by Rachel Huston, Premier
(Photo credit: Wikimedia Creative Commons)
The University of Edinburgh is scrapping its Divinity and Master of Divinity degrees, becoming the latest institution to walk away from a subject the university has taught since its founding in 1583.
The decision is part of a wider shake-up: 90 courses are being cut as management look to plug a £140 million shortfall, with other affected programmes spanning undergraduate and master’s degrees across the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. The University says the cuts reflect “student demand” and a changing jobs market.
In response, the University and College Union has announced a five-week strike in an effort to protect staff from compulsory redundancies.
Edinburgh joins Bath Spa which has already closed its theology department, while Exeter announced significant cuts to its own department earlier this summer.
The retreat from theology at university level comes as numbers training for ordination in the Church of England remain well below what’s needed. After four years of decline, figures ticked up slightly last year, with 442 people entering training in September compared to a low of 329 the year before, still far short of the 630 new clergy the Ministry Council estimates the Church needs annually.
Campaign group Save the Parish has pointed to a lack of confidence in ministry as a “major obstacle” to recruitment.