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Study for a PhD in Theology

Research at Exeter

Watch our webinar to find out more about Theology research and how to apply for a PhD at Exeter.

Graduate School Office

Postgraduate research in Theology and Religion

We combine a strong commitment to research and scholarship with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Postgraduate students study broadly in the areas of biblical studies, patristics, Christian doctrine, philosophical theology, and the ethical, social and political implications of Christian theology. Some choose inter- or multi-disciplinary topics. There are close links with other disciplines in the College of Humanities and Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies. We welcome research degree applications from those wishing to study on a full-time or part-time basis, on campus or at a distance.

Dave Shaw

Thesis title: New testament: Identity and Mission in the Letter of 1 Peter
Supervisors: Prof. David Horrell, Dr. Louise Lawrence
Funding: College of Humanities International PhD Studentships

My research supervisor is excellent, he's world class. He takes me seriously as a scholar and he's so thorough in his critiques of my work. I'd certainly recommend Exeter for anyone who's looking to do further study.

Jon Curtis

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Razah Khan

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Esther Chew

Thesis title: H. Richard Niebuhr’s Trinitarian Ethic for the Church
Supervisors: Dr Esther Reed and Dr Brandon Gallaher
Funding: College of Humanities International PhD Studentships

The college is proactive in its practical support of postgraduate researchers through prompt communication, engaging college-wide activities and research opportunities. I chose Exeter because I admired the university’s research ethos that is committed to effecting social change through world-quality research.

Leanna Rierson

Thesis title: “Evaluating Paul's Leadership Strategies in the Corinthian Correspondence in Light of Recent Humility and Vulnerability Research"
Supervisors: Prof. David Horrell, Dr. Louise Lawrence
Funding: Self funding due to desire to work with Professor Horrell

I moved from the United States to the University of Exeter to work directly with Prof. David Horrell. In addition to the top-notch interaction with supervisors and faculty, the university offers many special opportunities, such as societies, conferences and interaction with visiting researchers.

Marina Hannus

Thesis title: "Theological Anthropology in light of Evolutionary and Cognitive Sciences"
Supervisors: Prof. Christopher Southgate
Funding: Self funded

Exeter University was the right choice for my Ph.D. I was accepted to several universities and I chose Exeter mostly because I wanted to work with my current supervisor. It is a joy to be in an environment that is not only academically appropriate and enriching, but also supportive and encouraging to all aspects of life.

Hayoung Kim

Thesis title: "Death of Jesus in 1 Peter"
Supervisors: Prof. David Horrell, Dr. Louise Lawrence
Funding: International PhD Studentship

The department has a generous sense of goodwill and community, with ample opportunities to interact, present ideas, and to acquire the skills and resources needed to improve research quality. Researchers also gain from the College's commitment to building a vibrant research culture – an ethos which motivates each discipline to consider fresh perspectives, cross-disciplinary approaches, and creative ways of problem-solving.

Kirk Mensch

Thesis title: ""
Supervisors:
Funding:

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In Theology and Religion we adopt a hands on approach to supervising our PhD students and this has proven effective and popular. Our research culture is built on inter-disciplinary communication and interaction, involving our research students at every level.

We support our research students with a series of courses that provide a grounding in all the key research skills you will require to develop, investigate and write-up world-class and cutting edge theological research. Through fortnightly research seminars, the postgraduate study day and involvement in societies our students are part of a vibrant research community.

Arrangements can be made for part-time students who live a considerable distance from Exeter or even from outside the UK, although there is a six-month residency requirement.

Find out more about our MPhil/PhD and MA by Research in Theology and Religion at Exeter.

Our research covers a wide range of areas, these broad headings give an indication of our special interests:

Religion and ethics in public life
Biblical studies and biblical interpretation
Christian theology and the learning church
Philosophical reflection and aspects of human life

Explore our research centres and research projects to find out more about our current research topics.

Visit our Theology staff profiles pages for details on individual staff research interests and publications.

Our current PGRs

We're proud of the research carried out by our PhD students. There are currently around 50 PhD students in the Department, many of whom maintain an online personal profile detailing their research activities. Follow the links below to find out more about them and their research projects.

Student	Research title	First supervisor	Second supervisor
Rachel Addison	Overcoming the legacy of Eugenics - historical, cultural and religious issues regarding the legitimacy of state involvement in the use of generic technologies.	Dr Esther D. Reed	Professor Christopher Southgate
Joshua Bryant	An Empire Made Safe:The roles of late antique Roman fortified structures in the Eastern frontier region.	Professor Emma Loosley	Dr Ioana Oltean
Robert William Button	The Theology of Ritual in the Russian Orthodox Tradition: Perspectives on the Nikonian Reforms.	Professor Morwenna Ludlow	Professor Emma Loosley
Philippa Campbellclause	Eucharistic Food Ethics: Challenging our Stale Economy with the Bread of Life in an Era of Increasing Food Insecurity.	Professor Christopher Southgate	Professor Tim Gorringe
Esther Chew Su Li	Recovering Heilsgeschichte for a Trinitarian Ethic	Dr Esther D. Reed	Dr Brandon Gallaher
Elisabeth Cook	Implications of Ezra 9-10.	Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou	Professor David Horrell
Penelope Cowell Doe	Queering The Pilling Report	Dr Louise Lawrence	Dr Susannah Cornwall
Jonathan Curtis	Teetotalism as ethical choice.	Dr Esther D. Reed	Avril Mewse
Catherine Donner	The centrality of death in the life and writings of Thomas More.	Dr Esther D. Reed	Professor Henry French
Paschalis Gkortsilas	John Chrysostom and the Greeks: Hellenism and Greek philosophy in the rhetoric of John Chrysostom	Professor Morwenna Ludlow	Dr Richard Flower
Stephen Goundrey-Smith	The Impact of Pharmaceutical Research on the Shape of Human Life in the 20th Century	Professor Christopher Southgate	Dr Jonathan Hill
Eva Marina Syster Hannus	‘Theological anthropology in light of evolutionary and cognitive science’	Professor Christopher Southgate	Dr Jonathan Hill
Alistair Harper	‘Subversive-Fulfilment’: How Acts relates with the Greco-Roman world	Professor David Horrell	Professor Morwenna Ludlow
Giovanni Hermanin De Reichenf	The role of the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John within Origen’s and Augustine’s Commentaries.	Professor Morwenna Ludlow	Dr David Tollerton
David Horner	Body and Soul: An evaluation of Richard Swinburne’s arguments for substance dualism	Dr Jonathan Hill	Joel Krueger
Cherryl Hunt	The manner the Bible is read and used in churches.	Dr Louise Lawrence	Dr Mike Higton
Hyun Kang	Establishing a novel eco-feministic model of godfrom Korean folklore.	Dr Esther D. Reed	Heidi Hadsell
Ha Young Kim	Divine Christology and Priestly Sacrifice in 1 Peter.	Professor David Horrell	Dr Louise Lawrence
Diane Lincoln	Emerging Church	Dr Esther D. Reed	Avril Mewse
Daniel McClellan	Divine Agency in Early Israelite and Jewish Literature and Cult	Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou	Professor Siam Bhayro
Daniel Nessim	Didache, Torah, Gentile and Jew: A paradigm of distinction and unity.	Professor David Horrell	Professor Siam Bhayro
Amy Poppinga	Knowledge preceding action.	Dr Esther D. Reed	Scott Thumma
Louise Prideaux	Towards a Christian Theology of Contemporary Culture in the Reformed Tradition	Dr Esther D. Reed	Dr Louise Lawrence
Leanna Rierson	Evaluating Paul’s Power-in-Weakness Claims and Strategies in the Corinthian Correspondence in Light of Current Vulnerability and Humility Research	Professor David Horrell	Dr Louise Lawrence
Mark Rivers Bland	Can money be “made” to glorify God? A proposal for a church-based token currency.	Dr Esther D. Reed	Professor Tim Gorringe
Carla Roland	Theology and Religious Studies.	Professor Ian Netton	Yahya Michot
David Shaw	New testament: Identity and Mission in the Letter of 1 Peter.	Professor David Horrell	Dr Louise Lawrence
Hyunte Shin	New Testament Eschatology and the Environmental Crisis of South Korea: Towards a Contextual Christian Environmental Ethic	Professor David Horrell	Professor Christopher Southgate
Rebekah Welton	A Study of Gluttony and Drunkenness in Narratives of the Hebrew Bible in Relation to the Law of the Rebellious Son in Deuteronomy 21:18-21	Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou	Rita Langer
Ying Lam Yip	Choosing to Suffer: A Narrative Analysis of the Identity-Making Processes in Philippians	Professor David Horrell	Dr Louise Lawrence

Supervisors - all students have a primary and a secondary supervisor who provide regular, high quality advice, support and direction in their academic endeavours. You will work closely with your supervisors over three to four years (full time PhD) or six to seven (part-time PhD) to develop, investigate and write-up a project at the cutting edge of theological research.

Visit our staff profiles for more information about individual research interests or use the search box on the right of this page to find a supervisor.

Mentor - each student will also be assigned a mentor who will take on a pastoral role and mediate on any problems that arise during the period of study. Your mentor will keep in regular contact and will provide background stability and support.

Graduate School Office - the College of Humanities has a dedicated Graduate School Office that supports our postgraduate research students during their study with us. The Office promotes intellectual and social contact between research students in all our disciplines to foster a vibrant research community within the College.

Funding opportunities available to students on our research degree programmes in Theology and Religion:*

Award	Value	Application deadline	Description
Mathematical Research PhD Studentships - EPSRC DTP Funded	3.5 year studentship: UK/EU tuition fees and an annual maintenance allowance at current Research Council rate. Current rate of £15,285 per year.	Mon 25th Jan 2021	EPSRC Funded studentships available for September 2021 entry. The studentship will provide funding of fees and a stipend which is currently £15,285 per annum for 2020-21.
Social and Behavioural Life and Environmental Science Research PhD Studentships - EPSRC DTP Funded	3.5 year studentship: UK/EU tuition fees and an annual maintenance allowance at current Research Council rate. Current rate of £15,285 per year.	Mon 25th Jan 2021	EPSRC Funded studentships available for September 2021 entry. The studentship will provide funding of fees and a stipend which is currently £15,285 per annum for 2020-21.
South West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership AHRC PhD Studentship	UK tuition fees for eligible students and a maintenance grant of £15,285 (2020/21)	Mon 25th Jan 2021	UK tuition fees for eligible students and a maintenance grant of £15,285 (2020/21)
2021/22 PhD Global Excellence Studentship - College of Humanities	International tuition fees and an annual maintenance allowance at current Research Council rate of £15,009 per year (2019/20 rate)	Mon 1st Mar 2021	Exeter’s College of Humanities is offering one fully-funded PhD Global Excellence Studentship (open to International candidates only) for study commencing in September 2021, across any of its areas of research expertise.
Al-Qasimi PhD Studentship in Arab and Islamic Studies, Islamic Studies, Middle East Politics, Ethno-Political Studies, Kurdish Studies or Palestine Studies.	International tuition fees and an annual maintenance allowance at current Research Council rate of £15,285 (for 2020/21 entry) per year	Mon 1st Mar 2021	We are looking for PhD proposals in humanities and social sciences with reference to the Middle East and the Islamicate world.
University of Exeter Global Commitment Scholarship 2020/21	£2,000 reduction in the first year tuition fee	There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered.	A tuition fee discount for students starting a postgraduate taught Masters or research degree with us in 2020/21
Sanctuary Scholarship	Full tuition fee waiver plus annual living cost grant	Fri 21st May 2021	The Sanctuary Scholarship scheme enables individuals seeking asylum and refugees who are not able access student finance to study at the University of Exeter.
Sports Scholarship Scheme	up to £3,000 plus additional support services worth £3,500	Mon 31st May 2021	Sports scholarships are awarded to students of outstanding sporting ability who show evidence of achievement at international level in their chosen sport.
University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship 2021/22	10% reduction in the first year tuition fee	There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered.	A tuition fee discount for University of Exeter alumni who start a postgraduate degree with us in 2021/22
University of Exeter Class of 2021 Progression Scholarship	10% reduction in the first year tuition fee	There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered.	A tuition fee discount for current University of Exeter students completing a degree in 2021 and progressing directly to a standalone postgraduate programme with us in 2021/22
Fulbright Scholarships: Postgraduate Student Awards - 2021/22 competition	Full tuition fee waiver for one year of Masters / PhD & living stipend	Deadline passed (Tue 13th Oct 2020)	Our UK Partnership award with Fulbright is available for Masters or Doctoral students who are USA or dual USA:UK citizens wishing to study at the University. The award takes the form of a tuition fee waiver for the first year of graduate study (either Masters or PhD) and a living stipend. We also accept scholars in receipt of Fulbright 'Open Awards' (also referred to as the All Disciplines Award).
University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship with the Global Commitment uplift 2020/21	20% reduction in the first year tuition fee	There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered.	A tuition fee discount for all University of Exeter alumni who start a postgraduate degree with us in 2020/21
University of Exeter Class of 2020 Progression Award with the Global Commitment uplift	20% reduction in the first year tuition fee	There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered.	A tuition fee discount for current University of Exeter students completing a full degree in 2020 and progressing directly to a standalone postgraduate programme with us in 2020/21
UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in Environmental Intelligence: Data Science & AI for Sustainable Futures	UK/EU tuition fees together with a yearly stipend at UKRI rates (£15,285 for 2020/21)	Deadline passed (Mon 18th Jan 2021)	UKRI Funded studentships available for Autumn 2021 entry. The studentship will provide funding of Home/EU tuition fees and a stipend of £15,285 per annum for 2020-21.

_{*Please note that if you have submitted an application to one of our MPhil/PhD programmes you will not automatically be considered for funding. You must submit a separate funding application, including all required supporting documents, via the link provided in each award to be considered for that award.}

The College of Humanities works closely with the University’s Career Zone to help you gain the skills, experience and expertise employers are looking for. There are a wide range of opportunities to enhance your employability, along with the support you need to make important career decisions.

We have our own Employability Officer who works to develop close links with employers and arranges careers events. Each department has an academic representative who promotes the employability needs and interests of their students. This helps us ensure that employability activities are relevant and appealing to you.

Employers

University of Exeter
University of Poitiers, France
Autonomous University of Zacatecas, Mexico
Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Germany – Theatre and Opera House
Rye St Anthony School
Christian Concern for One World
ARK Kings Academy
Alliance Française Devon
Cornwall Archaeology Unit
Create Productions
Duchy College
Emory University
University of Bristol
King Abdul Aziz University, Saudia Arabia
Church of England
Bangkok University, Thailand
The Brilliant Club (Charity)
University of Oxford
Royal Holloway University of London
Border Archaeology
Falmouth University
University of Cambridge

Occupations

Curriculum Area Manager
Writer
Italian Teacher
Research and Resources Officer
Teacher
Associate Lecturer
Copy Editor
Translator
Lecturer in French Studies
Historic Environment Record Officer
Recruitment and Marketing Assistant
Historian
Dramaturg
Associate Research Fellow
Assistant Archaeologist
Screen Writer
Theatre Maker
Research Officer

*Employment destination information sourced from the DLHE surveys 2013/14 and 2012/13

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