Program Overview

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MTh in Applied Theology

The MTh in Applied Theology is designed to enable theological reflection upon experience in pastoral practice. This course may be taken if you hold a ministerial or pastoral appointment at present, or if you are able to include a period of approved pastoral experience in your course of study on the MTh.

Course Structure

An overview of the course structure is provided below. Details of the compulsory and optional elements of the course are provided in the Course components section.

• Core classes and seminars on methodology, approaches, and topics in applied theology will be offered weekly and comprise Part I of the course.
• Both full-time and part-time students attend these classes and seminars in person during their first year.
• The classes will include required reading and discussion.
• Extended essays for particular units will be supervised by an individual tutor.
• Part II of the course is a dissertation.
• In addition to the core classes, the Applied Theology Research Seminars provide an opportunity for all students to hear from senior members of the University as well as visiting scholars.
• The Research Presentation Seminars allow students to present their current research to one another and receive feedback.

Attendance

This course can be studied full-time or part-time with both modes requiring attendance in Oxford.

• Full-time students are subject to the University's Residence requirements.
• The full-time course is studied over two years.
• The part-time course has the same requirements, but is studied over three to four years.
• You may transfer from full-time to part-time after the first year.
• As a part-time student, you may be non-residential but you must attend classes and seminars in Oxford on at least one day each week of term, sometimes more, during your first year and continue to take part in occasional seminars and supervisions for your essays during the subsequent years.

Resources to Support Your Study

As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of resources including libraries, museums, galleries, digital resources, and IT services.

• The Bodleian Libraries is the largest library system in the UK.
• The University's IT Services is available to all students to support with core university IT systems and tools, as well as many other services and facilities.
• IT Services also offers a range of IT learning courses for students to support with learning and research, as well as guidance on what technology to bring with you as a new student at Oxford.

Supervision

This course has unit/module-specific supervision arrangements, meaning that supervisors are assigned for each module/assessment unit rather than for the full duration of the course.

• You will be assigned supervisors to help you formulate and prepare your essay projects, as well as the dissertation.
• The number of meetings with supervisors will vary, but you should expect around three supervisions per essay and more for the dissertation.

Assessment

Part I of the MTh consists of four units, each of which is assessed by an extended essay of 7,000 words.

• Part II is assessed by a 15,000-20,000-word dissertation on an agreed aspect of applied theology.
• There are two submission windows each year: after the end of Hilary term and at the end of the Long Vacation.

Graduate Destinations

Students who leave the University of Oxford with graduate degrees in theology enter a variety of careers all around the world.

• The majority who graduate with the MTh in Applied Theology secure employment in Christian ministry or other faith-based pastoral contexts.
• Occasionally students have progressed to doctoral study from the MTh.

Course Components

Compulsory Study

The course is divided into two parts.

• Part I: You will take four units in total during Part I of the course.
  • The two core units are:
    • Doctrine, Context, and Practice
    • Experiential Project with Theological Reflection
• Part II: You will write a dissertation of up to 20,000 words on an agreed aspect of applied theology.

Options

The remaining two units studied in Part I may include the following options, subject to supervisor availability:

• Sociology of Religion
• Pastoral Psychology
• Science and Faith in the Modern World
• The Use of the Bible
• Christian Spirituality
• Liturgy and Worship
• Christian Ethics
• Mission in the Modern World
• Inter-faith Dialogue
• Ecclesiology in an Ecumenical Context

Entry Requirements

Proven and Potential Academic Excellence

The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown.

• As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:
  • A first-class or strong upper second-class (67% or higher) undergraduate degree with honours in theology, religious studies, or another closely related field.
• In cases where an applicant has completed an undergraduate degree in a different field, they will need to have completed a PGDip or postgraduate degree in theology.

References

You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course.

• References should generally be academic.
• Professional references are acceptable but limited in what they can demonstrate about academic ability; you should submit no more than one such reference.

Supporting Documents

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application.

• Official transcript(s): Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date.
• Statement of purpose: You should provide a statement of purpose, written in English, evidencing your motivation and suitability for graduate study at Oxford.
• Written work: Academic essays or other writing samples from your most recent qualification, written in English, are required.

Funding

For entry in the academic year, the collegiate University expects to offer over 1,100 full or partial graduate scholarships across a wide range of graduate courses.

• If you apply by the January deadline shown on this page and receive a course offer, your application will then be considered for Oxford scholarships.
• Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential.

Costs

Annual Course Fees

The fees for this course are charged on an annual basis.

• Full-time study:
  • Home: Ł15,920
  • Overseas: Ł36,920
• Part-time study:
  • Home: Ł7,960
  • Overseas: Ł18,460

Additional Costs

There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees and living costs.

• However, as part of the course requirements, students may need to choose a dissertation, a project, or a thesis topic.
• Please note that, depending on the choice of topic and the research required to complete it, there may be additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips.

Living Costs

In addition to your course fees and any additional course-specific costs, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

• For the academic year, the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student is between Ł1,405 and Ł2,105 for each month spent in Oxford.

College Preference

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college.

• If you apply for a place on this course, you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you.
• The following colleges accept students for full-time study on this course:
  • Blackfriars
  • Campion Hall
  • Regent's Park College
  • Ripon College Cuddesdon
  • St Stephen's House
  • Wycliffe Hall
• The following colleges accept students for part-time study on this course:
  • Blackfriars
  • Campion Hall
  • Regent's Park College
  • Ripon College Cuddesdon
  • St Stephen's House
  • Wycliffe Hall

How to Apply

Our guide to getting started provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application, including advice to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.

• If it is important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline eg under the January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance.
• Check the deadlines on this page and the information about deadlines and when to apply in our Application Guide.

Application Fee Waivers

An application fee of Ł75 is payable for each application to this course.

• Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:
  • Applicants from low-income countries
  • Refugees and displaced persons
  • UK applicants from low-income backgrounds
  • Applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria

Do I Need to Contact Anyone Before I Apply?

You do not need to contact the department before you apply, but you are encouraged to visit the relevant departmental webpages to read any further information about your chosen course.

Improving Access to Graduate Study

This course is taking part in initiatives to improve the selection procedure for graduate applications, to ensure that all candidates are assessed fairly.

• Contextual data (where it has been provided in the application form) will be used as part of an initiative to contextualise applications at the different stages of the selection process.

Completing Your Application

You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents.

• For this course, the application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé.
• You should not upload a separate document.
• If a separate CV/résumé is uploaded, it will be removed from your application.

Referees

Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete.

• Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.
• References should generally be academic.
• Professional references are acceptable but limited in what they can demonstrate about academic ability; you should submit no more than one such reference.

Official Transcript(s)

Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date.

• You should only upload official documents issued by your institution, and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.

Statement of Purpose

You should provide a statement of purpose, written in English, evidencing your motivation and suitability for graduate study at Oxford.

• This will be assessed for your commitment to graduate study.
• The statement may also include details of your possible future research plans, career aspirations, and what you hope to do with this Oxford qualification.

Written Work

Academic essays or other writing samples from your most recent qualification, written in English, are required.

• Extracts of the requisite length from longer work are also permissible if prefaced by a note which puts them into context.
• Written work submissions should relate closely to the proposed area of study.
• The word count does not need to include any bibliography or brief footnotes.

After You've Submitted Your Application

Your application (including the supporting documents outlined above) will be assessed against the entry requirements detailed on this course page.

• Whether or not you have secured funding will be taken into consideration when your application is assessed.
• You can find out more about our shortlisting and selection process in our detailed guide to what happens next.

Admission Status

Open to applications for entry in

Deadlines

• 12:00 midday UK time on:
  • Wednesday 7 January 2026: Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships
  • Tuesday 3 March 2026: Applications may remain open after this deadline if places are still available see below
  • A later deadline under 'Admission status'
    • If places are still available, applications may be accepted after 3 March.
    • The Admission status (above) will provide notice of any later deadline.

Key Facts

• Course code: TH_YB1 (Full Time), TH_YB9P1 (Part Time)
• Expected length: 2 years (Full Time), 3-4 years (Part Time)
• Places in: c. 7 (Full Time), c. 3 (Part Time)
• Applications/year: 15 (Full Time), 4 (Part Time)
• Expected start: 4 October 2026
• English language: Higher level required

Further Information and Enquiries

This course is offered by the Faculty of Theology and Religion.

• Course page on the faculty's website
• Funding information from the faculty
• Academic and research staff
• Faculty research
• Humanities Division
• Residence requirements for full-time courses
• Postgraduate applicant privacy policy

Course-Related Enquiries

Advice about contacting the department can be found in the How to apply section of this page.

Application-Process Enquiries

Application guide

Visa Eligibility for Part-Time Study

We are unable to sponsor student visas for part-time study.

• For this course, it is strongly advised that you live within commutable distance of Oxford (UK).