Postgraduate courses and research opportunities

The Department of Theology and Religious studies has at The University of Nottingham has a long and distinguished history. It recently celebrated it's fiftieth anniversary and was officially ranked as one of the best research destinations for the study of theology and religions by the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. Further information about the Department's RAE performance.

Outstanding success for Nottingham postgraduates

PhD students at The University of Nottingham are among the most successful in the country, according to a new report. Nottingham is ranked joint second in England on a measure of PhD completion rates, in a report that underlines the quality of its postgraduate education and the support available to doctoral students.

Data released by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) shows that 88 per cent of full-time Home and EU doctoral students at the University qualified within seven years. Read full article...

Our courses

The Department welcomes applications for postgraduate study, both taught masters  and research degrees. Our taught masters courses are delivered through a choice of specialised modules in addition to the the course's core modules. The compulsory module 'Research Methods and Resources' is a research-training component that provides an excellent preparation for further academic research. Students taking the MA by Research also attend the research training module and may attend attend taught MA modules relevant to their field.

At research degree level, we offer the opportunity to study for an MA in Theology and Religious Studies by Research and MPhil/PhD degrees in the field of theology or religious studies.

Reasons for doing a masters degree

The masters programme appeals to a wide variety of postgraduates, including:

• those who have just finished a theology degree and want to study a particular area or areas of theology in greater depth.
• those who did their theology degree some years ago, and want to return to the subject.
• undergraduate students who want to go on to study for a doctorate but need to deepen their theological knowledge and improve their skills first.
• those with a career interest in theology, such as clergy, RE teachers or religious journalists, who want to further their professional development.

Reasons for doing a MPhil or PhD

Gaining a higher degree is essential for anyone wishing to pursue an academic career. MPhil/PhD research is an opportunity to pursue your particular interests in theology and religious studies.

Although postgraduate study involves work in a fairly narrowly defined field, you will usually find that the deeper you delve into your area of research, the wider your interests become. Therefore someone who gains a higher degree is not only a master of a narrow area but should end up with a good rounded education. This is one reason why postgraduate study can help gain employment – both inside and outside academia.