Sociology and Theology & Religion

Sociology and Theology and Religion is a combination degree that brings together two disciplines united by their concern with the fundamental forces that shape human societies and individuals. Sociology examines the social structures, cultural practices, power relations and historical processes that produce the world we inhabit, asking why people and communities are the way they are and how change is possible. Theology and Religion engages with the beliefs, practices, texts and institutions of the world's major religious traditions, examining their intellectual content, their historical development and their continuing influence on individuals and societies.

At the University of Aberdeen, this four-year full-time programme includes a year abroad and explores how society and religion interact and shape each other at multiple levels. You will study the sociological dimensions of religious practice, examining how religion functions as a social institution, how it intersects with questions of identity, power and inequality, and how it responds to and shapes contemporary social change. You will also develop in-depth knowledge of the world's major religious traditions, with particular attention to Christian faith in its historic and contemporary contexts, alongside comparative study of other religious traditions from around the world.

Graduates from Sociology and Theology and Religion programmes go on to careers in education, community and inter-faith work, social services, journalism, the civil service, international development, policy research, chaplaincy and academic research. The combination of sociological analytical skills with an understanding of religious traditions is particularly valuable in contexts where religious and cultural diversity must be understood and navigated sensitively. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in sociology, theology, religious studies or related fields in the social sciences or humanities.