Research

London School of Theology and Middlesex University jointly offer research supervision for the MPhil degree.

For an MPhil you need to offer a careful and critical investigation and evaluation of an approved topic, and demonstrate an understanding of the research methods appropriate to your chosen field.

Your thesis does not necessarily need to be ‘original’; however, it must offer a distinctive independent contribution to knowledge, including the ability to critique new ideas and a sense of proportion in evaluating evidence and scholarly interpretations which is ultimately worthy of publication.

While you would normally be expected to read the language of your primary sources for an MPhil, you would not be expected to engage with untranslated secondary literature.

London School of Theology has a large number of research supervisors covering a wide variety of research subjects.

From London School of Theology’s own Faculty, the research supervisors include:

Mark Cartledge, David Hilborn, Christopher Grey, Matthew Knell, Jean-Marc Heimerdinger, Tony Lane, Marvin Oxenham, Julie Robb, Graham Twelftree, Chloe Lynch.

Research Programmes Handbook – Click here

Research Academic Regulations – Click here

The full or part time options offer flexibility and allow a student to pursue further studies while continuing in work. Students undertaking research from a distance are required to attend a residency at LST for two weeks each year if full time, one week if part time. An MPhil student needs to offer a careful, critical investigation and evaluation of an approved topic and demonstrate an understanding of the research methods appropriate to the chosen field. The thesis should be at (or informed by) the forefront of an academic or professional discipline. The piece of work must offer a distinctive independent contribution to knowledge, including a critical evaluation of current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline and evidence of the ability to critique new ideas and interpret knowledge. While students would normally be expected to read the language of their primary sources for an MPhil, there is no expectation to engage with untranslated secondary literature.

London School of Theology has a large number of research supervisors covering a wide variety of research subjects.

From London School of Theology’s own Faculty, the research supervisors include:

Mark Cartledge, David Hilborn, Christopher Grey, Matthew Knell, Jean-Marc Heimerdinger, Tony Lane, Marvin Oxenham, Julie Robb, Graham Twelftree, Chloe Lynch.

This programme is available both full-time and part-time. Usually, full-time study will take 2 years and part-time study will take 3 years. It is expected that full-time students commit around 40 hours per week to study whilst part-time students will be expected to commit around 20 hours per week to study.

Students undertaking research from a distance are expected to fulfil a 2 weeks’ residency per annum if full time and one week per annum if part-time. New research students are also expected to attend a 3-day research induction which usually takes place at the start of October.

To be eligible to apply for the MPhil/PhD programme, in normal circumstances, you should have a UK Masters degree in a theological discipline (or equivalent). During this degree, you should have completed some supervised but self-directed research writing, such as a final-year project.

Applicants from North America will normally have a Masters degree in a theological discipline or an MDiv with a GPA of 3.3 for application to the MPhil/PhD. If your GPA is under this, but very close, and your transcript shows that you did better on modules relevant to your proposed research, the Head of Research will judge on a case-by-case basis.

Candidates registered for the MPhil only, and whose work proves to be of the appropriate standard, are entitled to transfer their registration to PhD (with the agreement of their supervisor/s, the Head of Research, and Middlesex University)

All applicants will need to give full details of their qualifications and provide transcripts. Applicants with non-UK qualifications should provide proof of how any national qualifications relate to the stated UK minimum requirements. Applicants for whom English is not their first language must take a Secure English Language Test (IELTS) – please refer to section 6 of our Admissions Policy for more details.

This programme is a collaborative research initiative between London School of Theology and Middlesex University.