backgrounds and none.

The breadth of this course allows you to choose from a range of approaches to the study of faith. Academic perspectives include history, the careful reading of ancient scriptures, rigorous philosophical analysis, and the latest insights of the social sciences. You can explore connections between faith and literature, science, ethics and politics. Religions covered in depth include Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism. There is also the opportunity to access papers offered by the Department of Social Anthropology from your second year.

World class resources

We offer outstanding teaching and a supportive, friendly faculty of experts. You will have access to the latest research and historic resources both within the Faculty, and across the Colleges and University, including a well-stocked library and the vast collection of artefacts in the Fitzwilliam Museum.

Course costs

Tuition fees

Information on tuition fee rates for Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion is available on the tuition fees page.

Additional course costs

There are no compulsory course costs for Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion. Some students may want to buy a book to help with their chosen scriptural language, and a scriptural text or translation, usually available for around £20 each. No additional book purchases are expected, with the Faculty Library housing over 60,000 volumes, including multiple copies of many books on the course reading lists. Full course details are available on the Faculty of Divinity website and if you have any queries about resources/materials, please contact the Faculty.

Changing course

Very few students decide that our course isn’t for them (it is much more common for students from other courses to change to TRPR). However, if you would like to change course, you need the agreement of your College that any change is in your educational interests, and you must have the necessary background in the subject to which you wish to change – in some cases you may be required to undertake some catch-up work or take up the new course from the start/an earlier year. If you think you may wish to change course, we encourage you to contact a College admissions office for advice. You should also consider if/how changing course may affect any financial support arrangements.

As well as the full three-year course, it's possible to study one or two years of Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion, either before or after one or two years of another subject.

Excellent career prospects

Our course equips students with skills valued across a wide range of professions. Graduates from the Faculty are in demand from many sectors and enjoy careers in the Civil Service, law, international development, the arts, banking, investment, teaching, the media and communications.

Advanced Diploma

The Faculty offers an Advanced Diploma for those who haven’t studied religion at undergraduate level but have a degree in another subject. Contact the Faculty Office for more information.

Course outline

Teaching is through lectures, classes and supervisions. You can expect up to nine hours of classes and lectures each week (including six for non-language papers and three for languages), as well as a weekly supervision.

Papers are assessed by written examination, coursework or a combination of the two. Papers available may vary from year to year, but recent examples are included.

Year 1 (Part I)

You take five papers designed to give you a broad introduction to the concepts, knowledge and skills required in the main areas of study. The course is designed to accommodate students studying religion for the first time. You choose:

a paper in biblical studies, either David: Israel’s Greatest Hero? or Jesus and the Origins of the Gospel (you can take the other in place of one of the choices below)
one scriptural language (studied from scratch, no prior knowledge is expected) – Hebrew, New Testament Greek, Qur’anic Arabic or Sanskrit

Plus three other papers from a choice of six, currently:

Understanding Contemporary Religion – an introduction to the sociological study of religion
Philosophy of Religion
Ethics – two papers that introduce key questions in philosophy of religion and ethics, ranging from antiquity to contemporary controversies
Studying World Religions – history, comparison, dialogue
The Question of God – exploring some of the major themes of Christian theology
Christianity and the Transformation of Culture – the study of processes of conversion and Christianization in the late Roman world

Year 2 (Part IIA)

A wide choice of options is available, enabling you to develop a course suited to your own interests. Scriptural languages are optional at this stage and you are able to take a selection of papers from the Department of Social Anthropology if you wish.
You choose four papers out of around 17, currently including:

Theology and Literature
Themes in World Christianities
Introduction to Islam
Ethics and Faith
Philosophy of Religion: God, Freedom and the Soul
Christianity in Late Antiquity
Life and Thought of Religious Hinduism and of Buddhism
Israel in Exile: Literature, History and Theology
The Letters of Paul
Christianity in Late Antiquity (to c.600)

You can also choose to take the Part IA Meaning paper from the Philosophy course, which will be taught alongside Philosophy students.

Year 3 (Part IIB)

In your final year, you choose four from a wide range of Special Subjects and interdisciplinary papers (topics may vary), such as:

Truth, God and Metaphysics
Theology and Natural Sciences
World Christianity Decolonising Christendom: The Complex Legacies of Global Christianity
Self and Salvation in Indian and Western Thought
New Testament Christology
Disputed Questions from Medieval and Early Modern Theology
Charity in Christian Theology

You can choose to write a dissertation of 10,000 words in your third year instead of one paper. You may also continue with a scriptural language

For further information about studying Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion at the University of Cambridge see the Faculty of Divinity website.

Entry requirements

Entry Requirements

This page details the standard entry requirements for this course. Check the document below for any variations between Colleges (some may ask for an A* in a particular subject for example):

PDF icon Theology entry requirements by College for 2024 entry (these are subject to change and will be finalised by July 2023)

Typical offers require

A Level: A*AA
IB: 40-42 points, with 776 at Higher Level
Other qualifications: See Entrance requirements.

Subject requirements

Required: No specific subjects required by any College
Useful preparation: Religious Studies, English (language or literature), History, a language

See Entrance requirements and Choosing your post-16 subjects for additional guidance and conditions of entry.

Admission assessment

All applicants for Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion are required to take a written assessment if shortlisted for interview. You will not need to register in advance for this assessment and the Colleges will provide details directly to you.

Assessment format

Comprehension questions on a pre-recorded sample lecture (60 minutes)

Further information regarding the assessment format can be found on the Faculty of Divinity website.

Please note that your performance in the assessment will not be considered in isolation, but will be taken into account alongside the other elements of your application.

See Admission assessments for further details.

Submitted work

Applicants to all Colleges are required to submit two pieces of written work prior to interview.

All undergraduate admissions decisions are the responsibility of the Cambridge Colleges. Please contact the relevant College admissions office if you have any queries.

Typical Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion entrants (A Level)

For 2017, 2018 and 2019 entry, the majority of entrants from an A Level background achieved at least grades A*A*A (60% of entrants). These successful applicants typically took Religious Studies (84%). Other common subjects were English (Language, Language & Literature, or Literature, 53%), History (49%) and a language (20%).

This information is intended to give you a sense of the academic standard of our typical A Level entrants. We welcome applicants from a range of qualification backgrounds.

Resources

Find out more about Theology and Religious Studies at Cambridge

Faculty of Divinity - Explore Divinity in more detail on the faculty website.

What can I study? - A detailed guide to the Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion (TRPR) degree.

Introductory reading - Guidance on preparatory reading for applicants interested in Theology and Religious Studies.

Learning a Language - Read about what it’s like to learn a language from scratch in Divinity.

How do I apply? - Information about applying to study TRPR at Cambridge.

Meet Our Students - Read the views of some recent students in the Faculty of Divinity.

Alumni Profiles - Learn about the destinations of some recent Cambridge theology graduates.

Teaching and Assessment - How the course is taught and assessed at Cambridge and the support available.

50 Religious Treasures of Cambridge - An interactive resource introducing Key Stage 3 students to a range of artefacts and images associated with religion.

HE+ Resources - For 6th Form students who want to further their interest in the study of religion.

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