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Postgraduate Research

Theology research degrees

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Mode and duration

Start date

The length of programme registration will be longer as it includes the maximum writing-up phase.

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How to apply

Part of the School of Education and Social Sciences, our Theology research degrees are broadly themed around culture, religion and society.

About our Theology research degrees

This emerging area of work draws together studies of contemporary cultural practices, their inter-relationships and their social impacts, including in the media and the digital world.

Our work is supported by the well-established Centre for Spirituality Studies and includes both empirical and theoretical work.

Due to the new interdisciplinary work within the field, these programmes bring together social science, arts and humanities researchers from across the University and beyond.

During this three year programme (six years part-time) you will research and write a dissertation of 70,000 to 100,000 words on a theological or religious topic chosen in conjunction with your supervisor.

Research topics

We welcome applications to undertake research in all the main branches of Theology. Research by social scientists at Hull aims to have a positive impact of the life conditions and experiences of individuals and communities, at a local, national and global level.

Culture, Religion and Society

Our work is supported by the Centre for Spirituality Studies which exists to:

Promote interdisciplinary research and scholarship which develops understanding of spirituality
Provide opportunities for advanced study and research training in spirituality
Offer a forum for community and inter-faith engagement with the study of spirituality

The Postgraduate Training Scheme

It is now widely recognised by employers, professional bodies and research funding agencies that specialist expertise alone is not sufficient preparation either for research or a subsequent career. With this in mind, we require all our postgraduate research students to follow a research training programme relating both to their particular field of study and to generic skills; for example, information technology and communication skills.

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Programme structure

PhD structure


Full time	Part time
3 years of research, with up to 12 months writing up if required	6 years of research, with up to 24 months of writing up if required

Writing up and thesis submission

A standard full-time PhD programme comprised three years of research plus up to 12 months of thesis finalisation (also referred to as “writing-up”). Part-time is six years plus up to 24 months thesis finalisation if needed.

For full-time students, the thesis finalisation phase should take three months but may be extended to one year without further paperwork. For part-time students, thesis finalisation should take six months, but may be extended to two years without further paperwork. The maximum thesis finalisation period is included in your overall programme length, which means that international PGRs will not need to apply for an additional visa to cover this phase.

If you need to move into the thesis finalisation period of your research degree, you must enrol for this phase and you will be liable to pay a continuation fee.

Thesis submission timelines

It is expected that you will submit your thesis within the timeframes outlined below:

Doctoral degrees

Submission by 3 years and 3 months full-time.
Submission by 6 years and 6 months for part-time.

Entry Requirements

What do I need?

You should normally have, or expect to obtain, at least a 2:1 Honours degree, or international equivalent, in a related discipline appropriate to your intended research.

Contacting your prospective supervisor before you submit your application is not essential but may be helpful.

Typical offer

2:1 in any subject area