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

• 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Changes to This Course

• The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page.
• However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration.

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.
• We know that contextual factors can make it difficult for candidates to demonstrate their full potential.

Degree-Level Qualifications

• 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.

GRE General Test Scores

• Other examination results may be submitted alongside degree qualifications.
• If offered, the minimum Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores normally sought are 160 in verbal reasoning, 5.0 in analytical writing, and 150 in quantitative reasoning.

English Language Proficiency

• This course requires proficiency in English at the University's higher level.
• If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement.

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.

Costs

Annual Course Fees

• The fees for this course are charged on an annual basis.
• Full-time study:
  • Home: ú15,920
  • Overseas: ú36,920
• Part-time study:
  • Home: ú7,960
  • Overseas: ú18,460

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 ú1,405 and ú2,105 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.

Full-Time Study

• 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

Part-Time Study

• 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.

Application Fee Waivers

• An application fee of ú75 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

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/rÚsumÚ.
• You should not upload a separate document.
• If a separate CV/rÚsumÚ is uploaded, it will be removed from your application.

Referees

• Three overall, academic preferred
• 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.

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

• A maximum of 500 words
• You should provide a statement of purpose, written in English, evidencing your motivation and suitability for graduate study at Oxford.

Written Work

• Two essays of a maximum of 2,000 words each or one essay of a maximum of 4,000 words
• 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.

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.