PhD Religions and Theology / Overview

Our full-time and part-time Religions and Theology PhD programme involves substantial original research in Religions and Theology, leading to the production of a thesis (of up to 80,000 words) that constitutes a significant contribution to knowledge.

Areas available for research include: 

• Biblical studies, especially the Bible in context (Ancient Near Eastern, Jewish, Graeco-Roman), linguistic approaches, Bible and gender;
• early Christianity, especially Nag Hammadi and magical texts;
• papyri and other manuscripts in the John Rylands Library;
• Rabbinic and medieval Judaism;
• Jewish thought;
• Jewish-Christian and Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations;
• Islamic philosophy and medicine;
• Christian doctrine;
• philosophical theology;
• applied theology;
• ecotheology;
• theology and technology;
• contemporary Christianity;
• religious archives in the John Rylands Library;
• religion and philosophy;
• existentialism;
• philosophy of law;
• ethics;
• religion and science;
• religion and politics;
• religion and gender.

Find out more about our staff's research interests on the People page.

One of our particular strengths is the ability of our research students to draw on the expertise of specialists in a wide range of disciplines.

This offers the possibility of developing interdisciplinary projects with high level expertise in both disciplines. For instance, recent PhD students have had supervision jointly between lecturers in Biblical studies and Roman social history, theology and music, and South Asian Studies and sociology.

Within Religions and Theology, our doctoral students also participate in a thriving disciplinary research culture. There are regular research seminars in Religions and Theology, Biblical Studies, and Jewish Studies.

Research students are also welcome at a wide range of seminars in other areas, for instance, in linguistics or in gender, sexuality and culture.

Religions and Theology students get the opportunity to meet and discuss with a range of major international scholars who visit to deliver seminars, public lectures (The Manson Memorial Lecture in New Testament, The Sherman Lectures in Jewish Studies, The Ferguson Lecture in Theology).

Many of our students undertake some undergraduate teaching, following appropriate training which is offered to all doctoral students.

Funds are available for students to organise conferences and travel to attend events and undertake research. 

There are opportunities to organise, participate in, and present papers at conferences led by PhD students and joint events, such as the Manchester-Durham-Sheffield PhD student conference in Biblical Studies.

Find out what it's like to study at Manchester by visiting us on one of our  open days .