to explore the search for spirituality, one of the most enduring aspects of human cultures
‘Spirituality’ is an expression of the way we search for meaning and seek to live out our fundamental beliefs and values in everyday life.
In Christian terms, spirituality is concerned with the lived experience of the Christian faith and the human relationship with God.
Postgraduate programmes in Christian Spirituality, validated by the University of Winchester, offer an exciting opportunity to study this dynamic and interdisciplinary subject with world-leading experts. Options include a one-year certificate, a two-year diploma and a three-year master of arts degree.
For me coming to modules feels like a mini-academic retreat and I really look forward to it.
Studying on the MA is challenging and I have been really stretched. I have been able to choose subjects that have spoken into the work I am doing. For example, studying trauma has helped with the pandemic, studying Benedict has helped with parish life and then exploring film and spirituality, sexuality and spirituality, art, wisdom — all those things have fed into my work.
— The Revd Catherine Williams, priest and spiritual director
Dr Michael Hahn, Programme Leader
We excel at giving our students personalised support and our programmes have been commended for their high quality, rigour, breadth, flexibility, and creativity. We strive to create a learning environment where students collaborate and support one another in small groups.
To help achieve this, we run teaching weeks for modules over a few residential intensives during the year. The course structure is designed in such a way that modules combine classroom and home-based study so that students benefit from personal contact with tutors and lecturers, with minimal disruption to domestic or professional responsibilities.
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Sarum College has given me a real experience of being a proper student. The group that’s come together has been absolutely fantastic: we come from different theological backgrounds and we just got on so well. I think it’s meeting together, chatting in the evenings. The tutors have stayed and chatted in the evenings. We’ve met over the meals, breakfast, lunch, dinner and met with people on other courses as well.
That has been a huge bonus so that when you go away to do your real work – you have to recognise that much of the real work is done when you’re away from here – you have the motivation to do it and it still feels like you’re part of this (group). And I think being a theological community, even though there is quite a freedom to explore, there’s that sense that you’re dealing with things that are really important for us all.
People are very supportive here and, you know, you can go at your own pace and you get the support that you need.
Also, you’re here in this environment where you look out to the cathedral. It has a real sense of history, and a theological history as well, which makes a great advantage to studying here. I think the fact that everything is on site gives a sort of cohesiveness to it and a friendliness of it.
I think also one thing that I found was the support that you get from the team really encouraged me that this would be a good place to be.
Alison Goodlad, Sarum MA graduate
Dr Hahn’s current research and teaching expertise covers medieval spirituality, the Franciscans, and the development of mystical theology. He is particularly interested in women in the Franciscan tradition, including Clare of Assisi and Angela of Foligno.
Five key reasons to choose Sarum:
Sarum College’s postgraduate programmes in Christian Spirituality offer an exciting opportunity to study this dynamic and interdisciplinary subject with world-leading experts. The programme explores theological, historical, pastoral and other contemporary points of view.
Options include a one-year certificate, a two-year diploma and a three-year MA degree, validated by the University of Winchester
View all Christian Spirituality modules
Courses are run every two (sometimes three) years. View the module calendar to see the courses in the previous academic year here:
External examiners praise Sarum for the personalised support we offer to students. Our programmes have been commended for their high quality, rigour, breadth, flexibility, and creativity.
We create a learning environment where students collaborate and support one another in small groups. One of the ways we do this is by running teaching weeks for modules over a few residential intensives during the year. The course structure is designed to combine classroom and home-based study so that students benefit from personal contact with tutors and lecturers, with minimal disruption to domestic, ministerial, or professional responsibilities.
Five years ago, I told my Warden of Readers that I would not be renewing my licence when it expired in 2019, as I thought my faith was becoming too unorthodox for a Church of England licensed lay minister. As someone who knew me well, she challenged me to actively explore what I did still believe. Thus started the journey that ended last August with the dissertation completing my MA in Theology Imagination and Culture (MATIC) at Sarum College.
I started by auditing modules both from MATIC and its sister programme, MACS (MA in Christian Spirituality). As an auditor, I participated fully in the intensive residential study week for the module but with, as I thought, the great advantage that I did not have to write an essay. I soon realised my mistake – researching in depth for the essay was a vital part of getting the most out of the module. I started the MA in 2018.
Postgraduate courses are structured to combine classroom and home-based study so that students benefit from close contact with tutors and lecturers with minimal disruption to domestic, ministerial, or professional responsibilities.
Award options:
The programme has built-in flexibility to adjust the pace to suit your lifestyle.
Students learn collaboratively in a modular curriculum arranged around four-day residential teaching intensives throughout the year. Consolidating our class-based teaching in this way widens access to working students and allows the College to recruit world-leading scholars and seasoned practitioners to lecture on modules.
The teaching team for modules draws from a global pool of experts in their field, as well as Sarum’s core academic staff and visiting scholars.
The study of theology in Sarum’s historic buildings began in 1860. The Cathedral Close setting, communal and library spaces make it an ideal environment for study and reflection.
During residential modules you stay in College guest rooms with en-suite facilities. Many rooms have lovely views overlooking the Cathedral, the Close and the Sarum quad.
View facilities on our hospitality website
Fresh, home-made food is cooked and served on site, and the Common Room provides a bar and space for continued conversation into the evening.
Teaching rooms are well equipped, including large screens for live-streamed events. The library is well-stocked with access to a catalogue of books and journals, and you can make use of it when you like. The library can be used outside of residential periods for research and writing.
The Cathedral is just across the lawn from College and some students participate in the pattern of liturgy there. The Butterfield Chapel is also available for private worship space.
Postgraduate course modules are open to all so you may enrol on any MA module as an “auditor” without registering for an accredited programme such as the full MA.
An auditor participates in a module in exactly the same way as students on the MA, but does not prepare an assessment at the end of it and receives no academic credit.
There is also an option to choose to participate in a module as an assessed auditor for those who would like to add discipline and tutor feedback to their study but aren’t sure about taking on a full degree programme.
The normal requirement for postgraduate studies is a good first degree in a related subject. However students over the age of 21 with other relevant experience and/or training may be admitted subject to interview.
The deadline for applications for a January start is the end of the first week of the December before. The deadline for applications for September start is the end of August, eg:
For a January 2025 start: 6 December 2024
For a September 2025 start: 28 August 2025
Courses are run every two (sometimes three) years. View the module calendar to see the courses on the previous academic year here:
The policies for Academic Regulations for Taught Programmes and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) are subject to change from the University of Winchester. Registered students have access to current regulations via the online learning platform, SarumLearn.
For all postgraduate enquiries please contact Clair James, MA Administrator or telephone 01722 424827 (01722 424800 for the main reception).
Looking for sources of funding to help with costs?
Browse the list of Grantmaking Trusts
Members of the Armed Forces can apply for ELCAS funds for the MA in Theology, Imagination and Culture or the MA in Christian Spirituality as Sarum College is a registered learning provider.
Dr Conway-Jones is Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham. She is also an Accredited Lay Worker of the Church of England.and actively involved in Jewish–Christian dialogue. For four years she served as Honorary Secretary of The Council of Christians and Jews and is now Chair of Birmingham CCJ.
The Revd Dr Ayla Lepine is the Ahmanson Fellow in Religion and Art at the National Gallery in London. Her work includes teaching the King’s College London and National Gallery collaborative MA in Christianity and the Arts, and building diverse new networks within arts organisations and faith communities. Her MA and PhD at the Courtauld Institute of Art focused on the modern British responses to the Middle Ages, especially the Gothic Revival and Pre-Raphaelite movement.
Fr Robinson-Brown writes in the areas of sexuality, gender, ethnicity, Black Liberation Theology, Queer Theology and Christianity and the arts. His most recent book is Black, Gay, British, Christian, Queer: The Church and the Famine of Grace (2021). He is Assistant Curate at St Botolph-without-Aldgate in the City of London and Vice-Chair of OneBodyOneFaith.
Christopher Southgate is a much published poet, whose work includes a verse biography of T.S. Eliot, and six other collections, most recently Rain Falling by the River (Canterbury Press). He has been commended in the National Poetry Competition, and has given readings in venues from New York University to the Edinburgh Fringe.
He read at East Coker and Little Gidding in the commemorations of the 50th anniversary of Eliot’s death. A former chaplain in university and mental health contexts, Chris is an experienced leader of workshops and retreats. His theological works include The Groaning of Creation and Theology in a Suffering World: Glory and Longing, based on the 2014 Sarum Lectures.
He is Professor of Christian Theodicy at the University of Exeter, and editor of the Journal of the TS Eliot Society (UK).
