Durham’s Theology and Religion degree has just been ranked sixth in the world

Durham University has been ranked as the sixth best university in the world to study Theology and Religion for 2023 by the QS World University Rankings.

This places the course third in the UK, following closely behind the University of Cambridge which takes the second spot and Oxford which has been named the best university in the UK for Theology and Religion.

The Department of Classics and Ancient History has also seen similar success, having just been placed eighth in the world and third overall in the UK, whilst the Department of Archaeology has been ranked tenth in the world and fourth in the UK.

Nine other Durham degrees have been ranked in the world top 50: Geography (14th), Anthropology (23rd), Philosophy (32nd), English Literature (38th), History (38th), Geology (46th), Earth Sciences (46th), Law (46th) and Geophysics (47th). 

The rankings assessed over 18,300 subjects from 1,597 institutions across the world.

This news comes after a leading Durham theologian, Professor Anna Rowlands, has been selected to help shape the Catholic Church for years to come, according to the University.

Consistently ranking among the very top Departments of Theology and Religion both in the UK and in the world, the Theology department attributes this success to its range of degree programmes which enable students to explore their interests in the fields of theology, philosophy, religious studies, biblical studies, and ethics.

They pride themselves on the fact that, within the degree programme, “all beliefs and world-views are taken seriously, respected, and studied, across the range of religious and non-religious perspectives.”

On the note of Durham’s success this year in the QS World University Rankings, Durham University’s Vice-Chancellor Karen O’Brien has said: “Every year our subjects are highly rated in the global league table rankings, and it is a true credit to the outstanding teaching and research carried out at our University.”

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