Religion and Theology research programmes (MPhil, PhD)

MPhil 

Our Mphil degree offers both a clear pathway to further research at PhD level, and a gateway to non-academic employment. The Master’s in Philosophy is a standalone, one-year (full-time) or two years (part-time) research degree and can also be studied via distance learning. You will have the opportunity to focus on a particular aspect of religious studies or theology at an advanced level, pursue your own research project supervised by one of the experts in our department, and work towards the submission of a 25,000-word dissertation.

Students on the MPhil in Religion and Theology at Bristol can elect to work on any of the following areas: 

• Buddhism
• Asian Religions
• Islam
• Christianity
• Judaism
• Philosophy of Religion
• Theology
• Ethics

In addition to topics focusing on single research areas, we actively encourage interdisciplinary research that cuts across the spectrum of religion and theology studies, or other intellectual disciplines in the Faculty of Arts and beyond. Joint supervision may be provided.

There are thus exciting opportunities to work across disciplinary boundaries in the following fields:

• Medieval Studies
• Art
• Politics
• Classics
• Anthropology

Research groups

As a first step you should check out our departmental  research areas  and staff for more information on how our research activity is focused within Religion and Theology. 

The second step is to get in touch with the member of staff whose research is the best match for your interest and discuss your plans before submitting your application. We are happy to help.

Further information on Religion and Theology research programmes.

Supervision and Skills training 

Every student has two supervisors who will provide guidance and support throughout your degree. They will work closely with you to create a tailor-made learning and research experience and might suggest that you audit a unit or two to hone your skills. For example, if your interest is in Buddhism, we might suggest you audit a foundational unit to give you a firm knowledge base. You will also have the opportunity to audit language classes if relevant for your topic and you will also benefit from a postgraduate skills training programme, which allows you to extend your range of academic and professional skills. 

Furthermore, you will be part of a close-knit community of scholars and students. We have an active programme of conferences, lectures, and reading groups featuring national and international scholars, as well as student-led activities. Participating in these events, engaging with your peers’ work and presenting your own research at various stages of development will broaden your perspectives and help you grow as a researcher. PhD students may also be given the chance at an appropriate stage to teach undergraduates and will be offered training for this purpose, leading to formal accreditation. This is subject to availability.

Application Process

To apply to a research degree programme within the Faculty of Arts, you will need to submit a research statement. You should use the following template as guidance when completing your research statement. The primary requirement for the research statement is to define and situate your research within an academic area of study and disciplinary context. You should remember that the main readers of postgraduate research are people in the academic community. The research statement should be approximately 1000 words for the PhD and 500 words for the MPhil. In your research statement you will need to identify:

1. Research Questions

You should describe clearly the research questions that you intend to address.

1. What are the issues that you will be exploring in your research project?

2. Research Context

You should describe the research context for your project:

1. Why is it important that these questions or issues are explored?
2. What other research is being or has been conducted in this area?
3. What contribution will your project make to its field? How will it enhance knowledge and understanding, or develop creativity, in your chosen area of study?
4. Beyond their specific field, to which areas will the outcomes of your research be of particular interest?

3. Research Methods

You should describe the methods you will use to pursue the key questions of your work.

1. What approach will you take to address the questions that you have set or to explore the matters you intend to investigate?
2. Why have you chosen this approach? How does it effectively answer the research questions you have set?
3. How will you execute this methodological approach?

4. Project management

1. What is the timetable for the project? Which parts of the project do you expect to do when, in the time allowed for a PhD or MPhil?

5. Bibliography

Candidates should include an indicative bibliography that will not count towards the word limit.

Last Updated: 15/05/2024

Further information about how to start your application process.

For any queries about Postgraduate degrees in Religion and Theology, please contact our Head of Subject Dr Rita Langer at: rita.langer@bristol.ac.uk.