Join our online Christian art degree and access outstanding expertise and digital archives.
Explore the fascinating relationship between art and faith in the Christian world, from medieval to modern times.
Study with an ancient university founded in 1495, and access our world-class University Collections, including the Aberdeen Bestiary, wherever you are in the world.
Together we’ll explore:
- the power of images in ritual, liturgy and popular culture
- the architecture of devotion
- visual culture’s impact on the history of Christianity, its debates and controversies.
You’ll examine a broad spectrum of objects, images, texts, and aesthetic discourses to deepen your knowledge of Christian art and its histories, beyond the western European context.
Flexible study options
- Study for the MLitt or exit early with a Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma.
- Set your own study hours with this flexible online degree that’s designed to fit around work and life commitments.
You can also study this degree on campus.
Who can join online MLitt Christianity and the Visual Arts?
This online degree is open to anyone with an undergraduate degree in a humanities subject, such as art history, theology, or religious studies.
We also welcome those working in the professional sectors who are seeking upskilling opportunities, such as the clergy and those employed in museums and galleries.
You can study this degree as preparation for further postgraduate research, for future employment or vocational training – or simply out of interest.
Outstanding Theology research
We’re rated 1st in the UK for the quality of our research in Theology in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021).
By the end of this degree, you’ll be able to...
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Explore the intersections of art and Christianity from medieval to modern.
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Describe and evaluate important discourses on theological aesthetics and its long history.
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Reflect on historical and contemporary discourses on art and faith.
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Use interdisciplinary methodologies to evaluate art historical and theological topics.
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Contribute to debate via online discussion and coursework.
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Share original research into Christianity and the arts that you’ve carried out as part of your dissertation.
Choose the University of Aberdeen for online Christian Art studies
2nd in the UK for Theology
We’re rated 2nd in the UK and 1st in Scotland for Theology by the Complete University Guide 2025.
25th in the world
We’re rated 25th in the world for Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies (QS World University Rankings 2024).
Over 525 years of excellence
Join a university founded in 1495, where Divinity has been taught for more than five centuries.
What you’ll study
You’ll study the following courses that make up the 180 credits of this Masters degree.
You can also choose to exit early, earning a:
- Postgraduate Diploma (120 credits), or
- Postgraduate Certificate (60 credits).
Try our degree scheduler
Choose your courses
See all the courses that are part of this degree and choose what you want to study.
Manage your study schedule
Control the pace and cost of your degree. Decide how much you want to study each term.
Save to your wishlist
Save your schedule to your wishlist so you can view and edit anytime.
How you’ll study
Online learning
Our distance learning Masters in Christianity and the Visual Arts is delivered flexibly, 100% online.
You can learn with us anywhere in the world, no student visa required, and manage your study hours to suit you.
Your teaching
You’ll learn and interact within a virtual classroom, using digitised resources, archives, and discussion boards. Wherever you’re based, we aim to give you the unique experience of studying art and Christianity in a meaningful way.
Teaching is delivered through MyAberdeen, our online Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It holds all the materials, tools and support you’ll need in your studies. Take a look around MyAberdeen.
You can access your learning materials on computer, smartphone and laptop, 24 hours a day. You’ll find a range of resources available, including:
- videos and video lectures
- tutorials
- podcasts
- slides shows
- quizzes
- reading materials
- discussion boards with your tutors and peers
- the online resources of our award-winning Sir Duncan Rice Library, and our remarkable University Collections.
Assessment
This degree is assessed entirely online via:
- essays
- book reviews
- discussion boards
- creative assessment, eg, posters.
Amazing archive access
You’ll have access to our outstanding University Collections online.
They’re Scotland’s most significant university holdings. Within our collections, you can explore digitised illuminated manuscripts, including the Aberdeen Bestiary, oil paintings, early modern print collections, archives including the Scottish Catholic Archives, and much more.
Outstanding expertise
You’ll learn from leading experts in Art History and Divinity, based in our School of Divinity, History, Philosophy and Art History (DHPA).
Dr Joanne Anderson, Head of Art History
Joanne is Reader in Art History specialising in late medieval and Renaissance art, with particular expertise in the visual representations of Mary Magdalen.
She is author of Moving with the Magdalen: Late Medieval Art and Devotional Practice in the Alps and has featured on Britain’s Lost Masterpieces (BBC4) and In Our Time (BBC R4) on the topic of the saint.
Joanne’s broader research interests extend to the sacralising of the landscape and female patronage in the Late Middle Ages, and 20th-century exhibition history.
View Joanne’s profile
Professor Tom Greggs, Marischal Chair of Divinity
Tom holds the Marischal Chair of Divinity at the University of Aberdeen and is a founding co-director of the Aberdeen Centre for Protestant Theology.
He has published widely on systematic theology, including The Breadth of Salvation: Rediscovering the Fullness of God’s Saving Work and Barth, Origen, and Universal Salvation: Restoring Particularity.
Tom’s current work focuses on ecclesiology, theology and social class, theology and identity politics, redemption and illumination. He serves on the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches, and appears regularly on radio.
View Tom’s profile
Dr Karl Kinsella, Lecturer in Medieval Art History
Karl is Lecturer in Art History, specialising in the history of architecture and manuscripts in the early and central Middle Ages. He’s regularly nominated for University of Aberdeen awards for his inspirational and supportive teaching.
Karl works on the development of architectural drawings within theological texts and exegesis. His book, God’s Own Language: Architectural Drawing in the Twelfth Century was published with MIT Press. He has also appeared on radio and lectured widely on the subject of medieval architecture.
View Karl’s profile
Reverend Professor John Behr
John is Regius Chair in Humanity at the University of Aberdeen and a world-leading patristics scholar and Orthodox theologian.
He joined the University of Aberdeen from St Vladimir’s Seminar, New York, where he served as Dean.
John has published widely on the early church and Orthodoxy, including The Way to Nicaea, The Nicene Faith, and John the Theologian and His Paschal Gospel: A Prologue to Theology.
View John’s profileYour support team
Our friendly team are here to answer any queries you have before, during and after your studies.
Joanne Anderson
Joanne is the degree coordinator. She’ll be on hand to answer any questions about degree content before you start and to help you throughout your studies.
Kate Smith
Kate is part of the School’s support team. She’ll be there throughout your studies to answer any of your non-academic queries.
Get in touch
The online education team is here to answer any questions you have right now about this qualification, or about studying online.
Ask us a question
We are working in the spirit of true collaboration to explore the relation of Christian art and theology across time and space. Aberdeen has phenomenal resources in its high-profile academics, its inspiring students and its world-class collections.
Dr Karl Kinsella, Lecturer in Medieval Art History
Where this will take you
Towards further research
Your MLitt will give you robust research training, preparing you to undertake further research in Art History and/or Theology.
You could go on to carry out PhD research on campus or with distance supervision.
Many of our students also go on to have distinguished academic careers.
Careers
Your MLitt in Christianity and the Visual Arts can help you upskill or work towards employment in the arts, culture, faith and heritage sectors.
It provides valuable transferable skills of:
- visual analysis
- critical and ethical thinking
- debate and presentation.
It can also be part of professional development in parallel with vocational training.
Lifelong career support
Our career support doesn’t stop when you graduate.
You have access to our free careers service while you study, and beyond.
- 1:1 appointments
- CV checks
- Interview prep
- Job opportunities
Fees and funding
Master of Letters
180 credits
£10,905
This indicative cost is based on 180 credits of study over two years, starting in September 2025.
The fee quoted above is based on you starting your studies with us in the 2025/26 academic year.
Our indicative cost includes a 5% fee rise each year.
Pay as you go
This is a pay-as-you-go qualification.
You do not have to pay the full tuition fee upfront.
You can spread the cost and pay as you go, term by term.
How it works
- You decide how many credits to study for each term.
- At the start of term, you pay only for the credits you’re taking that term.
- This gives you control over your costs and workload for each term of your qualification.
Your personalised cost breakdown
Use the degree scheduler to plan your studies and see your cost breakdown, term by term.
Choose the University of Aberdeen for flexible online Masters degrees
Flexible
Flexible hours and 24/7 access, so you can study when it suits you.
You’re in expert hands
We’ve been delivering online and distance learning for decades.
20% alumni discount
University of Aberdeen alumni receive 20% off fees for this online degree.
Entry requirements
MLitt
- A 2:1 UK honours degree or equivalent (normally a 3.0 GPA in North America).
We also welcome alternative qualifications combined with relevant professional experience. If you do not have a formal degree qualification, please submit a supporting personal statement with your application.
These are our minimum entry requirements. They are given as a guide and do not guarantee entry.
Apply for this programme
- Start month
- September
- INDICATIVE COST
- £10,905
This indicative cost is based on 180 credits of study over two years, starting in September 2025.
Apply via our Applicant Portal
