Theology and Religion
There are usually five or six undergraduates studying Theology & Religion or Philosophy & Theology in each year at Mansfield.
Mansfield is one of the largest colleges for Theology and Religion, admitting around five students per year (plus two more students from Philosophy and Theology!). It also has a fabulous location, about halfway between the Faculty of Theology and Religion and the Examination Schools and only a five-minute walk to the Bodleian Library. Mansfield also has two teaching fellows – one in Nineteenth-Century Thought and one in New Testament – and four lecturers in subjects that include Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, Ecclesiastical History and Feminist Theology, Modern Doctrine, and Hindu Studies.
With up to seven students a year in Theology and Religion and Philosophy and Theology at Mansfield, you join a strong community within the college that also includes a number of graduate students. Together we form a lively and welcoming community. Mansfield has one of the best college collections in Theology and Religion, with a separate room of the library dedicated to the subject.
The Faculty of Theology and Religion at Oxford is consistently highly rated (including a ranking of 2 in the world in the 2020 QS World University Rankings). You can find out more about the Faculty and the undergraduate course on the Faculty website).
Candidates may apply who have any combination of A levels or equivalent qualifications; it is not necessary to have taken Theology or Religious Studies. An interest in linguistic study is desirable, since precision in the use of words is of paramount importance in our field of study, and the first-year course includes study of a scriptural language of the student's choice (ranging from Biblical Greek to Sanskrit), though prior knowledge of the language is not expected. Alongside academic excellence, we hope candidates will have an appreciation of historical, literary, and theological questions and an appetite for learning how to read, understand, and engage with complex and inspiring texts of all kinds. A religious affiliation is not necessary to read Theology and Religion at Mansfield, although some students do bring a personal interest in asking constructive and critical questions about their own religious traditions.
The Theology and Religion tutors are very happy to discuss potential applications with both teachers and students, and to meet applicants at Faculty or College open days, or where possible, at other times.