The University of Divinity is an Australian collegiate university of specialisation in

divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine

. It is constituted by eleven

theological college A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

s from eight denominations. The University of Divinity is the direct successor of the second oldest degree-granting authority in the

State of Victoria Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in Au ...

, the Melbourne College of Divinity. The university's chancery and administration are located in

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...

, a suburb of Melbourne in the state of Victoria. The Melbourne College of Divinity was constituted in 1910 by an act of the

Parliament of Victoria The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...

. The act was amended in 1956, 1972, 1979, 1990, 2005 and 2016 and is now known as the ''University of Divinity Act 1910'' (previously the ''Melbourne College of Divinity Act 1910''). From its beginnings the college was a self-accrediting issuer of degrees, while not becoming a university until 2011. Representatives appointed by several churches formed the college to provide tertiary level theological education. The first president was the Right Reverend Henry Lowther Clarke, Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne, and the first registrar was the Reverend John Mathew, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria. In 2010, the Melbourne College of Divinity applied to the Victorian Regulation and Qualifications Authority for approval to operate as a self-accrediting "Australian University of Specialisation" (a category of higher education provider). The Victorian government announced on 30 August 2011 that the application had been approved and on 1 January 2012 the college began operating as a university.

Peter Sherlock Peter Sherlock (born 26 October 1972) is an Australian academic and inaugural Vice-Chancellor of the University of Divinity in Melbourne, a role he has held since 2012. He specialises in the cultural history of Renaissance and Reformation Europ ...

was appointed the inaugural vice-chancellor in April 2012. In May 2019

TEQSA The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) is Australia's independent national quality assurance and regulatory agency for higher education. The agency's purpose is to protect student interests and the reputation of Australia' ...

extended the seven-year licence to operate as a university for an additional three years to the maximum possible of ten years before a review. In the 2019 Student Experience Survey, the University of Divinity recorded the highest student satisfaction rating out of every Australian university, with an overall satisfaction rating of 92.8.

Accreditations and affiliations

The University of Divinity offers awards in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

, counselling and

ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

. In 2001 the institution was listed as a Schedule 1 Higher Education Institution by the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training. It receives federal funding for research, Australian Postgraduate Research Awards and International Postgraduate Research Scholarships. The Higher Education Support Act (2003) (HESA 2003) listed the institution as a Table B (Private, Self-regulating) Higher Education Provider, which allowed its students to access federally funded loans under the FEE-HELP scheme. The University of Divinity is the only Australian University of Specialisation listed on the National Register of Higher Education Providers maintained by TEQSA.

Publications

*'' Pacifica'', an academic journal (1988-2017)

Colleges

The colleges of the University of Divinity are: *

Australian Lutheran College Australian Lutheran College (ALC), formerly Luther Seminary and Lutheran Teachers College, is a higher education institution serving the Lutheran Church of Australia and a registered teaching institution of University of Divinity. It is located ...

, Adelaide, South Australia *Eva Burrows College, in Parkville, Victoria; Sydney and Central Coast, New South Wales. Training college of the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

in Australia *

Catholic Theological College Catholic Theological College (CTC) is one of the constituent theological colleges of the University of Divinity, an Australian collegiate university of specialisation in divinity. The college is located in East Melbourne, Victoria. Hist ...

, East Melbourne, Victoria. A federation of autonomous seminaries: ** Corpus Christi College **St Mary's Seminary **Salesian Theological College **St Joseph of Cupertino Friary (

Conventual Franciscan The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv) is a male religious fraternity in the Roman Catholic Church that is a branch of the Franciscans. The friars in OFM CONV are also known as Conventual Franciscans, or Minorites. Dating back to ...

) **St Dominic's Priory ( Dominican) * Morling College, Macquarie Park, New South Wales. The

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

theological college of New South Wales. * Pilgrim Theological College,

Uniting Church The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was founded on 22 June 1977, when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost all the churches of the Congregational Unio ...

*St Athanasius College, Donvale and Melbourne, Victoria *

Stirling Theological College Stirling Theological College is a former Australian Christian theological college located in Mulgrave, a south eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. History The college was established in 1907 in Carlton, Victoria, by H. G. Harward as the Coll ...

, Mulgrave, Victoria. The Churches of Christ national theological college. *

Trinity College Theological School Trinity College Theological School (TCTS) is an educational division of Australia's Trinity College, the oldest residential college of the University of Melbourne. It is also one of the constituent colleges of the University of Divinity. The Scho ...

(

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

) **

Wollaston College Wollaston College (formerly John Wollaston Theological College ) is an Australian educational institution in Perth, Western Australia, established in 1957. It provides theological education for both lay and ordained people of the Anglican Dio ...

, Mount Claremont, Western Australia. Currently affiliated through a partnership agreement with Trinity College and the University of Divinity *

Whitley College Whitley College is a Baptist theological institute in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The college is associated with the Baptist Union of Victoria (Australian Baptist Ministries) and is one of the theological schools of the University of Divinity ...

, Parkville, Victoria. The

theological college of Victoria. *Yarra Theological Union, Box Hill, Victoria. Comprises the following

religious institute A religious institute is a type of institute of consecrated life in the Catholic Church whose members take religious vows and lead a life in community with fellow members. Religious institutes are one of the two types of institutes of consecrate ...

s: **Blessed Sacrament Congregation **

Divine Word Missionaries The Society of the Divine Word ( la, Societas Verbi Divini), abbreviated SVD and popularly called the Verbites or the Divine Word Missionaries, and sometimes the Steyler Missionaries, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Ri ...

Discalced Carmelites The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Carmelites of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel ( la, Ordo Fratrum Carmelitarum Discalceatorum Beatae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo) or the Order of Discalced Carme ...

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

(OFM) **

Missionaries of the Sacred Heart The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC; la, Missionarii Sacratissimi Cordis; french: Missionnaires du Sacré-Coeur) are a missionary congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1854 by Servant of God Jules Chevalier (182 ...

Pallottines The Pallottines officially named the Society of the Catholic Apostolate ( la, Societas Apostolatus Catholici), abbreviated SAC is a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right for men in the Roman Catholic Church, founded in 1835 by the Roman C ...

Passionists The Passionists, officially named Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ (), abbreviated CP, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men, founded by Paul of the Cross in 1720 with a special emphasis on and d ...

Redemptorists The Redemptorists officially named the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer ( la, links=no, Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris), abbreviated CSsR,is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men (priests and brother ...

, Mt Claremont, Perth. Until December 2014, the United Faculty of Theology, Parkville. Victoria. A co-operative venture of the Anglican, Jesuit and Uniting theological colleges.

Associated churches

In 1910

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

Present

Churches of Christ The Churches of Christ is a loose association of autonomous Christian congregations based on the ''sola scriptura'' doctrine. Their practices are based on Bible texts and draw on the early Christian church as described in the New Testament. T ...

Coptic Orthodox The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Uniting Church in Australia The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was founded on 22 June 1977, when most congregations of the Methodist Church of Australasia, about two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia and almost all the churches of the Congregational Union ...

Libraries

Students at the University have access and borrowing rights to a number of library collections including the

Mannix Library Mannix Library is an academic theological library located in East Melbourne, Australia. The library specialises in the areas of theology, philosophy, biblical studies and associated disciplines, and supports teaching and research at Catholic T ...

, the Campbell Edwards Library at

, Geoffery Blackburn Library at

, The Gilbert Wright Library at Morling College, the Leeper and Mollison Libraries at

, as well as the Patrick Murphy Memorial Library, the Redemptorist Seminary Library, the Dominican Studium Library, the St Pashcal Library and the Sugden Collection at Queen's College.

Notable alumni and faculty

Andrew McGowan Andrew Brian McGowan (born 1961) is an Australian scholar of early Christianity and an Anglican priest. He is McFaddin Professor of Anglican Studies at Yale Divinity School and dean and president of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. Prior to ...

* Anne Elvey *

Barbara Thiering Barbara Elizabeth Thiering (15 November 193016 November 2015) was an Australian historian, theologian, and biblical exegete specialising in the origins of the early Christian Church. In books and journal articles, she challenged Christian orthod ...

* Cathy Ross * Charles Sherlock * Claire Renkin *

Colleen O'Reilly Colleen Anne O'Reilly (born 1949) is an Australian Anglican priest. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2021 in recognition of her significant service to the Anglican Church of Australia, and to religious education. O'Reilly has ...

* Dorothy Ann Lee * Edith Amelia Kerr * Elizabeth Boase *

Fiona Kumari Campbell Fiona Kumari Campbell (born 1963) is a disability studies researcher and theorist, focusing on disability in relation to law, technology, advocacy, and desire. She is currently a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education and Social Work at t ...

Graham Hill Norman Graham Hill (15 February 1929 – 29 November 1975) was a British racing driver and team owner, who was the Formula One World Champion twice, winning in and as well as being runner up on three occasions (1963, 1964 and 1965). Despite ...

* Greg Homeming *

Hilda May Abba Hilda May Abba (30 May 1918 – 1 December 2005) was an Australian Christian minister and academic. She was the first woman in Australia to be ordained as a theological lecturer in 1952, by the Congregational church. Early life and education Hild ...

* Janette Gray * Janina Hiebel * Joan Nowotny * Anne Pattel-Gray * Kate Prowd *

Katharine Massam Katharine Massam is a professor of church history based at the University of Divinity in Melbourne, Australia. Early life and education Katharine Therese Massam grew up in Perth, Western Australia. She completed a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) ...

* Kathleen Williams *

Kay Goldsworthy Kay Maree Goldsworthy (born 1956) is an Australian bishop of the Anglican Church of Australia. She is the current archbishop of Perth in the Province of Western Australia.ABC Online Upon her installation as archbishop, on 10 February 2018, she ...

Lilian Scholes Lilian Lelean Scholes (14 May 1902 - 7 November 1972) was a Methodism, Methodist preacher, theologian and author in Melbourne, Australia who in 1934 was the first woman to graduate with the degree of Bachelor of Divinity (Honours) from the Me ...

* Marita Munro *

Mark Stuart Edwards Mark Stuart Edwards (born 14 June 1959) is an Australian Roman Catholic prelate and professed member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate appointed as the Bishop of Wagga Wagga. He has served in the past as a teacher and as a rector be ...

* Mary L. Coloe * Maryanne Confoy * Paul Oslington *

Richard Divall Richard Sydney Divall (9 September 1945 – 15 January 2017) was an Australian conductor and musicologist. After nine years as a music producer at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, from 1972 on the invitation of Dame Joan Hammond he bec ...

Ruth Redpath Margaret Ruth Redpath AO (born 1 April 1940) is a retired Australian surgeon and radiation oncologist. She worked as a palliative care pioneer in Australia and the United Kingdom. She has also been a senior priest in the Anglican Church of Austral ...

Sarah Macneil Sarah Macneil (born 1955) is a retired Anglican bishop in Australia. She was the Bishop of Grafton in the Anglican Church of Australia. She was consecrated and installed as bishop on 1 March 2014, becoming the first woman in Australia to lead a d ...

Wendy Mayer Wendy Mayer (born 1960) is an Australian scholar in late antiquity and religion who is a research professor and associate dean for research at Australian Lutheran College, dean of research strategy for the University of Divinity, and honorary res ...

Winifred Kiek Winifred Kiek (; 1884-1975) was the first woman to be ordained in the Christian Ministry in Australia. She was ordained on 13 June 1927 in South Australia to the Congregational Union of Australia (now part of the Uniting Church in Australia). ...

References

External links

*
Australian Lutheran CollegeEva Burrows CollegeCatholic Theological CollegeMorling CollegePilgrim Theological CollegeJesuit College of SpiritualitySt Athanasius CollegeStirling Theological CollegeWhitley College: the Baptist College of VictoriaYarra Theological Union''Pacifica''''University of Divinity Act 1910''
{{authority control Education in Melbourne Educational institutions established in 1910 Seminaries and theological colleges in Australia Universities in Victoria (Australia) 1910 establishments in Australia D