PhD

Union is dedicated to raising up and nurturing the theologians, authors and teachers of the future to ensure the ongoing mission of the church is healthy and robust. Union School of Theology’s PhD programme gives students the opportunity to undertake extensive independent study to contribute to the mission of the church. Doctoral study at Union connects you with the Union Research community at Newton House in Oxford, and we encourage our PhD students to participate fully by joining Newton House as Associates.

Apply to study

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Union School of Theology’s PhD programme gives students the opportunity to undertake extensive independent study to contribute to the mission of the church.

If you have any questions about this course or the application process, please get in touch.

 

Overview

Under the supervision of leading evangelical scholars, students undertake detailed study that will offer an original contribution to the scholarly community, while also seeking to serve the needs of today’s church. 

Union Research

As an active part of the Union Research community, students are given excellent opportunity to participate in constructive, scholarly discussion. There are regular UST research seminars and Union PhD students may also join the Union Research centre, Newton House, as Associates. At Newton House, students benefit from mentoring by highly-regarded Senior Fellows including Professor Michael Reeves, Professor Robert Letham, Dr Philip G. Ryken and Dr Gwenfair Adams. 

Our PhD students attend the annual Union Research Conference (usually held in conjunction with the Newton House Conference), where they are invited to give papers related to their project and given the opportunity for conversation with leading international researchers and scholars. 

We welcome applications to our PhD programme, particularly in the fields of Biblical Studies, Systematic & Historical Theology, Pastoral & Applied Theology, and Church History.

View our PhD Supervisors’ profiles.


VU Collaboration

The UST PhD programme is offered through a collaborative partnership with the prestigious Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Free University of Amsterdam), one of Europe’s leading research universities, with a strong interest in Reformed theology. In the recent QS rating of universities, VU Amsterdam ranked no. 5 worldwide in the field of Theology and Religious Studies. Click here to see the QS ranking table. 

Through our collaboration with VU Amsterdam, our UST PhD students also have access to the considerable resources of VU Amsterdam, including their expansive online resources and printed material in their libraries.

A further benefit of this partnership is VU Amsterdam’s close involvement with our annual Research Conference. The conference has a vibrant international community, with a representation of diverse specialities and interests, all encouraging ongoing collaboration.

View details of VU’s Research Teams.

 
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Programme Details

The Union-VU PhD programme can be completed wherever you are in the world, without the need to study on campus. The programme provides research training, and students must complete the associated credits during their course.

 

Students will usually engage with their supervisors via our virtual learning facilities, but are also welcome to come to campus at any time, to use the library and to meet in person with peers and Teaching Faculty.

Each PhD student has one or more supervisors from Union School of Theology or our associated faculty, as well as a supervisor from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) who is usually designated as the ‘promoter’ of the research.

The time it takes to complete your research can vary.

  • A full time PhD normally takes three years. You must submit within four years.

  • A part time PhD should take no less than four calendar years. You must submit within seven years.

The culmination of this postgraduate award is the completion of a research-based thesis (c.80,000 words), along with a public, oral defence held in Amsterdam. VU Amsterdam generously provide funding for accommodation and travel for this oral defence.

PhD fees

To see the PhD fees, click here

There are currently no scholarships available via UST for PhD study.

Admission Requirements

Union School of Theology welcomes applications to our PhD programme, particularly in the fields of Biblical Studies, Systematic & Historical Theology, Pastoral & Applied Theology, and Church History.

 

If you are considering the PhD programme, you will need a strong academic background, normally holding a Masters in Theology at a high grade (please note that MDivs are not deemed equivalent and cannot be accepted). Students also need to have a proposed research subject which is within the areas of interest of our supervisors and within the scope of VU’s Research Teams, and which will fuel the church’s mission.

Prospective students may contact a potential supervisor or the academic registrar to see whether the proposed area of study fits within UST’s research areas. After this we request that the candidate apply via our online application system. Once we have received your CV and proposal, detailed discussion with potential supervisors can take place.

Preparing your proposal

The proposal should consist of a concise overview of the research topic or ‘problem’, a description of how the research would fit into current and previous scholarship, and an explanation of how it will offer an original contribution to the field – please see the list below for what to include in your proposal:

  1. Title: Provisional title (and subtitle) of the dissertation

  2. Description: A brief description of the topic/ question/ issue that the research project will investigate (max. 200 words)

  3. Significance: The significance of the research project for the chosen (sub)discipline and for theology and religious studies in general (max. 100 words)

  4. Research question: The main research question (only one and to be formulated in max. 30 words) and the leading sub-questions

  5. Method: The method to be used (100-400 words, depending on type of method)

  6. Ethical clearance: Is ethical clearance needed for this project? (ethical clearance is obligatory when research involves collection or presentation of information involving human subjects or sensitive information)

  7. Table of content: A provisional table of content (max. 250 words)

  8. Bibliography: A provisional bibliography of the most relevant literature (max. 500 words)

Timeline

Possible start dates are in September (summer cohort) and February (winter cohort) each year. Applications are submitted to VU on 1st February to start in the summer cohort and 1st September to start in the winter cohort.

UST will need an additional 3 months before the VU submission deadlines, to process your documentation and to allow you time to complete any amendments to your proposal before your application is submitted to VU.

If you have questions about the programme, application timeline or application process, please email deanofstudies@ust.ac.uk