Film Studies and Theological Studies

Film studies and theological studies is a combination that takes seriously two of the ways in which human beings have explored the deepest questions of existence: through moving images and through reflection on the sacred. Film has been one of the defining art forms of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, a medium that engages mass audiences while also capable of the most subtle and demanding forms of artistic expression. Theology examines the religious traditions and metaphysical questions that have shaped human civilisation, asking what people have believed about God, mortality, morality, and the nature of reality.

At the University of St Andrews, this four-year full-time programme allows you to study both disciplines with full academic seriousness. Film studies at St Andrews uses critical, theoretical, and historical approaches to examine global cinema, asking what films mean, how they make meaning, and what the history of cinema reveals about the cultures that produced it. Theological studies engages with the major religious traditions and the philosophical questions that arise from and intersect with religious belief.

The two disciplines illuminate each other: film has repeatedly returned to religious themes, and theology has something to say about art, narrative, and the representation of the sacred. A year abroad is part of the programme, broadening your cultural and intellectual exposure.

Graduates pursue careers in journalism, broadcasting, arts criticism, the film industry, academic research, publishing, education, and roles in cultural and religious organisations. The combination of critical analysis, cultural breadth, and theological understanding is valued across many contexts where ideas, culture, and meaning intersect. Postgraduate study in film studies, theology, and cultural studies is a natural progression for those who wish to pursue research or specialise further.