Study where you are

Learning Communities

Seminary-level theological education right where you are

  • Study the whole range of courses—from biblical languages to church history—in your local area or online

  • Flexible, accessible, and affordable

  • Learn in community facilitated by a mentor

  • Earn a Graduate Diploma or Masters in Theology alongside your ministry or other work

What can I study in a Learning Community?

Graduate Diploma in Theology (GDip)

Meet in person or online once a week over 2 years.

Find out more about the GDip here.

Masters in Theology (MTh)

Meet in person or online for week-long intensives over 1–3 years, with an extra year for your dissertation.

Find out more about the MTh here.

Find a Learning Community near you

Union Online:

Union GDip Online – UK/EU/Africa Groups (1)

Union MTh Online – UK/EU/Africa Group (1)

Union GDip Online – North & South America Group (2)

Union MTh Online – North & South America Group (3)

Union MTh Online – Addis Ababa (4)

Union MTh Online – Midway, Atlanta (5)

Union MTh Online – North India (6)

Union MTh Online – Cairo & Alexandria (7)

Union GDip Online – Abuja (8)

Union in the UK:

Westminster Chapel - MTh (3)

London LCM - GDip (4)

London LCPA - MTh (5)

Liverpool - GDip (6)

Cambridge - GDip (7)

Porthcawl - GDip (10)

Winchester - GDip (11)

Belfast - MTh (15)

Leeds - GDip

Union in the US and Canada:

Union US Office

Calgary - GDip & MTh (16)

Tulsa - GDip & MTh (20)

Oklahoma City - GDip (21)

Ontario - GDip (22)

North Texas - GDip (23)

Houston - GDip (24)

Los Angeles - GDip (25)

Union Internationally:

Rome - GDip & MTh (27)

Athens - MTh (28)

Poznań - GDip & MTh (31)

How do Learning Communities work?

Study where you are

Our Learning Communities are intended to create an environment for growth: spiritual, theological, and practical. They mean that you can study theology, prepare for ministry, and be formed as a leader without leaving your existing ministry or work. Meeting in-person or online, you’ll watch lectures, enjoy group work and discussion, and be assessed by coursework and exams. 

Multiply your ministry

In a Union Learning Community, your formation as a believer, your theological studies, and your service in the local church are held together and fuel one another. This means that, for many students and their churches, Learning Communities have multiplied ministry immediately – enabling church plants, raising leaders in-context, and encouraging partnerships between local churches.

Apply your learning in the local church

Learning Community students can study for the Graduate Diploma in Theology (GDip), designed for those with an existing degree in any subject, or the Masters in Theology (MTh), designed for those with an existing degree in theology. 

  • " As a church pastor, for a number of years I've considered further theological study but had never found a vehicle for study that would fit with the demands of ministry life. The opportunity to study a part-time MTh in a Learning Community with Union was the perfect fit for me. I'm relishing the opportunity to read more widely, to study in more depth and to be academically stretched and challenged."

    Ben, MTh student and Pastor in Bristol, UK

  • "For some time, I’d been wanting a formal theological education, but my wife and I couldn’t move from Norwich… I found that Union offered a community-based approach through the Learning Communities, so I applied for the nearest one to me… My conversations as well as preaching and teaching have been much more thoughtful and better researched. I’ve also recognised an ever-increasing joy and passion for God’s Word!"

    Ben Ladd, GDip graduate

Delivery information

Students gather together either in person or via Zoom for video lectures, extensive discussion and peer-to-peer learning. All the teaching and assessment is provided by UST faculty. For more details about the content and time commitments, visit the GDip and MTh programme pages.

Each Learning Community is facilitated by a Lead Mentor. This is usually an experienced pastor/theologian who provides mentoring support to students, supplementing the primary delivery of teaching by video, and facilitates activities and discussion with resources supplied through our Union Cloud platform. 

The content, assessment and overall time commitment is the same for in-person and online Learning Communities, although the learning style is different. Some groups study the programme over 2 years and some over 3 years. You will need to contact your local Lead Mentor for details of the delivery plan.

The quality criteria that inform delivery of programmes at Union Campus apply equally to the Learning Communities, including adherence to the National Standards Framework and the employment of subject benchmarks and other relevant quality standards.

Would you like to set up a Learning Community in your church or local area?

  • Find out more about Union School of Theology’s Policies and Procedures. Read more >

  • Find out about our fees and explore funding options. Find out more >

  • We’re here to support you throughout your time with us and beyond, whether that’s in your studies or your personal life. Read more >