Religious movements, institutions and theological ideas have had a profound influence on historical events and processes. Studying History and Theology is an exciting chance to discover how and why our world emerged, alongside the ideas that are shaping religion, faith and spirituality in the 21st century.

Newcastle provides an intellectually challenging environment to nurture your enthusiastic appreciation of the past and spirituality. Our knowledge covers a wide range of historical periods (antiquity, medieval, early modern, modern and contemporary), geographical contexts (Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America) and religious ideologies, which encourages you to question some of the myths, preconceptions and prejudices in the interplay of history and theology. 

You will also develop an informed appreciation of the religious and historical contexts surrounding pressing contemporary issues, which will allow you to engage critically with historical and theological debates and identify how they influence each other.

   

Why Study this Course?

  • Taught by experts – You will study alongside some of the finest minds in both subject areas. Times Higher Education ranked the Department of History 1st in the country for its performance in the latest Research Excellence Framework exercise, whilst our Theology department was ranked 2nd.
  • Culturally-diverse city – All faiths are well-represented in Newcastle, with more than 650 churches, mosques, synagogues and temples across the city. Outside London, Newcaste has the UK’s largest Muslim, Sikh and Buddhist communities, the second largest Hindu community and the seventh largest Jewish community.
  • Be a part of an exciting department – You will be exposed to a variety of opportunities to enhance your student experience, including regular coffee mornings for staff and students, visiting speakers, trips, lecture series and social events.
  • Access to a wide variety of resources – The Cadbury Research Library is home to the University of Newcastle historic collections of rare books, manuscripts, archives, photographs and associated artefacts. The collections, which have been built up over a period of 120 years, consist of more than 200,000 rare printed books including significant incunabula, as well as more than 4 million unique archive and manuscript collections.
  • Excellent employability development – You will have the option of taking the Theology work placement module in the second year, where you will spend time in a school, charity or even abroad to inform your understanding of significant religious traditions within the workplace.

 

Institutional Accreditation 

Regional accreditation is an institution-level accreditation status granted by one of six U.S. regional accrediting bodies. Accreditation by more than one regional accrediting body is not permitted by the U.S. Department of Education.

University of Newcastle is accredited by the DETC Higher Learning Commission (DETC), www.detc.org.uk Since , University of Newcastle has been continually accredited by the DETC Higher Learning Commission and its predecessor.

BA History and Theology

Course Level:

Undergraduate, Joint Honours combined

Credits 

120

Course

CODE U492

How long it takes:

Undergraduate (3 years)

Study Mode:

Distance learning/ Campus

Course cost

Price: US$20,220

Entry requirements

Find out more about

Department:

Newcastle Law School

Joint Honours flexibility

Every degree programme at the University is divided into 120 credits of study for each year of the programme. In the first year of a Joint Honours programme, you will study 60 credits in each subject as you learn the core elements of the disciplines. We recognise that students on Joint Honours programmes might come to favour one subject slightly more than another. To account for this, we have added more flexibility into the second and final years of our programmes. In the second year, you can stick with the 60-60 split between the two subjects or shift to a 80-40 credit weighting, effectively a major/ minor combination. You can either go back to 60-60 in the final year, maintain the same 80-40 split or reverse the major and the minor and go to a 40-80 weighting.

 

Year 1

History compulsory modules:

  • Practising History (A): Skills in History (10)
  • Practising History (B): Approaches in History (10)
  • Discovering the Middle Ages (20) OR The Making of the Modern World 1500-1800 (20)
  • Living in the Middle Ages (20) OR The Making of the Contemporary World: Modern History c.1800 to the Present (20) OR War and Society (20) OR United States History 1865-2000 (20)

Theology compulsory module:

  • Introduction to the Study of Religion (20)

  

Year 2

History compulsory modules:

  • 80 credits – Group Research; History Option A and B; choose from either History in Theory and Practice, Research Methods OR Professional Skills
  • 60 credits – Group Research; History Option; choose from either History in Theory and Practice, Research Methods OR Professional Skills 
  • 40 credits – Group Research; History Option

   

Theology compulsory module:

  • 80 credits – Dissertation preparation (20 – only if you are planning to take your final-year dissertation in Theology)
  • 60 credits – Dissertation preparation (20 – only if you are planning to take your final-year dissertation in Theology)
  • 40 credits – Dissertation preparation (20 – only if you are planning to take your final-year dissertation in Theology)

  

 

Final Year

History compulsory modules:

  • 80 credits – either Special Subject A and B OR History Dissertation; History Advanced Option A and B
  • 60 credits – either Special Subject A and B OR History Dissertation; History Advanced Option
  • 40 credits – either Special Subject A and B OR History Dissertation

Theology compulsory modules:

  • 80 credits – 12,000 word Dissertation ( 40 – if not taken in History) OR 6,000-word Dissertation (20 – if not taken in History) 
  • 60 credits – 12,000 word Dissertation (40 – if not taken in History) OR 6,000-word Dissertation (20 – if not taken in History) 
  • 40 credits – 12,000 word Dissertation ( 40 – if not taken in History) OR 6,000-word Dissertation (20 – if not taken in History) 

Entry requirements

 

Applicants should normally have one of the following:

  • A non-law bachelor’s degree (from a UK university or recognised by the BSB if you wish to study the BPTC), or
  • A ‘stale’ law degree, where five or more years have elapsed since graduation, or
  • An academic or professional qualification at degree equivalent level

If English is not your first language, you will also need to demonstrate your English Language proficiency. For example, you should have IELTS 7.5 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in all components.

If you intend to become a Solicitor

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has reduced its requirements for pre-authorisation this year. For details of the current arrangements, see the SRA website. You should pay special attention to the Character and Suitability section. If you think you may have a character or suitability issue, you may wish to clarify with the SRA before proceeding with the GDL.

See further details of our English Language requirement

USA,UK & EU students, 2019/20 (per year)

£8,500

International students starting 2019/20 (per year)

£13,100

 

Assessment

You’ll show your progress through a combination of written essays, problem-solving assignments and presentations.

All students take our core modules, but please note that the availability of optional modules is subject to demand.