University of Nottingham
Centre of Theology and Philosophy

MA in Systematic and Philosophical Theology by distance learning

The field of systematic and philosophical theology deals with the meaning and implications of Christian doctrina or teaching. This includes claims relating to God, creation, salvation, the nature of the Church, human identity and ethics.  Consequently this course is concerned with a field at the heart of Christian theology, and therefore at the heart of human intellectual endeavour.

Course Director: Dr Simeon Zahl, Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology

Course Team: Conor Cunningham, Mary Cunningham, Tom O’Loughlin, Aaron Riches, Andrea Russell, and Alison Milbank

What will you learn?

Students may pursue an interest in theologies of many kinds, although always critically and rigorously. The course is particularly concerned with the Christian theological tradition from the early church to the present, its engagement with philosophy, the relationship between faith and reason, and the task of theology in the 21st century.

In addition to the current modules, two new modules will be available soon: Reformation Theology and Theology of the Holy Spirit.

• Systematic and Philosophical theology for Newcomers: The Doctrine of God
• Research Methods and Resources
• Christology
• Aquinas and Thomisms
• La Nouvelle Théologie
• The Virgin Mary in Christian Tradition: history and doctrine
• Earliest Christian writings to the mid-second century
• Dante, Religion, and Culture
• Faith and Reason
• Reading Medieval Theologians from Anselm and Ockham

Further information:

• Main page for this programme can be found here.
• The course handbook can be found here.
• The applications procedure can be found here.
• The course takes 1-4 years, with start dates in October and February.
• Distance Learning FAQ

MA in Church History by distance learning

This course uses the vast richness of the historical resources of the Christian tradition to explore the interface between history, culture and theology. It is suitable for those who wish to prepare for a research degree and those who would like to enhance and deepen their understanding of the Church’s past.

Course Director: Dr Frances Knight, Head of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies and Associate Professor in the History of Modern Christianity

Course Team: Mary Cunningham, Jeremy Gregory, Alison Milbank, Tom O’Loughlin, Andrea Russell, Holger Zellentin

What will you learn?

The course allows you to take a range of modules from earliest Christian history to the present, or to specialise in either the early and medieval periods, or the post-Reformation era.

• Research Methods and Resources
• Earliest Christian writings
• The arrival of the New Testament Canon
• The Virgin Mary in Christian Tradition: history and doctrine
• Dane, Religion, and Culture
• Richard Hooker and English Theological Thought
• Revivalism and Reform in Britain and America 1730-1850
• The Churches and Social Action in Britain 1815-1914
• Christianity in twentieth-century Britain
• Reading Medieval Theologians from Anselm to Ockham

Further information:

• The main page for this programme can be found here.
• The course handbook can be found here.
• The applications procedure can be found here.
• The course takes 1-4 years, with start dates in October and February.
• Distance Learning FAQ