Politics and Theology

Politics and theology is a combination that addresses two of the most powerful forces in human history, and two of the most contentious areas of contemporary life. Politics examines how power is organised, exercised, and legitimated, asking how collective decisions are made, how governments function, and how societies resolve or fail to resolve their conflicts. Theology engages with the deepest questions of human meaning, examining religious traditions, their texts, their practices, and their claims about the nature of reality, ethics, and ultimate purpose.

The two fields intersect constantly: religious institutions have always been political actors, political authority has often been justified through religious frameworks, and questions of justice, human dignity, and social order are debated in both secular and theological terms.

At the University of the Highlands and Islands, this part-time programme allows you to pursue both subjects with genuine rigour while managing other commitments alongside your studies. You will study political theory, comparative politics, and international relations alongside the study of theological traditions, religious ethics, philosophy of religion, and the relationship between faith and public life. The programme encourages you to think across the two disciplines, exploring how religious and political thought have influenced each other and what each can contribute to the other's questions.

Graduates from politics and theology programmes go on to careers in the civil service, politics, journalism, religious organisations, interfaith dialogue, social work, education, international development, and the voluntary sector. The capacity for nuanced ethical reasoning and understanding of both political systems and religious communities that the degree develops is valued in many professional contexts. Further study at postgraduate level in political science, theology, religious studies, or ethics is open to those who wish to deepen their expertise.