Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion

The MPhil in Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion is a nine-month full-time, or one-year-and-nine-month part-time, master's course. The MPhil offers the opportunity for advanced study in Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion across the full range of disciplines and with a strong focus on research. Students can draw on the expertise of leading scholars from a wide range of subjects, which allows both for specialisation and for interdisciplinary approaches.

The MPhil is designed for students who wish to study their subject interest at an advanced level but also to enable those who wish to undertake further research at a doctoral level to acquire the necessary skills and understanding.  The course has the following streams: Anglican Studies, Christian Theology, New Testament and Early Christianity, Old Testament, Philosophy of Religion, Religion and Conflict, Religions in Antiquity, Study of World Religions and World Christianities.

Candidates submit a dissertation of between 15,000 and 20,000 words and two pieces of submitted work of not more than 5,000 words which will be an essay or an equivalent exercise. Candidates then chose to do one of the following: a three-hour language examination; an exercise; or an alternative exercise within the candidate's chosen subject area if one has not already been offered.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the MPhil students should have acquired:

an introduction to research methods and skills appropriate to a chosen sub-discipline of the subject, such as will serve both: as a preparation for more advanced research or as offering skills of value to potential employers;

more advanced and specialised knowledge of some fundamental issues and literatures at the forefront of research in that sub-discipline; and

the ability to construct a substantive, if preliminary, contribution to research on a particular issue within that sub-discipline, through the writing of a thesis.

Continuing

In order to be eligible to continue to the PhD, students must achieve at least a mark of 71 for the dissertation and an overall average of at least 71 per cent in the MPhil as a whole.

Open Days

The Postgraduate Virtual Open Day usually takes place at the beginning of November. It's a great opportunity to ask questions to admissions staff and academics, explore the Colleges virtually, and to find out more about courses, the application process and funding opportunities. Visit the Postgraduate Open Day page for more details.

Apply using the Applicant Portal 

Please make sure you read the terms and conditions of using the University of Cambridge Applicant Portal before proceeding with our application.

When you have completed the necessary preparation, and you are ready to begin your online application, you should take note of the following important information:

1. Go to the Course Directory and find the course you wish to apply for, then click the Apply Now button in the How to Apply tab.
2. All applications must be completed in English.
3. You can request your references in the Applicant Portal, and see when these have been received.
4. You must then submit all required supporting documentation at the same time as the rest of your application.
5. You can also apply for funding via the Applicant Portal.
6. There is an application charge of (GBP sterling) £75 per application (unless you are from a country which is eligible for fee waiver). The Postgraduate School of Life Sciences has a scheme which enables three applications to be made with payment of a single £75 application fee. A list of other eligible courses and further information can be found here. You can make the payment by providing your card details to our secure server when you submit your online application. More information about the application fee can be found on the Application Fee page.
7. You will need to submit a separate application, with separate supporting documents, for each course you wish to apply for. Unless the courses you are applying for is a part of the Postgraduate School of Life Sciences scheme, you will be charged the application fee for each application you make.
8. Your application will not be considered until all the supporting documentation, including references, has been provided.

Upload Supporting Documentation

Your application is not complete without the required supporting documentation which must be submitted through the Applicant Portal as part of your application. If the supporting documents, including references, are not provided your application will not be considered and your application will be withdrawn when the course deadline has passed.

Please check your course's entry to see what supporting documents you will be required to submit. For more information on what the specific requirements of each document are, and how to submit them, please see the section on Supporting Documentation.