Application deadline
Thursday 7 August 2025
Applicants should apply as early as possible to be eligible for certain scholarships.
“The MLitt in Theology and the Arts is interdisciplinary by nature, offering you opportunities to tailor your experience to your specific interests. I hope to enter a career that combines my professional skills and my love of the arts: I may continue in publishing as an acquisitions editor, pivot into art and design, or pursue a role in nonprofit work as an arts ministry program coordinator or instructor. ”
- Arizona, USA
Entry requirements
- A 2.1 undergraduate Honours degree in theology or an Arts subject. If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.
- English language proficiency. See English language tests and qualifications.
The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.
Application requirements
- CV
- personal statement which substantively engages with theology and the arts (300 to 500 words)
- sample of your own, single-authored academic work in English (2,000 words)
- two original signed academic references
- academic transcripts and degree certificates
For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes.
English language proficiency
If English is not your first language, you may need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability. See approved English language tests and scores for this course.
Course details
The MLitt in Theology and the Arts is a one-year taught programme run by the Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts (ITIA), within the School of Divinity. Our MLitt is one of the first postgraduate programmes of its kind and retains its world-leading reputation.
The course is designed to provide a broad and rigorous introduction to postgraduate work in the field of theology and the arts. It can be taken as a self-contained programme of study or as a grounding for those intending to pursue doctoral research in this field.
Highlights
- A unique training programme for artists wishing to reflect on the theological dimensions of their work, and for theologians wishing to explore the place of art within theological thought and practice.
- An ideal stepping stone towards the Institute's PhD programme, which centres on a three-year independent research project.
- An opportunity to engage with diverse forms of culture from different historical periods, including literature, drama, the visual arts and music.
- A self-contained programme equipping students with a wide range of transferable skills which will support them in a variety of professional fields and settings.
Modules
The modules published below are examples of what has been taught in previous academic years and may be subject to change before you start your course. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the module catalogue.
Each module typically comprises:
- three hours of weekly lectures and seminars
- coursework assessment
- in some cases, a written exam.
- Christian Doctrine and the Arts: examines key Christian doctrines and their artistic presentation throughout the centuries.
- Religious Experience and Aesthetic Theory: explores how historical and cultural contexts through the ages have shaped religious art, and examines critically how different art forms – painting, music, literature, drama, architecture, film – and different styles within those forms mediate different kinds of religious experience.
- Theological Engagements with the Arts: Methodologies and Critical Theories: addresses theological questions about human artistry and introduces students to different ways of engaging the relationship between Christian theology and the arts.
- Practical Criticism: exposes students to a multiplicity of forms and themes, with an emphasis on the practice of close reading (taught by ITIA staff).
- A module from another of the School of Divinity's MLitt programmes.
- A module from another academic School. For example: English, Art History, Film Studies, or Philosophy.
Optional modules are subject to change each year and require a minimum number of participants to be offered. Some may only allow limited numbers of students. Read more about curriculum development at the University of St Andrews.
Student dissertations will be supervised by members of the teaching staff who will advise students in their choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process.
The completed dissertation of 15,000 words must be submitted by a date specified in August.
If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MLitt, an exit award is available that allows suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and receive a PGDip instead of an MLitt.
Teaching
The programme consists of four taught modules taken over two semesters followed by a 15,000-word dissertation written over three months during the summer.
Modules are interdisciplinary in nature, integrating various artistic media and theological themes, and are taught through weekly lectures and seminars.
Class sizes typically range from 10 to 15 students.
Students attend ITIA’s weekly research seminar, and may, if they wish, enrol in language classes and attend other lectures, seminars and reading groups as appropriate.
The School offers classes in Hebrew and Greek, which are open to all students. Students may also take languages classes offered by other Schools or by the University's language extension programme.
Assessment comprises a combination of coursework and written examination.
Events
The Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts (ITIA) is a vibrant community of established scholars, post-docs, and graduate students. The weekly research seminar, at which internal and guest speakers discuss their ongoing work, is at the heart of the Institute’s day-to-day life.
The ITIA Research Forum allows graduates to discuss ongoing research and provides professional training for graduates.
The Transept, a student-led artist group, meets weekly to discuss original work in all art forms.
ITIA is home to, and associated with, a number of publications:
- Transpositions – an award-winning blog edited by ITIA's graduate students.
- Journal of Inklings Studies – ITIA hosts the editorial office of this leading academic journal on C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and their literary circle.
- Ashgate Studies in Theology, Imagination and the Arts book series.
Fees
Home
£12,030
Overseas
£25,900
Application fee
Before we can begin processing your application, a payment of an application fee of £50 is required. In some instances, you may be eligible for an application fee waiver. Details of this, along with information on our tuition fees, can be found on the postgraduate fees and funding page.
Funding and scholarships
The University of St Andrews is committed to attracting the very best students, regardless of financial circumstances.
15% Recent Graduate Discount
If you have graduated from the University within the last three academic years, you may be eligible for a 15% discount on postgraduate taught tuition fees. Terms and conditions apply.
After your degree
Careers
Students on the Theology and the Arts MLitt programme are provided with the skills they need to succeed in an international job market, both academic and non-academic.
Graduates have taken up roles in a wide variety of occupations and sectors, including:
- lectureships, research fellowships, and professorships at universities and colleges
- work for arts institutions and museums, archives, libraries, research institutes, and think-tanks
- journalism, publishing, and communications sector
- church ministry
- secondary school teaching and higher education
- civil service or public policy
- academic, university or public administration.
The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students in building their employability skills.
Further study
In addition to the MLitt, the School offers a two-year residential Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree option in Theology and the Arts.
Many Divinity graduates continue their education by enrolling in PhD programmes at St Andrews.
ITIA provides a competitive and rigorous PhD programme aimed at those who already have the necessary scholarly grounding to begin an independent doctoral research project.
Postgraduate researchContact us
- Phone
- +44 (0)1334 46 2826
- divinitypg@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Address
- School of Divinity
St Mary's College
South Street
St Andrews
KY16 9JU