Common Awards


Common Awards are qualifications for ordinands and lay ministers within the Church of England and its partners in the Baptist, Methodist, and United Reformed churches, delivered in a three-way partnership between theological education institutions, the churches, and Durham University.

Description

Before 2014, Theological Education Institutions within the Church of England had used local universities to validate their qualifications but since September 2014 they have been offering awards common across all institutions, validated by Durham University. The intention behind the move to Common Award was to offer greater coherence and consistency across training institutions.
A wide variety of courses are offered at various levels of the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications :
  • Foundation Award in Theology, Ministry and Mission
  • Certificate of Higher Education in Theology, Ministry and Mission
  • Certificate of Higher Education in Christian, Ministry and Mission
  • Diploma of Higher Education in Theology, Ministry and Mission
  • BA in Theology, Ministry and Mission
  • Graduate Certificate in Theology, Ministry and Mission to postgraduate studies
  • Graduate Diploma in Theology, Ministry and Mission to postgraduate studies
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Theology, Ministry and Mission
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Chaplaincy Studies
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Theology, Ministry and Mission
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Chaplaincy Studies
  • MA in Theology, Ministry and Mission
  • MA in Chaplaincy Studies
  • MA in Contemporary Christian Leadership

    Participating institutions

The Theological Education Institutes validated by Durham University on the Common Awards as of 2025 are: