What can I study at Ridley?
There are five streams serving people with different levels of prior study and at different stages of their Christian life and ministry:
- the Ridley Award, resources for the Church today
- the Certificate in Higher Education, for lay people looking to develop their personal discipleship or ministry;
- the Graduate Diploma, for lay people without prior theological study but with a good 2.1 degree in another subject, who are looking for a more demanding theology course, or a conversion course for the MA in our Postgraduate Study stream;
- the 'Top-up' BA (level 6), for recently ordained ministers who would like to convert their Common Awards Diploma to a full degree; and
- the Postgraduate Study stream, for experienced ordained ministers and others with prior theological study.
"Ridley Hall is the place for you if you are working and thinking about expanding your knowledge (or even exploring a vocation) in theology, ministry and mission on a part-time basis." Godwin Chimera, Aberdeen
The Certificate in Higher Education
The Certificate in Higher Education aims to support personal and ministerial development (discipleship) through in-depth theological study.
Students are therefore expected to be engaged in service within the Church that can act as both a source of reflection and a place of application.
This may take several forms representing the range of ministries within the Church and could involve one or more sessions a week.
The Graduate Diploma
The Graduate Diploma in Theology, Ministry and Mission (GradDip, Common Awards) aims to support lay people in their personal and ministerial development through in-depth and demanding theological study.
The GradDip is also a good one-year conversion course for those who wish to go on to do the Master of Arts in Theology, Ministry and Mission.
The Graduate Diploma does not require previous theological study, but applicants should have a good 2.1 degree in another subject.
'Top-up' BA with Honours (level 6)
The Top-up course aim is to provide curates and clergy with the opportunity to develop their ministerial practice through independent study and taught modules at level 6.
It is therefore expected that students will be within a parish, either as a curate or as an incumbent, and their studies will support their ministry.
As with all studies at Ridley, this ministerial practice is used as both a source of reflection and a place of application. To this end, some students have undertaken the top-up year within IME2 in consultation with their diocese.
For further guidance please do not hesitate to contact us.
Postgraduate Study
The Postgraduate Study stream offers part-time theological study at the PGDip and MA levels.
Postgraduate students take modules that are taught from a committed Christian perspective and which seek to relate Christian tradition and practice to ministry and mission today.
They are taught by teachers and practitioners who are passionate about their subject and who have extensive experience of communicating in a lively way. And they learn alongside students and teachers who come from a wide variety of church backgrounds and traditions.
All postgraduate students benefit from the extensive electronic and physical resources of the Cambridge Theological Federation, and from the unique environment of Cambridge with its historical buildings and rich cultural heritage.
