Deepen your knowledge. Strengthen your contribution to communities.

Explore classical Islamic scholarship alongside contemporary debates about modernity, identity, law, governance and Muslim life in diverse societies.

Best suited to: Educators, imams, youth workers, community professionals, graduates, researchers and lifelong learners.

View Contemporary Islamic Studies

Develop a critical and comparative understanding of Muslim family law, succession, inheritance and the interaction between Islamic and secular legal systems.

Best suited to: Legal, mediation, family-support, advisory and community professionals working with Muslim families.

View Muslim Family Law

Develop faith-sensitive knowledge of chaplaincy, counselling, spiritual care, medical ethics and pastoral support in diverse settings.

Best suited to: Chaplains, counsellors, healthcare and prison staff, education professionals, charity workers and community leaders.

View Pastoral Care and Muslim Chaplaincy

Semester 1: 12 October-18 December 2026
Semester 2: 11 January-26 March 2027

Semester 1: 11 January-26 March 2027
Semester 2: 5 April-18 June 2027

Semester 1: 5 April-18 June 2027
Semester 2: 28 June-10 September 2027

Explore key questions affecting Muslim communities today through a critical engagement with classical Islamic scholarship and contemporary debates. The programme places particular emphasis on Muslim life within multicultural, multi-faith and secular societies.

Who is this programme for?

This programme is suited to educators, imams, youth workers, community professionals, graduates, researchers and lifelong learners who want to deepen their understanding of Islamic thought, law, identity, modernity and society.

What you will gain

• Examine classical and contemporary approaches to Islamic law, scholarship and interpretation.
• Explore the relationship between Islam, modernity, governance and sociopolitical change.
• Develop a critical understanding of Muslim identity and minority experiences in diverse societies.
• Engage with debates surrounding gender, theology, philosophy, history and family life.
• Strengthen your ability to contribute thoughtfully to education, research and community discussion.
• Develop research and analytical skills at postgraduate level.

Compulsory modules

• Sciences of the Qur’an and Sunnah
• Islamic Jurisprudence and Law
• Research Skills and Project Report

Optional modules

• Islam and Modernity: Sociopolitical Issues and Religion
• Muslim History and Civilisation
• Islamic Philosophy and Theology
• Gender, Sexualities and Islam
• Muslim Family Law

Students complete the required combination of compulsory and optional modules. Optional modules are subject to availability and cohort viability.

Career and community relevance

The programme can support people working or volunteering in education, research, faith organisations, youth work, community engagement and related settings. It is also suitable for learners seeking deeper personal or academic understanding of contemporary Islamic thought and society.

Entry requirements

Applicants would normally hold two Highers, or an equivalent qualification, together with National 5 Mathematics or an equivalent. Relevant practical experience may also be considered. Applicants without formal qualifications are encouraged to apply and may be invited to an interview.

Fee and scholarship

Standard online tuition fee: £1,700. Eligible applicants may receive an £850 scholarship, reducing the fee to £850.

Click here to Apply for Contemporary Islamic Studies

Click here to Ask a Question About This Programme

Develop a critical understanding of Muslim family law and explore how Islamic legal principles interact with contemporary national and secular legal systems. The programme is designed to support thoughtful, informed practice with Muslim families and communities.

Who is this programme for?

This programme may be particularly relevant to legal and family-support professionals, mediators, advisers, community organisations, mosque leaders, researchers and people working with Muslim families across religious and secular legal contexts.

What you will gain

• Examine the historical development of Islamic legal schools and jurisprudential methods.
• Develop a critical understanding of Muslim family law, succession and inheritance.
• Compare Islamic family-law principles with contemporary legal frameworks.
• Explore children’s rights, estate planning, endowments and intergenerational transfer.
• Engage with contemporary debates surrounding gender, family, identity and legal practice.
• Develop the analytical and research skills needed for advisory, legal and community settings.

Compulsory modules

• Islamic Law and Jurisprudence (Maqasid al-Shariah)
• Muslim Family Law
• Research Skills and Project Report

Optional modules

• Law of Inheritance
• Children’s Rights Under Common Law, Islamic Law and International Conventions
• Estate Planning and Waqf Ahli
• Gender, Sexualities and Islam
• Sciences of the Qur’an and Sunnah

Optional modules are subject to availability and cohort viability.

Career and community relevance

The programme can strengthen specialist knowledge for legal, advisory, mediation, family-support, community and research settings. It does not qualify graduates automatically for a regulated legal role, but it can support more informed and culturally sensitive professional practice.

Entry requirements

Applicants would normally hold two Highers, or an equivalent qualification, together with National 5 Mathematics or an equivalent. Relevant practical experience may also be considered. Applicants without formal qualifications are encouraged to apply and may be invited to an interview.

Fee and scholarship

Standard online tuition fee: £1,700. Eligible applicants may receive an £850 scholarship, reducing the fee to £850.

Click here to Apply for Muslim Family Law

Click here to Ask a Question About This Programme

Develop a critical understanding of pastoral care, chaplaincy and counselling within an Islamic framework. Explore how faith-sensitive emotional and spiritual support can be provided effectively within Muslim communities and diverse multi-faith settings.

Who is this programme for?

This programme is designed for existing and aspiring chaplains, counsellors, healthcare workers, prison and education professionals, charity staff, community leaders and people involved in pastoral or faith-sensitive support.

What you will gain

• Explore the history and theology underpinning Muslim chaplaincy.
• Examine pastoral care, health, healing and spiritual support within an Islamic framework.
• Critically engage with counselling theory and faith-sensitive practice.
• Consider ethical questions arising in healthcare, medical practice and pastoral care.
• Develop greater awareness of cultural, religious and interpersonal sensitivity in diverse settings.
• Strengthen the knowledge and reflective skills relevant to pastoral and community-support roles.

Compulsory modules

• Theoretical Muslim Chaplaincy
• Pastoral Care: Health and Healing
• Research Skills and Project Report

Optional modules

• Islamic Medical Ethics
• Islamic Mysticism and Spirituality
• Islamic Counselling and Psychotherapy

Optional modules are subject to availability and cohort viability.

Career and professional relevance

The programme can support professional development and progression towards pastoral, chaplaincy, counselling and faith-sensitive support work across healthcare, prisons, education, charities, community organisations and faith institutions. It does not guarantee employment or automatically confer professional registration.

Entry requirements

Applicants would normally hold two Highers, or an equivalent qualification, together with National 5 Mathematics or an equivalent. Relevant practical experience may also be considered. Applicants without formal qualifications are encouraged to apply and may be invited to an interview.

Fee and scholarship

Proposed standard online tuition fee: £2,500. Eligible applicants may receive a £750 scholarship, reducing the fee to £1,750.

Click here to Apply for Pastoral Care and Muslim Chaplaincy

Click here to Ask a Question About This Programme

Choose Contemporary Islamic Studies for broad engagement with Islamic thought and society; Muslim Family Law for specialist legal and family-focused study; or Pastoral Care and Muslim Chaplaincy for faith-sensitive care, counselling and institutional support.

Yes. This campaign promotes the online study routes. Final teaching times and recording arrangements will be confirmed for each cohort.

The standard entry route is two Highers or equivalent, with National 5 Mathematics or equivalent. Relevant practical experience may also be considered, and applicants without formal qualifications are encouraged to apply.

The programmes develop specialist academic and practical knowledge, but they do not automatically confer regulated legal, counselling, clinical or chaplaincy status.

Eligible applicants may request scholarship consideration as part of the admissions process. The value of the scholarship depends on the programme.

Optional modules depend on availability and the viability of the cohort.

Yes. The programmes are available online to suitable international applicants, subject to academic and English-language requirements.