10 of the Most Improved Universities for Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies in 2018

Having only scraped into the top 50 last year, the University of Sydney is now up 12 places to be ranked 37^th. The Australian university scores particularly highly for its reputation with employers and is the second-best institution in Australia overall for theology.

Sydney’s Department of Studies in Religion is part of the arts and social sciences faculty. The undergraduate program touches on sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, philosophy, textual studies and history, each with the intention of analyzing the ways people explain their existence.

The first British university to be included in this list of most improved top universities for theology, the University of Birmingham has climbed 12 places to 23^rd this year.

Home to students from over 20 countries, Birmingham’s department of theology and religion covers a broad spectrum of religions. Undergraduate degrees available touch on philosophy, politics and ethics in addition to religion and theology. It’s also possible to study a joint honors degree in history and theology. Master’s programs focus on topics such as Islamic studies and Holocaust and genocide.

Having previously been ranked 51-100, the University of British Columbia has climbed at least 12 places to 39^th in the world for theology this year. One of seven Canadian institutions to be ranked this year, the University of British Columbia is also home to the Vancouver School of Theology.

Intended to educate and form Christian leaders, the Vancouver School of Theology offers graduate study in ministry programs as well as theological research degrees. The school does also offer teaching in divinity, inter-religious studies and other areas.

The International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) is the first institution in this list of most improved universities for theology to be explicitly non-Christian in its teaching focus. IIUM has climbed an astonishing 15 places this year, to now be ranked 31^st in the world.

Teaching at IIUM in theology focuses on Islamic teachings and thought, and so many degrees feature this prominently (the Doctor of Philosophy in Islamic Thought and Civilization, for example). Some programs are taught in Arabic and students will need to show evidence of proficiency when applying.

Previously ranked 51-100, Aarhus University is now considered to be the 29^th best university for theology in the world, a vast improvement which also means it’s the best university in Denmark for this subject.

Aarhus provides you with one of the largest research environments for theological study, and the university’s strong research focus is reflected in how highly it scores for citations per paper in our ranking. Theology degree programs are available at both bachelor’s and master’s level, while a joint Nordic master’s is available in the Religious Roots of Europe.

The penultimate university we’re looking at in detail is Columbia University, which has climbed from joint 46^th to 21^st this year. Despite this climb, eight other American universities continue to be ranked higher than Columbia.

As well as the university’s department of religion, Columbia is also home to a theological seminary which aims to prepare students for ministry. If you’re focus is more academic, the undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in the university itself is likely to be of more interest. Students interested in applying for the master’s program must submit their GRE scores, but there is no subject-specific entrance test.

Our final university to have shown great improvement in this year’s theology ranking is the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), which didn’t feature at all in last year’s inaugural ranking. Now considered the 47^th best place in the world to study theology, CUHK is the only institution from Hong Kong in this year’s ranking.

Theology degrees are offered by the university’s Divinity School of Chung Chi College, and have been since 1957. Bachelor’s degrees are available in both theology and divinity, while the range of postgraduate study options includes degrees in theological studies, Christian studies and ministry.

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