MA in Church Law
St Stephen’s House is proud to offer the opportunity to study for a Master of Arts degree in Church Law through the Common Awards, accredited by the University of Durham. We are currently one of only two institutions in Britain offering this degree.
The course covers all dimensions of ecclesiastical law, from its sources and history to the legal regulation of the Church’s rites, sacraments, and doctrines, as well as questions of church governance in terms of both administrative structures and relations to the contemporary state including matters of Church property. Our focus is on the law of the Church of England alongside comparisons with the laws of other Anglican churches and those of other ecclesial traditions, including the Roman Catholic Church. The assessment aspect of the degree offers the opportunity to consider the laws of any church, as well as to delve into historical, ecumenical, or jurisprudential questions. As the teaching takes place in a residential theological college, the course also provides the opportunity for theological reflection on legal study, and its relevance to mission and pastoral practice today.
Interested lay Christians, ordained ministers, practicing lawyers, and students of law or theology are all welcome to apply, whether seeking an introduction to the field, or professional or ministerial development.
Teaching Team
The course director is the Revd Stephen Coleman, an honorary research fellow and tutor in Canon Law at St Stephen’s House, and priest-in-charge of Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair, in the Diocese of London. He is also the assistant director of the Centre for Law and Religion at Cardiff University, a member of the editorial board of the Ecclesiastical Law Journal, and practises ecclesiastical law as a part time solicitor at Birketts LLP.
The seminars will also be led by other legal academics and practitioners in the field, including Professor Norman Doe KC LLD FBA, professor of law at the School of Law and Politics, Cardiff University, Chancellor of the Diocese of Bangor in the Church in Wales, and Master of the Bench at the Inner Temple in London.
Academic Programme
The MA degree consists of six modules plus a dissertation, with two years of teaching followed by a year of supervision for the completion of the dissertation.
| Year A | Year B |
|---|---|
| The Law of Doctrine and Liturgy | Research and Reflection: Resources and Methods |
| The Law of Rites and Sacraments | The Law of Church Governance |
| The Law of Ministry | The Law of Church-State Relations |
Years A and B are taught in alternating years, so that cohorts in their first and second years can mix and gain from each other’s experience.
Research and Reflection is examined by two 3,000-word essays, and all other modules are examined by one 5,000-word essay.
Descriptions of all of these modules are available through the links here.
Residentials
The programme is designed to allow for intensive study by professionals currently engaged in practice, and will be delivered in three intensive residential sessions each academic year, each session focussing on one module. These sessions will be held at St Stephen’s House in Oxford, and each session will begin after lunch on a Thursday and will conclude at lunchtime on Saturday. The residence period includes a formal dinner on Thursday evening, as well as the opportunity to join in corporate worship of the college at the eucharist, as well as morning and evening prayer.
Residential dates for 2026/27
Thursday 5 – Saturday 7 November 2026
Thursday 11 – Saturday 13 March 2027
Thursday 10 – Saturday 12 June 2027
Dissertation
The MA degree is completed by the submission of a 12,000 word dissertation, completed under the supervision of a course tutor over a third year.
Full Regulations
Full details of the programme regulations are available here.