The continued authority of the archbishop to confer degrees is recognised in accordance with section 216(1) of the Education Reform Act 1988 by the Education (Recognised Bodies) (England) Order 2013.[1][2] There are two types of degrees awarded: those for the recognition of service to the church and those for which an examination is required.
Lambeth degrees are legally substantive degrees, awarded only to those individuals deemed to have met the requirements for the degree in some way. They are awarded in recognition of prior learning or experience, but also serve as a form of church honours system.[1] The extent of a person's learning is taken into account when it is being decided what degree should be conferred. An eminent and much-published scholar may be considered suitable for a doctorate, an experienced cleric or lay minister may be awarded the MA, and a senior figure with some published work may be considered for the BD. For some time in the 19th and 20th centuries, new diocesan bishops traditionally received the DD on appointment, but since 1961 this has not been the custom and all awards are made on an individual basis.
Because they are substantive degrees, holders of Lambeth doctorates are able to use the title "Doctor" (for example as "Dr John Smith") without the restrictions that sometimes apply to honorary degrees. The Latin designation of Canterbury, Cantuar, is used to explain the origin of the degree (for example "John Smith DD (Cantuar)" in the case of a Doctor of Divinity).
A Lambeth DD was awarded in 1987 to Chief Rabbi Sir Immanuel Jakobovits and others to Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in 2001 and Rabbi Tony Bayfield in 2006; Lambeth degrees can be awarded to those who are neither Anglican nor members of other Christian denominations.
Degrees by examination are awarded by the archbishop at an annual service in the chapel at Lambeth Palace, in the framework of Evening Prayer - held separately from the service for the more "honorary" Lambeth degrees.
The archbishop's power to grant degrees did, and still does, require confirmation by the Crown and so the degrees are known as "degrees of the realm". All recipients have to be able to swear an oath to the monarch of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth realms, since the Ecclesiastical Licences Act 1533 speaks of the monarch conferring degrees on his subjects.[1] Applicants must fall into one of these categories (according to the Handbook for Students and Supervisors (2014)):
British subjects;
nationals of Commonwealth countries which retain the King as head of state;
holders of dual nationality;
members of the clergy of the Church of England’s Diocese in Europe;
foreign nationals who have British residency or who are permanently domiciled in the UK, and who are not otherwise prevented by virtue of their own nationality and citizenship from taking the Oath of Allegiance.
Degrees and diplomas
The degrees for which examination is required fall under the ambit of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Examination in Theology (AET). There were two grades, the STh and the MA. The first was the Lambeth Diploma of Student in Theology (STh). The Lambeth Diploma was established in 1905 to provide a means of scholarly theological study and to encourage women to study theology. It was originally for women only and only since 1944 has it been for men also. It might be conducted by examination (part one in three biblical studies subjects, part two in four doctrine and optional subjects) or, since 1913, by a 30,000-40,000 words thesis for suitably qualified candidates (originally with a theology degree but, since 1969, other suitable theological qualifications).
Whether by examination or by thesis a candidate must have passed, or be exempted from, a paper in New TestamentGreek. The standard was that of an honours degree. Successful candidates might join an association of Lambeth diploma holders. Most awards were by thesis alone in the latter years of the qualification.
Master of Arts by thesis
A limited number of candidates with good theology qualifications might apply for a Lambeth Master of Arts degree by thesis, with the period of registration being usually between two and five years. Theses were limited to a maximum of 50,000 words, excluding the bibliography and bibliographic references, and a 1000 word abstract. The degree is styled MA Lambeth or MA Cantuar or (much more rarely) MA Canterbury. There might be no more than thirty candidates on the books at any one time.
MA examinations were introduced by Archbishop Tait in the late 19th century, but were brought to an end in the early part of the 20th century by Archbishop Davidson. The MA degree was reinstated by Archbishop Runcie at the request of the Lambeth Diploma Committee to meet a need to provide for the possibility for theological study at a more advanced level than that offered by the diploma. The first award of the new degree was in 1993.
Candidates must have had at least a second class first division honours degree in theology or a subject related to the proposed thesis topic or, alternatively, a STh with distinction or another equivalent qualification. Applications were considered twice yearly by a committee appointed by the archbishop. Applicants were then interviewed by the director or a nominated member of the committee. The thesis was written under the direction of a supervisor appointed by the committee. It was examined by at least two examiners and the degree of MA awarded if the candidate's work was approved by both examiners and endorsed by the committee.
Expansion of the programme
On 11 September 2007 the then Archbishop of Canterbury announced a new higher degree programme as an expansion of the Archbishop’s Examination in Theology. Applications for PhD and MPhil degrees in theology were accepted from early 2008 with the first awards of the new MPhil degrees anticipated in 2012 and doctorates shortly afterwards. The MA was to be phased out, but the STh would continue. However, in 2009 it was decided to also phase out the STh and focus entirely on the new research degrees. The AET has now itself been replaced with the Lambeth Research Degrees in Theology 'brand'.[3]
The first two PhDs were awarded in 2012, to the ReverendCanon Les Oglesby and the Reverend Canon Robert Reiss. Canon Oglesby's thesis was titled: "God's involvement with evil: a dialogue between psychology and theology constructed from the works of Carl Gustav Jung and Hans Urs von Balthasar". Canon Reiss's thesis title was: "The testing of vocation: the twentieth century history of the Central Advisory Council for the Training of the Ministry and its successors".
The Archbishop's Examination in Theology is run by a committee, and the key office holders are the Reverend Jeremy Morris (director), the Reverend Canon Les Oglesby (academic registrar) and the Reverend Cortland Fransella (Lambeth awards officer).
In March 2016 on the third anniversary of his installation, the Archbishop of Canterbury announced a new set of non-academic Lambeth Awards, to be made annually, to recognise outstanding service in various fields. The new suite of awards consist of three existing Lambeth Awards – the Lambeth Cross, the Canterbury Cross and the Cross of St Augustine – and six new awards named after previous holders of the office of Archbishop of Canterbury. Each recognises outstanding service in different fields, including those of the archbishop’s ministry priorities: prayer and the religious life; reconciliation; and evangelism and witness. In view of these awards and the establishment of the AET, the current archbishop does not plan to award Lambeth degrees in the short term, so such nominations are not currently invited.[4]
Academic dress
As with many degrees from elsewhere, holders of a Lambeth degree are entitled to wear academic dress. However, the academic dress worn is not unique, original or exclusive. The tradition is to wear the academic dress of the institution from which the archbishop graduated, which has always been either Oxford or Cambridge except for George Carey, who is a graduate of the University of London but followed tradition and chose Oxford dress. The then Vice-Chancellor of the University of London, Graham Zellick, attempted to see if London academic dress could be used but his attempt proved fruitless. It is uncertain whether robes from a university other than Oxford or Cambridge can be used when the archbishop is not an Oxford or Cambridge graduate.[5]
There has been talk of whether holders of Lambeth degrees should have distinctive academic dress and some Lambeth degree holders have designed their own dress to wear, for example, Dr Turpin who commissioned an Oxford and Cambridge hybrid DMus robe.[6]
However, the Lambeth STh Diploma has a distinctive academic dress. The hood is of black stuff of full Cambridge shape with the lining divided horizontally. The lower half is of light blue silk and the upper half is of white silk, so that the lining appears white over blue when worn. This is an unusual pattern for academic hoods in the UK so some STh hoods have been made of black stuff of full Cambridge shape, lined with mid-blue silk, and the cowl faced with eight inches of white silk. The gown is of the London BA pattern but with blue cords and buttons on the sleeves.[7]:50–51
An academic degree is a qualification awarded to a student upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions often offer degrees at various levels, usually divided into undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. The most common undergraduate degree is the bachelor's degree, although some educational systems offer lower-level undergraduate degrees such as associate and foundation degrees. Common postgraduate degrees include master's degrees and doctorates.
A doctorate or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism licentia docendi.
Academic dress is a traditional form of clothing for academic settings, mainly tertiary education, worn mainly by those who have obtained a university degree, or hold a status that entitles them to assume them. It is also known as academical dress, academicals, and, in the United States, as academic regalia.
The University of Oxford has a long tradition of academic dress, which continues to the present day.
The academic dress of the former University of Wales was designed for the first graduations in 1893, and has as its main identifying feature a faculty colour scheme involving 'shot silks'.
The system of academic degrees at the University of Oxford can be confusing. This is not merely because many degree titles date from the Middle Ages, but also because many changes have been haphazardly introduced in recent years. For example, the (medieval) BD, BM, BCL, etc. are postgraduate degrees, while the (modern) MPhys, MEng, etc. are integrated master's degrees, requiring three years of undergraduate study before the postgraduate year.
Frederick Donald Coggan, Baron Coggan, was the 101st Archbishop of Canterbury from 1974 to 1980. As Archbishop of Canterbury, he "revived morale within the Church of England, opened a dialogue with Rome and supported women's ordination". He had previously been successively the Bishop of Bradford and the Archbishop of York.
John Moore was Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England.
A Doctor of Divinity is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity.
A licentiate is an academic degree present in many countries, representing different educational levels. It may be similar to a master's degree when issued by pontifical universities and other universities in Europe, Latin America, and Syria.
In the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts are promoted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts (MA) on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university. It is an academic rank indicating seniority, and not an additional postgraduate qualification, and within the universities there are in fact no postgraduate degrees which result in the postnominals 'MA'. No further examination or study is required for this promotion and it is equivalent to undergraduate degrees awarded by other universities.
The Associateship or Associate of King's College (AKC) award was the degree-equivalent qualification of King's College London from 1833. It is the original qualification that King's awarded to its students. In current practice, it is an optional award, unique to King's College London, that students can study in addition to their degree proper. After successfully completing the AKC course, participants may apply to be elected by the Academic Board of King's College London as an 'Associate of King's College' (AKC). Once their election has been ratified, they are permitted to use the post-nominal letters "AKC" along with their main qualification.
A Master of Philosophy is a postgraduate degree. An MPhil may be awarded to postgraduate students after completing taught coursework and one to two years of original research, which may also serve as a provisional enrolment for a PhD programme.
John Geoffrey Inge is a bishop in the Church of England. He is currently the Bishop of Worcester in the Diocese of Worcester. From 2003 to 2007, he was Bishop of Huntingdon, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Ely.
The Master of Sacred Theology is a graduate-level, North American, academic degree in theology equivalent to ThM requiring two semesters of full time study. The Roman Catholic degree of Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL) typically requires four semesters. An honorary title of STM is also awarded within the Dominican Order.
The Licentiate in Theology or Licence in Theology is a non-degree qualification in theology awarded in Canada and previously awarded in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
The academic dress of the University of Kent is normally only worn at graduation ceremonies. In common with most British universities a graduand begins the ceremony wearing the dress of the degree to which they are being admitted. This is in contrast to the practice at some universities such as Oxford where a graduand only dons the dress of a degree after it has been conferred.
Academic dress prescribed at the Trinity College Dublin follows a relatively complex protocol which, nonetheless, shares some particular characteristics with other universities in Ireland and with the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
The Cross of St Augustine is an award of merit in the gift of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is awarded to members of the Anglican Communion who have made significant contributions to the life of the worldwide Communion, or to a particular autonomous church within Anglicanism. It is also awarded to members of other traditions who have made a conspicuous contribution to ecumenism. It is the second highest international award for service within Anglicanism.
Helen Elizabeth Dawes is a British academic administrator. Since 2021, she has been Principal of Westcott House, Cambridge. Before returning to Westcott House where she had trained for ordination, she served in parish ministry in the Dioceses of Ely, St Albans and Salisbury, and on the staff of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
↑ Groves, Nicholas (2004). Theological Colleges: Their Hoods and Histories. The Burgon Society. ISBN0954411013.
Cox, Noel (2002–2003). "Dispensation, Privileges, and the Conferment of Graduate Status: With Special Reference to Lambeth Degrees". Journal of Law and Religion. 18 (1): 249–274. doi:10.2307/1051500.
Thresher, Marjorie (1989). A Venture of Faith: History of the Lambeth Diploma 1905–1989. London: STh Association.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
