The history of Christianity is both long and multifaceted. Church History looks at how Christianity has been expressed in the church and society in different time periods. As a discipline, Church History is a combination of Theology and History studies that deal with, for example, the spread of Christianity and the expansion and development of church institutions. You will also be learning about devotional life during various periods, leading religious personalities and revivalist movements as well as gain an insight into the history of missions. You will also be studying church history from a more local perspective, focusing on development of the church in Finland and Swedish-speaking Finland, while the global perspective will be addressed in, for example, studies on the Christian mission and present-day historical developments in the Third World.

The subject area of Church History is one of the specialisation alternatives that students earning their Bachelor’s degree in Theology may choose at the Master’s level. Church History studies will provide you with a interdisciplinary competence in the national and international history of Christianity. In addition to studies in Church History, you will also take courses according to your professional profile (e.g. priest, teacher or researcher), and you will also be able to choose courses according to your own interests. If you choose to study to become a priest, you will not have a minor subject, but will instead have several elective courses within Theology and working life practice. If your professional profile is teacher, you will study Pedagogy and another teaching subject as your minor subject, while a social specialisation profile allows you to freely choose between various thematic modules and minor subjects within Åbo Akademi University Your personal strengths will help you to find the right combination of minor subjects.