MA in Death, Religion and Culture

• Examine historical and current approaches to death and dying
  • Understand bereavement rituals in different cultural and religious contexts
  • Useful preparation for a range of careers serving the dying and bereaved

Death, Religion and Culture at Winchester is a distance learning course that explores the universal reality of death. You examine the ways in which death and dying are understood differently by various cultures and religious traditions, and how those understandings are played out in rituals of death, dying and bereavement.

The programme attracts a diverse range of students including funeral directors, clergy from a variety of traditions, teachers, nurses and those preparing for a research degree, as well as a range of people who are simply fascinated by the subject. This dynamic group ensures that your debates and discussions are lively and informed by a breadth of interests and experiences.

Modules include Death and Pastoral Care in Global Religions, The Act and Art of Eulogy, Visiting the Dead: From Graveyards to Dark Tourism, and Is Death a Good Thing? You also complete a dissertation of 15,000 to 20,000 words on a relevant topic of your choice.

The programme is taught by a team of highly qualified and enthusiastic staff who include internationally renowned scholars. You take part in the structured discussion and debate through electronic forums and are provided with guided course readings and access to the digital resources held in the University library in order to complete assessments. A visit to a local crematorium, cemetery, mortuary and/or funeral home is an essential aspect of the course.

Graduates of the course pursue a range of careers including bereavement counselling, work in funeral homes, teaching and church ministries.

The University of Winchester empowers students to reach their full potential and make a difference in the world. Set in Winchester, a beautiful, quintessential English city with a rich heritage and vibrant contemporary culture, the university’s friendly and compact campuses give students the benefit of city and campus living. We are well situated with excellent transport links allowing you to reach London or the coast in an hour, and Southampton Airport is just a 10-minute train journey away.

The university offers a selection of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees that are taught across our five faculties:

• Faculty of Business and Digital Technologies: A modern, forward-thinking faculty offering a range of disciples including Accounting, Economics, Business Management, Computer Science and Marketing.
• Faculty of Education and the Arts: Has a long and established history of providing high-quality degrees, and is home to the Institute of Education, Department of Education and Childhood Studies, Department of Performing Arts, and School of Media and Film.
• Faculty of Health and Wellbeing: Outstanding degrees that are committed to progressing health and well-being for all life. The faculty includes Nursing, Physiotherapy, Social Work, Animal Welfare and Sports degrees.
• Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences: Passionate about what makes us human, we offer research-led teaching and outstanding support in Anthropology; Archaeology; History; Psychology; Social Sciences including Politics and Geography; Philosophy; English and Creative Writing.
• Faculty of Law, Crime and Justice: Bringing together the department of Law and the department of Policing, Criminology and Forensics, the faculty uses an interdisciplinary approach to offer a dynamic range of degrees that offer the use of specialist facilities.