Divinity - using your degree
From CareersWiki
Contents |
Introduction
A degree from Scotland's first university is an excellent start to any future career. St Andrews has a reputation for excellence and the ability to attract the brightest students world wide. With this as a starting point you are well on the way to impressing future employers.
With its range of academic disciplines and variety of educational approaches, a degree in Divinity provides the context not only for significant intellectual and personal development, but also for the acquisition of a wide range of transferable skills (see Employability Profile). These are useful for careers in teaching; law; management; social, youth, community and advice work; administration; publishing; broadcasting; and local and national government jobs.
Other graduates may opt instead for postgraduate study and undertake full or part-time voluntary or paid work to gain experience or while waiting for their courses to begin.
Well known people who studied theology:
- Desmond Tutu - Archbishop of Cape Town
- Business People - Matthew Kirk, Director of Vodafone; Ken Costa, Chariman of Lazard International
- Education - Frances King, Headmistress of Roedean; Stephen Baldock, High Master, St Paul's School, Christine King, Vice Chancellor of Staffordshire University
- Journalism - Christina Rees, writer and journalist; Ruth Gledhill, Times correspondent; Michael Brunson, former Political Editor of ITN; Michael Wakelin of the BBC
- International figures - Malcolm Harper, Joint President of the United Nations Association; Richard Austen, HM Ambassador to Panama; Kjell Bonderila, President, Oslo Centre for Peace and Human Rights
- Public life - Kathryn Parminter, Chief Exec of the CPRE; George Grubb, Lord Lieutenant and Lord Provost of Edinburgh; Kathleen Marshall, Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland; Sylvia Fitzgerald, Chief Librarian, Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew; Sally Dickson, Secretary of the Magistrates' Association
- Others - Ronald Corp, conductor and composer, John Graham, who sets crosswords in the Guardian under the pseudonym Araucaria
The Careers Centre can provide information on a comprehensive range of careers including those detailed above. There are specialist advisers for different occupational areas. We offer 20 minute drop-in sessions on a first come, first served basis. Drop-in is available for all students and recent graduates of the University of St Andrews on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 2.00pm - 4.00pm.
Students who are in their penultimate or final year and those studying for a Masters or Phd, can book an appointment with a careers adviser. Booked appointments generally last up to 30 minutes. Visit Careers advice for further details.
Student / Alumni Profiles
Students and alumni from the School of Divinity have kindly agreed to share their experiences of work and other career-related activities with you. These profiles illustrate the wide range of careers, internships, volunteering and other work experience opportunities open to students and alumni from your School. Check regularly to see what's new.
Where Our Graduates Go
| Year | Organisation/Company | Position | Divinity required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Parallel Parents/Care Today | HR Officer | Not directly |
| 2011 | Eversheds | Archivist | Not directly |
| 2011 | Accenture | Business Analyst | Not directly |
| 2010 | Council for World Missions | Programme Director | Yes |
| 2010 | Much Better Adventures | Operations Manager | Not directly |
| 2010 | St Mary Magdalene Episcopal Church | Pastoral Assistant | Yes |
| 2009 | Heriot-Watt University Students' Association | Student Activities Co-ordinator | Not directly |
| 2009 | Church of England | Clergyman | Yes |
| 2009 | Church of Scotland | Assistant Minister | Yes |
| 2009 | Autism Initiatives | Support Worker | Not directly |
| 2009 | Christian Ministry | Church Associate | Yes |
| 2009 | Scottish Bible Co-ordinator | Bible world co-ordinator | Yes |
| 2001 (CAN) | Catonsville Presbyterian Church, Catonsville,USA | Pastor/Head of Staff | Yes |
| 2001 (CAN) | College of DuPage,Glen Ellyn,USA | Associate Professor - Philosophy/Religious Studies | Yes |
| 2001 (CAN) | President Kennedy School, Leeds | Assistant Principal Teacher of Religious Education | Yes |
| 1995 (CAN) | Allsorts Mortgage Advice, Glasgow | Mortgage Consultant | Not directly |
| 1985 (CAN) | Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals, NHS Trust | Nursing Consultant | Not directly |
Careers Alumni Network (CAN) indicates these alumni are willing and keen to be contacted to help St Andrews students with their careers search.
Where Our Postgraduates Go
| Year of Graduation | Organisation/Company | Position | Divinity Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Rugby Baptist Church | Minister | Yes |
| 2009 | University of Dundee | Director of Registry | Not directly |
| 2009 | Motherwell Baptist Church | Minister | Yes |
| 2007 | The Salvation Army | Director Above | Not directly |
| 2007 | Biola University | Assistant Professor | Yes |
| 2006 | Church of Scotland | Parish Minister | Yes |
| 2006 | Scholss-Mittersill Studies Centre | Lecturer | Yes |
Popular Jobs for Theology Graduates Nationally
A 2010 HESA survey of 2009 graduates indicates that six months after graduation, 45% of religious studies graduates were in full or part-time employment. Of these, around 17% were in associate professional and technical occupations, 12% were pursuing work in education, around 9% were commercial, industrial and public sector managers and 6% were social and welfare professionals. The remainder entered a wide variety of other professions and occupations.
Other graduates opted instead for postgraduate study or to pursue voluntary work.
Summer Internships & Work Experience
It can be very valuable to gain experience of work in various areas, but particularly in those areas that you are considering as a future career.
- The University Careers Centre has information on vacation jobs and internships in the US
- If you'd like to stay in St Andrews over the summer, you might want to apply for the St Andrews Summer Internship Scheme.
- Remember to network with students in more senior years, tutors, family and friends they may have suggestions and contacts.
- The Undergraduate Research Internship Programme (URIP) was launched in 2008 by the University of St Andrews. Under the URIP scheme, the University funds 20 undergraduates to carry out research over ten weeks during the summer vacation. The students work on independent projects under the guidance and supervision of a member of academic staff. Look out on the website for application forms which normally have to be returned by the end of April.
- Several penultimate year students have been successful in getting a paid summer internship with the Saltire Foundation. These are global experiences in USA, Japan, Cayman Islands and others.
- If you are interested in teaching or other work with children the University runs schemes in partnerships with local education authorities which give students access to school pupils. To find out more contact the staff involved by e-mail, schools.access@st-andrews.ac.uk .More Schools are offering the UK Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme, which requires students to spend up to 25 hours working within a Primary or Secondary school or Science centre. The module is assessed and contributes towards the final degree outcome.
- The Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics (CSRP) offers part-time internships for undergraduate and postgraduate students of the University of St Andrews interested in gaining practical experience in research, writing, and planning within the inter-disciplinary study of religion and politics. Click here for further details.
- Joining a society and particularly taking on a role of responsibility can impress future employers and also enhance employability skills such as - team working, negotiation, event management, controlling budgets, leadership etc. Have a look at the case study from a student who made the most of his time at St Andrews through involvement in societies. At St Andrews you have a wealth of societies to choose from. Here are a few relevant examples:
- Catholic - The Canmore Catholic Society aims to build up and support the Catholic community in the University.
- Christian Music and Drama - CMaD uses Music, Drama and other creative ways to share Christianity with the student body and wider St Andrews community.
- Pagan Religions - Pagan Society meets regularly to discuss and explore the traditions of a broad spectrum of pagan religions.
The table below aims to give some examples of the experiences of divinity students.
| Year | Organisation/Company | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | World Golf Tour | Production Assistant - case study. |
Employability Profile
Over the course of your degree you develop a good mix of subject specific and transferable core skills (communication, team work, time management, presentation etc). Consider these alongside your other activities, such as paid work, volunteering, family responsibilities, sport, membership of societies, leadership roles, etc. Think about how these can be used as evidence of your skills and personal attributes. Then you can start to market and sell who you really are, identify what you may be lacking and consider how to improve your profile.
Skills
The profile below identifies the skills that can be developed through the study of your discipline based on subject benchmark statements developed by UK higher education academic communities.
This table is able to help you to identify the valuable skills that you can offer to potential employers.
| A graduate in Divinity typically will have the following abilities | Evidence |
|---|---|
| empathy and imaginative insight | |
| independence of mind and initiative and a belief in life-long learning | |
| teamwork skills including attending to others and having respect for others’ views | |
| ability to gather, evaluate and synthesise different types of information | |
| analytical ability and the capacity to formulate questions and solve problems | |
| IT and presentation skills | |
| writing skills, including accurate referencing and clarity of expression | |
| ability to attend closely to the meaning of written documents. |
Divinity Careers/Employability Link
Each School has a Careers/Employability Link who "champions" employability. Yours is Dr Stephen Holmes. If you have any information you consider important for your fellow students please let him know. Alternatively you can contact the Employability Coordinator for the University, Pamela Andrew,at pea1.
Links to Useful Resources
- Mapping Your Future - Employability for Divinity students - Pamela Andrew
- Destination Statistics of St Andrews graduates
- Prospects: Options with Religious Studies/Theology
- The Subject Centre for Philosophical & Religious Studies Link to Employability Guides - two subject-specific employability guides, which are practical tools for students to use when thinking about how to identify and demonstrate to potential employers the skills their degrees have developed in them.
