Possible Careers with a Degree in Theology and Religion?

[stormywhethers321]

For background: I have full custody of a relative. For simplicity's sake, I'll refer to her here as DR. Her biological parents are no longer in contact, and I am the one she comes to for advice on things like subject choices and uni. She will start A-levels this autumn.

DR is an incredibly bright, inquisitive human being. She genuinely loves to study and learn. Her teachers have suggested she would be a strong candidate for Oxbridge, and until recently she intended to apply for history. However, in the last few months she has been talking about making a change and doing a theology and religion degree.

Her reasoning behind this is that it combines all of her favorite subjects: sociology, history, literature and languages. DR feels understanding religion and people's relationships to it is key to understanding the way people think and have thought throughout history and therefore understanding the state of the world today.

I understand her thinking, but I'm worried the degree might be too narrow and may cut off some possible career fields. I'm also woriied that propective employers would see her CV and assume that she's a particularly religious person and attach some positive or negative value to that erroneously; she actually isn't religious at all. DR isn't sure what she would like to do after uni, but is thinking about a career in diplomacy, maybe doing a law conversion or possibly continuing on in academia. She's also very creative and sometimes thinks about careers in media.

Would opting for theology and religion over history shut doors for her in the future? It's ultimately her choice and I'll support her, but it isn't a field of study I've ever thought much about and I don't want to give bad advice.

@thinkfast I went to a RG uni as well. It was only when my much younger sibling went to Cambs that I realized how useless my entire degree seemed, by comparison. And her A level work (at a private girls school) seemed on a par with my university work. Major confidence fail.

Yes, she's planning on taking RE along with history, English literature and sociology in year 12. The college wants students to select four subjects, with the intention of eventually dropping one. She also independently studies Latin and Greek, and we're discussing the possibility of getting a Latin tutor in the next academic year.

Uniguide looks like a very useful resource; thank you!

Lol, I had to get out my DR notes! My DD is the exact same age ( they're two weeks apart) so I'm keeping track of both their plans in separate notebooks.

Other unis she's considering if she does the Theology or Religious Studies route are Edinburgh, St. Andrew's and Durham. Not sure about a fifth choice yet, but maybe the Theology and History degree at Birmingham.

All very hard to get into. No insurance choice?

DD is at Exeter doing History. However, she has taken several Theology modules which are open to them as options. It's a very strong department and she has made good connections with her tutors there. She is not religious at all. She did History, England Lit and Classics at A level.

Her diss crosses both disciplines, and focuses on medieval history, female saints etc. She is going to Oxford for her Masters (hopefully!).

I'm not sure what you're getting at. My comment was mainly about the other students on the course, not the content. Although, I also mentioned the background knowledge expected on the theology course.

Once I switched courses, I was very happy with both the content and the other students. The content of that course was very similar to my friend's studies in the same subject at Cambridge.

I went to a highly ranked private school before university and both university courses were challenging (as they should be).

The woman I know with this degree is a teacher of English as a foreign language in a college. She loves her job. I also know a woman who is now a religious studies and philosophy teacher in a private school (first degree was philosophy). Neither women are religious, and I remember my RE teacher at school was an atheist. So I don't think people who study theology are necessarily religious.

You may be surprised but the intelligence services (or adjacent, there are a lot of companies and NGOs that supply government less covertly with the same) would probably be interested. It’s very much a ‘no set path’ career, but a deeper understanding of religiosity is something that is often lacking and increasingly important to global security. Think everything from Russia’s ‘justification’ of the invasion of Ukraine partially being about the orthodox schism, to Modi’s Hindu nationalism and oppression of Muslims in India, to new religious movements turning into cults and recruiting online in ways they never could before.

I might hire DR, basically 🤣

I think the typical offer for the Birmingham program is ABB, which I think is a safe choice for DR. She's been extremely academic since entering secondary and her predicated GCSE grades are very high.

Of course though, it's two years away and if she finds A-levels more challenging than expected we'll need to rethink.

Your line of work sounds absolutely fascinating!

@thinkfast I wasn't "getting at" anything. I was stating my experience of a RG university in contrast to my sister who went to Cambridge. Pretty much that was it. If you felt it was directed at you in some negative way, that wasn't my intention.

"Most graduate schemes don't care about your degree subject"

This may have been true when I graduated in 1990, but it isn't true now. Most graduate schemes now require a specific type of degree. There are still some 'any degree' jobs, but there are also far more 'any degree' students competing for them.

Friend has a niece who did Theology at Exeter. Ethics is part of Theology even at GCSE and many A Level courses are called Theology and Ethics and so on. The niece has gone on to do a masters in something like environmental law. She looks set for a brilliant career. Traditional disciplines always look good and their newer elements like ethics etc. make them even more attractive as subject options

What’s with posters on this thread calling Cambridge University ‘Cambs’? I live here and work for the University of Cambridge, literally no one ever uses that as some kind of abbreviation.

I'm an accountant with a big firm and one of my recent hires had a theology degree. I only know that because it made a change from the accounting degree people we get wall to wall. This person is excellent at their job. We keep asking graduate recruitment for more arts students but they continue to feed us the same kind of grads.

One poster, quoted twice. Hardly a trend to worry about.

I know of an actor and a politician with a theology degree. To me it would seem akin to philosophy. I imagine theology students to be very intellectual. I think it sounds quite a fascinating subject.

Especially as Cambs is actually Canterbury.
Whilst Cambridge is Cantab

@bruizez I agree there are far more general graduates around but there are still some who are a better fit for a job than others. Not all employers look for a specific degree. Many Charities and the Civil Service don’t. Plus many other roles such as HR, law, etc. The best thing to do is get work experience. Think about what area of work looks interesting. Develop strategies for getting a job and don’t leave it until the last term of the degree. Go to careers events as early as possible.

The poster who said a masters in Environmental law was likely to produce a glittering career might not realise that to be a solicitor or barrister, you need a GDL. However there might be commercial law or advisory work available for non lawyers.

Theology at Oxford is quite narrowly based and old style, I believe. Cambridge is a bit more interesting. Nottingham went through a purple patch several years ago, but I don’t know what it’s like now. Worth bearing in mind that at some universities you can do quite a bit of philosophy of religion as opposed to pure theology.

What about a Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from LIS ?
(Or Edinburgh or Bristol)
There look fascinating but not sure about employment afterwards ???

Honestly: with employment you build up cv and do some work or relevant work! It won’t be about this degree regarding employment. It’s a vehicle that needs the wheels added! Like many do.

I know 2 Theology graduates and one is doing exactly this: investigating how to identify Lone Wolf terrorists.

The other had a senior role in a national charity

@Tukmgru Ds has an offer from Abertay for a Cyber Degree.
Also has an offer from LIS for an Interdisciplinary Degree.
He would like to do the 2nd one I think but is worried that it won't lead to a job.
Would you be interested in a candidate with an Interdisciplinary Degree please?

I once knew someone who read Theology and Religious studies at university. He was a strict Christian and led the Christian group at college for students. His dad was a priest. His friends were Christian. He went to Summer Christian camps. He now lectures at a University. Basically, every angle of his life is about religion.