“I love the fact that students are given the room to explore options before concentrating on specific areas of studies. I have been exposed to topics that I did not know would interest me so much. They provoke my interest, satisfy my curiosity, and make me think. This University isn’t just four years of your life, it is a life in four years!”
- Hong Kong
Entry requirements
The University offers different entry requirements, depending on your background. Find out more about Standard and Minimum entry requirements using academic entry explained and see which entry requirements you need to look at using the entry requirements indicator.
For degrees combining more than one subject, the subject with the higher entry requirements determines the grades you need. You will also need to meet any further subject-specific entry requirements as outlined on their pages.
Do I need to have studied this subject before?
You do not need previous knowledge of Hebrew to apply.
Course details
The Hebrew portion of the four-year joint Honours degree course is run by the School of Divinity. Studying Hebrew allows you to become attuned to the thought patterns of a distinctive culture, and gives you access to the world of biblical literature and the extraordinary range of writing found in the Hebrew Bible.
Your first two years focus on enabling you to read and analyse prescribed texts in Hebrew, especially the Old Testament.
Alongside Hebrew, in the first year of your studies you will be required to study an additional two subjects. In the second year, you will usually carry on at least one of these subjects, sometimes two. Find out more about how academic years are organised.
In your third and fourth year, you will have the opportunity to take more advanced modules which focus on reading Hebrew in a variety of contexts, including prose and poetry.
The University of St Andrews operates on a flexible modular degree system by which degrees are obtained through the accumulation of credits. More information on the structure of the modules system can be found on the flexible degree structure web page.
Modules
Students are required to take the following compulsory modules in their first year:
- Hebrew 1: Introduction to Hebrew Language: aims to give students a sufficient knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary of Old Testament Hebrew to be able to read and analyse prescribed texts.
- The Art of Biblical Literature: Introducing the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament: introduces the life, literature and religion of Ancient Israel, with particular consideration of the main literary types of the Old Testament literature.
Students are required to take the following compulsory module in their second year:
- Hebrew 2: aims to extend students' skills in reading the Hebrew Bible and in the techniques of textual criticism and of exegesis.
- Reading the Women of the Old Testament A (English Texts or Hebrew Texts): examines depictions of women and the feminine in the Old Testament, including female characters in narrative, women in legal texts, female characters in Wisdom Literature, and the metaphorical depiction of cities as women in prophetic texts, as well as the use of female imagery for God and the religious roles of women in ancient Israel.
If you take Hebrew in your third and fourth years, you will take one compulsory module and choose from a variety of advanced modules ranging from reading the Hebrew Bible to studying Hebrew prose and poetry.
Compulsory module:
- The Bible Through the Ages: History, Theology, and Hermeneutics: takes students through the history of the Bible and its interpretation from the formation of the canon to postmodernism considering, for each time period, what the Bible was for the people of the time, and how people encountered and interpreted the Bible.
Other modules being offered at Honours level for 2025-2026:
- Readings in Early Christian Greek Texts
- Johannine Literature and Theology: English Text
- Johannine Literature and Theology: Greek Text
- Epistle to the Hebrews: English Text
- God and Morality: Faith and Philosophy in the Scottish Enlightenment
- Prophetic Books
- Hebrew Readings
- Creation and Chaos in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East
- Themes and Texts in Christian-Buddhist Dialogue
In fourth year, students also undertake a 10,000-word dissertation on a topic of their choice. The School provides significant support for the dissertation, with a breakdown of the assessment into different stages and a programme of seminars to assist in the development of advanced research and communication skills.
The compulsory modules listed here must be taken in order to graduate in this subject. However, most students at St Andrews take additional modules, either in their primary subject or from other subjects they are interested in. For Honours level, students choose from a range of Honours modules, some of which are listed above. A full list of all modules appropriate to the programme for the current academic year can be found in the programme requirements.
Teaching
Teaching in the first and second years is mainly by lectures (10 to 100 students), supplemented by regular small-group tutorials (8 to 12 students).
At Honours level, greater emphasis is put on individual study and on students taking a major role in preparing for and conducting seminars (5 to 15 students).
When not attending lectures, tutorials and workshops, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve:
- working on individual and group projects
- undertaking research in the library
- preparing coursework assignments and presentations
- preparing for examinations
All sub-honours modules are typically assessed by 50% coursework and 50% written examinations. At Honours level, at least 50% assessed work is coursework, with some modules including no exam element at all.
Examinations are held at the end of each semester during a dedicated exam diet with revision time provided beforehand.
The School aims to provide feedback on every assessment within three weeks to help you improve on future assessments.
Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews must achieve at least 7.0 on the St Andrews 20-point grade scale to pass a module. To gain access to Honours-level modules, students must achieve the relevant requisites as specified in the policy on entry to Honours and in the relevant programme requirements.
To find out the classification equivalent of points, please see the common reporting scale.
You will be taught by a research-led teaching team with expertise and knowledge of Hebrew. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken tutor training may also contribute to the teaching of tutorials under the supervision of the module leader.
You can find contact information for all relevant staff on the School of Divinity website.
The University’s Student Services team can help students with additional needs resulting from disabilities, long-term medical conditions or learning disabilities. More information can be found on the students with disabilities web page.
Fees
Scotland
£1,820
England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland
£9,250
Channel Islands, Isle of Man
£9,250
EU and overseas
£31,670
More information on tuition fees can be found on the undergraduate fees and funding page.
Accommodation fees
Find out about accommodation fees for University accommodation.
The University of St Andrews offers a number of scholarships and support packages to students each year.
Joint Honours degrees
You can take Hebrew MA (joint degree) as part of a joint Honours degree in which you will take core modules of your chosen subjects.
You can also take Hebrew MA (joint degree) as part of a joint Honours degree in which you will take the core modules of your chosen subjects:
- Arabic
- Art History
- Biblical Studies
- Comparative Literature
- English
- French
- Geography
- Greek
- Mathematics
- Middle East Studies
Joint degrees taken with Arabic or French are also available With Integrated Year Abroad.
Careers
A degree that includes Divinity gives you the opportunity for significant intellectual and personal development, and you will acquire a wide range of transferable skills. Those who have studied biblical studies or theology have learnt a range of skills including:
- textual
- historical
- analytical
- creative
- interpersonal
Graduates are in demand with employers who need rigorous but flexible thinkers with a broad knowledge base and an understanding of people and their religious and social contexts.
Recent graduates from the School of Divinity have, for example, become:
- journalists with the national and religious press
- a trainee manager at a national bank
- an art gallery assistant
- a solicitor
- a theatre director
- a college principal
- a business consultant
- a social worker
- a wine taster
Graduates have also gone on to postgraduate degrees in related areas here and at other top universities in the UK and across the world.
The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.
The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.
What to do next
Online information events
Join us for one of our information events where you can find out about different levels of study and specific courses we run. There are also sessions available for parents and college counsellors.
Undergraduate visiting days
We encourage all students who are thinking of applying to the University to attend one of our online or in-person visiting days.
Contact us
- Phone
- +44 (0)1334 46 2850
- divinity@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Address
- School of Divinity
St Mary's College
South Street
St Andrews
KY16 9JU