Welcome!

I regard myself as greatly privileged to serve as Head of the School of Religion and Theology (SoRaT), University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This Institution is one of the most dynamic, innovative and contextually relevant institutions of Religious and Theological research and teaching in the continent of Africa. When you apply to the School of Religion and Theology (SoRaT) for your undergraduate or postgraduate theological education, you will become part of an internationally recognized centre of excellence in Religion and Theological enquiry.

Religion and Theological education at SoRaT, as our school is popularly known, draws together the academy, the religion communities, and the World (more specifically the African continent), and we bring these together in a creative synergy in a variety of ways. Our reputation as a centre of excellence is built on the strengths of our staff members who are recognized for their outstanding scholarship, their engagement with their context and their commitment to religious communities. Our mother institution, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, is one of only two universities in Africa who are in the list of the top five hundred universities in the world. It is recognized as one of the four top research universities in South Africa. Our school takes pride in the fact that, of the fifty-two schools in the university, we are one of the top ten in terms of research output.

There are a number of reasons why you must consider either to study or partner with us:

• We are an ecumenical school. We are part of the Pietermaritzburg Cluster of Theological Institutions which is comprised of St. Joseph’s Theological Institute (Roman Catholic), Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary, The Lutheran Training Institute, The Evangelical Seminary of Southern Africa, The Anglican House of Studies and The Congregational House of Studies. The staff of SoRaT also represent a wide range of denominations.
• We have a number of centres and projects that provide a range of research opportunities. We have the Ujamaa Centre for Research and Community Development and Contextual Bible Study, Sinomlando Centre(Memory work and  Oral History), The Centre for Constructive Theology, The Centre for Islamic Studies, Collaborative on HIV Research and Teaching, and the Religion and Governance Programme
• A number of internationally recognized journals are housed in the School (The Journal of Theology for Southern Africa, The Journal of Constructive Theology, Neotestamentica, Alternations and Journal of Hindu Studies).

• We draw students from twenty-two African countries and also from Europe, North America and Latin America.

These are just a  few of the reasons why our School is a centre of excellence for Religion and Theological education.

I invite you to consider joining our community of research, teaching and learning and transformative service, not only to the religious community in Africa but to the world at large as we fulfill the vision of our university to be “the Premier University for African Scholarship.”

Head of School