The United Faculty of Theology was formed in 1969 as an ecumenical theological institution. We are made up of three separate Colleges, and we are also a Recognised Teaching Institution within the Melbourne College of Divinity. Although our structures may seem confusing, our mission is simple: to teach and learn theology through ecumenical cooperation.
Our challenge is to teach theology in a way that acknowledges, challenges, and engages with the diverse, often conflicting perspectives, of the churches we represent. Our hope is that in so doing, we may advance the unity of the Church.
What makes us different from most other theological colleges is that teachers and students from many traditions are found in the same classroom. We believe in cooperation at the deepest level. And so at the UFT we rejoice in the remarkable experiences that occur when, for example, Uniting Church and Roman Catholic students study the New Testament together in a class taught by Anglican and Baptist teachers.
Today the UFT is a partnership of three Colleges:
Jesuit Theological College of the Society of Jesus (JTC)
(Australian Province of Society of Jesus)
175 Royal Parade, Parkville VIC 3052
(03) 9341 5800
Trinity College Theological School (TCTS)
(Anglican Province of Victoria)
Royal Parade, Parkville VIC 3052
(03) 9348 7127
Uniting Church Theological College (UCTC)
(Synod of Victoria and Tasmania)
Centre for Theology and Ministry
1 Morrison Close, Parkville VIC 3052
(03) 9340 8800
The partner Colleges share their staff and facilities for the purposes of teaching and research, and College students study in common classes. Classes are made available to independent students upon payment of fees; independent students form the majority of UFT students. A wide range of people can be found in UFT classes: first-time students and professional graduates, school-leavers and mature-aged people, Australian and international, full-time and part-time. Some students are committed church members, some are training for ministry, and others simply want to study theology. Eligible UFT students can access financial support through FEE-HELP and Austudy.
As the UFT is part of the Melbourne College of Divinity (MCD), students may take units at other Recognised Teaching Institutions of the MCD towards their degrees and diplomas, offering an even broader ecumenical learning experience in colleges from the Baptist, Churches of Christ, Salvationist and Roman Catholic traditions.
The United Faculty of Theology is located on three sites in Parkville: the Jesuit Theological College, Trinity College Theological School (both on Royal Parade), and the Uniting Church's Centre for Theology and Ministry (CTM).
The UFT administrative office can be found at the CTM, located at 1 Morrison Close, Parkville. This is directly opposite the main entrance to the Melbourne General Cemetery on College Crescent, and in between Ormond and St Hilda's Colleges at the north end of the University of Melbourne campus. The office main entrance is behind the CTM car park. The CTM reception can direct new visitors to the office. The UFT office is staffed by the Dean, Peter Sherlock, and the Registrar, Margaret Tropea. Other staff in 2010 include Alister Pate and Sue Blackwood.
Office and mail: 1 Morrison Close, Parkville VIC 3052, Australia
Office hours: 9am - 5pm Monday to Thursday (closed 1pm-1.45pm for lunch)
Phone: 61 3 9340 8890
Fax: 61 3 9340 8899
email: admin@uft.edu.au
The UFT Office is located at the Uniting Church Centre for Theology and Ministry (CTM). The office may be entered from the doorway off the CTM car park, or as directed by the receptionist in the CTM. Also located at the CTM is the Dalton McCaughey Library (see below), classrooms, and the ‘Last Cuppa’ café (open Monday to Friday). The CTM includes a kitchen area for the use of UFT students.
Classes are normally held in the following locations:
• Centre for Theology and Ministry (CTM)
• Jesuit Theological College (JTC)
• Trinity College Old Warden’s Lodge (OWL)
The UFT office and these classrooms are readily accessible from the city by public transport. The 19 tram along Royal Parade stops outside Trinity College and the Jesuit Theological College. The UFT office and the Centre for Theology and Ministry are a short walk from either Royal Parade or the University of Melbourne tram terminus in Swanston Street.
Children are permitted in UFT classes only by prior arrangement with the Dean and teaching staff. Subject to availability of places, UFT students may enrol young children (3 months to 6 years) at the University of Melbourne childcare centre: Queensberry Children’s Centre, 228 Queensberry Street, Carlton VIC 3053, phone 8344 9470, email childcare-enquiries@unimelb.edu.au.
Every effort is made to assist students with disabilities. Students are asked to make any special needs known to the UFT office at enrolment.
Theological study can be an intensely challenging experience at spiritual and personal levels as well as intellectually. The UFT makes no formal provision for counselling or spiritual direction, however students have informal access to a limited range of opportunities for support or pastoral care. These might include lecturers, the UFT Dean, their own ministers, and colleagues, but also fellow students, especially through the TSA.
Under construction
Library services to UFT students are provided by the Dalton McCaughey Library.
The DML is constituted by agreements between the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, the Australian Province of the Society of Jesus, and Trinity College. Its history began when the library collections of Theological Hall of the Victorian Presbyterian Church and the Jesuit Theological College merged at Ormond College in the late 1960s.
The library provides access to extensive resources for theological study and research at all levels. Monographic and periodical holdings number approximately 140,000 volumes. In certain subject areas the collections are of national importance.
A borrower's card gives access to UFT students to a wide range of electronic databases on the library's Online resources page.
For further information about the library, please consult its web site, or phone the general inquiries number, (03) 9340 8888.
Staff welcome new library members and hope that they quickly feel at home. If you are thinking about studying at the UFT, we invite you to visit and investigate our collections, facilities, and services.
Stanton Archer Prizes in Biblical Studies and Church History
These prizes are funded by the generous gift of a former student who was awarded the Bachelor of Theology degree in 1987. At the discretion of the Departments concerned, a prize of $100 annually will be awarded to the best UFT Bachelor of Theology or Master of Divinity student in first, second and third level Biblical Studies, and first and third level Church History units.
H. F. Leatherland Exhibition
Dr Harold Leatherland, a Congregational minister, was instrumental in establishing the United Faculty of Theology and served as its President from 1969 until his retirement. He died in August 1977. His main academic contribution was in the field of liturgical study. The H. F. Leatherland Exhibition is awarded bi-ennially (the next award being due in 2010). The Exhibition valued at $500 is open to any person in Australia, and to persons in other countries enrolled for an MCD degree or diploma. The award is given for an essay of 3000 to 5000 words on a subject in the liturgical field approved by the Melbourne College of Divinity and the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Academy of Liturgy. Applications for approval of essay subjects must be made to the Dean of the MCD no later than 31 August in the year of the award, the closing date for essay submissions being 31 October of that year.
Australian Postgraduate Awards (APA)
Australian and New Zealand citizens seeking to undertake research higher degrees at the MCD are eligible to apply for an Australian Postgraduate Award. These competitive scholarships are funded by the Australian Government and provide a stipend for up to three years’ fulltime research. Details and application forms are available on the MCD website.
MCD Research Grants and Scholarships
Further information on MCD grants and scholarships is available on the MCD website.
Important dates for the UFT can be seen on the calendar on the front page of this website. The Academic Calendar dates for 2010 and for 2011 as set by the MCD are reproduced below:
Second semester 2010
Monday 26 July 2010 - teaching begins
Friday 13 August 2010 - Census date
20 September - 3 October 2010 - mid-semester break
Friday 29 October 2010 - teaching ends
Thursday 11 November 2010 - last day of examination period
Thursday 9 December 2010 - results released to students
First semester 2011
Monday 28 February 2010 - teaching begins
Friday 18 March 2010 - Census date
18 April - 1 May 2010 - mid-semester break
Friday 3 June 2010 - teaching ends
Thursday 16 June 2010 - last day of examination period
Thursday 14 July 2010 - results released to students
Second semester 2011
Monday 25 July 2010 - teaching begins
Friday 12 August 2010 - Census date
19 September - 2 October 2010 - mid-semester break
Friday 28 October 2010 - teaching ends
Thursday 10 November 2010 - last day of examination period
Thursday 8 December 2010 - results released to students
UFT staff and research students publish in a wide range of fields. Some of our recent publications are listed below. You can find more information on our staff pages, or by visiting the Melbourne College of Divinity's online Repository.
Dorothy Lee, 'The Gospel of John and the Five Senses', Journal of Biblical Literature 129/1 (Spring 2010).
Catherine Playoust, 'A Time to Scatter, a Time to Gather', Pacifica 23 (February 2010).
Peter Sherlock, 'The Reformation of Memory in Early Modern Europe' in Memory: History, Theories, Debates, ed. Susannah Radstone and Bill Schwarz (New York: Fordham University Press, 2010).
UFT Research Seminars
Second semester 2010
The UFT Research Seminars provide a significant opportunity for staff, visitors and postgraduate students at the UFT to present their research to a wider audience, and to facilitate conversation. All are welcome to attend. Please feel free to bring and eat your lunch. Seminars start promptly at 1.05pm.
Wednesdays 1.00-2.00pm
Trinity College Theological School, South Lecture Theatre
Royal Parade, Parkville
18 August: Claudine Chionh
Edinburgh 2010: Witnessing to Christ Today
25 August: David O'Brien
An ecotheological critique of Clement of Alexandria's understanding of self-sufficiency and mutual dependency
1 September: Robin Koning
The Human Person in Lonergan and Wojtyla (John Paul II)
8 September: Beverley Campbell
Taking on the mantle of ordination: using an oral history approach to explore identity in newly ordained ministers in the Uniting Church
15 September: Cecilia Francis
Engaging the dance: Exploring leadership and understanding God as triune
Convenors: Jan Gray, Howard Wallace, David O’Brien
Enquiries to the UFT on 9340 8890 or admin@uft.edu.au
(Please feel free to download and circulate the flyer below.)
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