Special Regulations

A. Regulations for the course of instruction for the Master of Theology (in Applied Theology) at the participating institutions listed in the Schedule.

1. 1. Candidates, who must be members of the University, shall be graduates in theology, or shall hold an equivalent theological qualification.
2. 2. Full-time residential candidates will complete Part I of the course in one year and one additional residential year for Part II [dissertation]. Submission of Unit 2 may be delayed until the April submission after the first year of the course.
3. 3. Part-time non-residential candidates will complete Part I of the course in two years part-time and two additional years for Part II [dissertation].
4. 4. Candidates may change from full-time to part-time after the first year of study.
5. 5. Part-time candidates shall be required to attend courses of instruction organised by the participating institutions equivalent to one day a week over six terms.
6. 6. For part-time students there shall be no residential requirement for Part II.
7. 7. In Part I, all candidates will take the first two units and any two others. All units in Part I are examined by extended essays of not more than 7,000 words. In addition, Unit 2 will normally be supplemented with a portfolio of supporting materials.
8. 8. Part II will consist of a dissertation of between 15,000 and 20,000 words on an aspect of applied theology. All Candidates for Part II are required to present themselves for a viva voce examination unless individually dispensed by the examiners.
9. 9. A request for approval for the specific titles of the extended essays submitted in part I, written on the appropriate form, must reach the Chair of Examiners for the M.Th. in Applied Theology by the final Friday in February (for essays to be submitted in the following late April), and by the final Friday in June (for essays to be submitted in the following late September). In the case of Unit 2, the application should include a brief description of any portfolio of material to be submitted. Proposed topics for Part II dissertations may be submitted to the M.Th. Studies Committee before the completion of Part 1, and must have been submitted by the final Friday in December (for submissions in the following late April) and by the final Friday in March (for submissions in the following late September).
10. 10. Extended essays must be the candidate's own work, and must be typed or printed on one side of the paper. Essays must include a bibliography and footnotes (only the latter being included in the word count). Candidates may receive tutorial guidance in the preliminary stages of composition; tutors may also read or comment on a first draft, giving the candidate not more than one tutorial session at this further stage. Normal graduate supervision shall be provided for the preparation of the dissertation in Part II. When submitted, the extended essays must be accompanied by a certificate signed by the candidate indicating that it is the candidate's own work. This certificate must be submitted separately in a sealed envelope addressed to the Chairman of the Examiners for the M.Th. in Applied Theology at the address below.
11. 11. Extended essays may be submitted to the Chairman of the Examiners, M.Th. in Applied Theology, c/o Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford OX1 4BG, by 12 noon on the Friday before 1 May and 1 October in any year, provided that all extended essays must have been submitted by 12 noon on the Friday before 1 October following the third term in which a candidate's name has been on the register if the course is being taken full-time, or the sixth term if part-time. Candidates may delay the submission of their extended essay for Unit 2 until the April following the end of the first year of their course.
12. 12. In Part I, a candidate whose extended essay fails to reach the level which the examiners have determined to be the pass mark (or the required average for passing Part I) may be allowed at the discretion of the examiners to resubmit that work on one further occasion only, within the next two examination periods, provided that (save in the case envisaged in 16. below) no extended essay is submitted later than the submission of the dissertation. Permission to resubmit a unit must be sought in writing from the Chair of Examiners by the final Friday in February (for essays to be submitted in the following late April), and by the final Friday in June (for essays to be submitted in the following late September).
13. 13. In Part II, if the examiners are satisfied that the dissertation has reached the required level for the M.Th., but minor corrections are needed, they shall require the candidate to make these corrections before they submit their report. If the dissertation fails to reach the required level, the examiners may, but are not obliged to, give a candidate permission to revise and resubmit a dissertation at one further examination period, not later than three terms after the first submission.
14. 14. Full-time students for the M.Th. must submit their dissertation within six terms of beginning the course; part-time students must submit their dissertation within twelve terms of beginning the course; students who change from full-time to part-time status after three terms must submit their dissertation within nine terms of beginning the course. This regulation is not affected by a student's need to resubmit a Part I Unit, except in the case covered by 16. below.
15. 15. No full-time student for the degree shall retain that status for more than nine terms. No part-time student for the degree shall retain that status for more than eighteen terms; and no student who changes from full-time to part-time status after the first year of study shall retain student status for more than fifteen terms.
16. 16. In the event of a full-time student needing to resubmit Unit 2 following a first examination in the Trinity Term of the student's second year of study, the M.Th. Studies Committee will review the case. It may at its absolute discretion grant permission, either for the resubmission to occur after the submission of the dissertation (notwithstanding 12. above), or for the submission of the dissertation to be delayed until the Trinity Term examination in the following academic year.

Part I (and Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Theology)

Candidates will take the first two units and any two others.

1. 1. Doctrine, Context and Practice Candidates will explore the interrelationship between Christian doctrine and Christian practice in historical and social context. They will be able to demonstrate an understanding of Christian doctrine and practice as these have been developed in scripture, tradition and in the modern world.
2. 2. Experiential project with theological reflection Candidates will be expected to offer a theological evaluation of a project undertaken in either a church or secular setting in which the candidate shares in the concerns and experiences of those involved. They should normally submit a portfolio of material which should include relevant documentation and one or more case studies based upon contact made over a period of not less than twenty-one days and should offer a theological reflection based on this evidence. Full-time candidates may delay submission of this unit until the April submission following the end of the first year of their course.
3. 3. Sociology of Religion Candidates will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the main methods of the study of religion in relation to modern society. They should consider such topics as secularisation, religious organisation, civil religion, and fundamentalism. They may also address the relationship between sociology and the different areas of theological study including biblical studies, doctrine and church history.
4. 4. Pastoral Psychology Candidates will study the contribution of psychological studies to pastoral understanding and practice; the principles of psychological explication with particular reference to the psychology of religious experience; the importance of the psychological dimension in particular areas of pastoral concern, for instance human development, marriage, sickness, death and bereavement.
5. 5. Science and Faith in the Modern World Candidates will explore the interrelationships between Christian theology and the natural sciences, with special reference to the implications for contemporary Christian practice. They will consider methodological issues in their own right, and such specific topics as the implications of evolutionary theory, or developments in fundamental physics, for the Christian doctrine of creation.
6. 6. The use of the Bible Candidates will be expected to study the use of the Bible in preaching, worship, and ethics, the phenomenon of diversity in the Bible; the contribution of hermeneutics to the use of the Bible in pastoral ministry; and the quest for a critical standpoint in contextual study of the Bible.
7. 7. Christian Spirituality Candidates will explore critically the theological issues raised by selected well-established traditions of Christian prayer and devotion, drawing when appropriate on insights from the human sciences and from other academic disciplines. They should also consider different models of spiritual growth and spiritual guidance, drawing out the theology of ministry implicit within these.
8. 8. Liturgy and Worship Candidates will explore theologically the role of liturgy within Christian life, mission and discipleship, drawing when appropriate on insights from the human sciences and from other academic disciplines. They should consider such topics as the role of symbols, the relationship between the verbal and the non-verbal in worship, the relationship between liturgy and creativity, and the interaction between liturgy and culture.
9. 9. Christian Ethics Candidates will consider the interrelationships between Christianity and the theory and practice of the moral life. They will explore questions of fundamental moral theology, and also address selected specific ethical issues.
10. 10. Mission in the Modern World Candidates will study the mission of the Church in the light of the mission of God and in the context of contemporary societies and cultures. They should consider the inter-relationship of various aspects of mission such as evangelism; social and political action; dialogue with other faiths and ideologies. Candidates should evaluate the implications on mission of issues such as secularisation, urbanisation, post-colonialism and post-modernity.
11. 11. Inter-Faith Dialogue Candidates will study the encounter of faith communities and the development of inter-faith dialogue in plural societies. They will critically examine models of dialogue and may, if they wish, focus on the relationship of Christianity to one other faith tradition.
12. 12. Ecclesiology in an Ecumenical Context Candidates will examine the doctrines of the Church, the ministry and the sacraments in their relationship to the concrete realities of the life of the Church and the nature of its authority. The study will be made in the light of current thought across the Christian traditions.

Part II

1. 1. The title of the proposed dissertation, together with a summary, must be submitted for approval by the Master of Theology Studies Committee in the final term of Part I of the course. The Committee shall approve a supervisor for the writing of the dissertation.
2. 2. The dissertation (two copies) shall be submitted to the Chairman of the Examiners, M.Th. in Applied Theology, c/o Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford OX1 4BG, not later than 12 noon on the Friday before 1 October following the ninth term in which a candidate's name has been on the register if the course is being taken full-time, or the twelfth term if part-time.
3. 3. The thesis must be printed or typed on one side of the paper only, with a margin of 3 to 3.5 cms on the left-hand edge of each page, and must be securely and firmly bound in either hard or soft covers. Loose-leaf binding is not acceptable.
4. 4. The completed dissertation must be accompanied by a signed statement by the candidate that it is his or her own work except where otherwise indicated. This statement must be submitted separately in a sealed envelope addressed to the Chairman of Examiners for the M.Th. in Applied Theology at the above address.
5. 5. All candidates are required to present themselves for a viva voce examination unless individually dispensed by the examiners.
6. 6. Certain successful theses, on the recommendation of the examiners, should be deposited in the Theology Faculty Library. The library copy of thesis must be in a permanently fixed binding, drilled and sewn, in a stiff board case in library buckram, in a dark colour, and lettered on the spine with the candidate's name and initials, the degree, and the year of submission.

B. Regulations for the course of instruction for the Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Theology at the participating institutions listed in the Schedule.

1. 1. The entry requirements for the course are as prescribed at A.1. above.
2. 2. A candidate may complete the course either in ONE year full-time (residential) or TWO years part-time (non-residential).
3. 3. Part-time candidates shall be required to attend courses of instruction organised by the participating institutions for one day a week during six terms, together with one three-day residential study conference organised by the M.Th. Studies Committee in each of the two years of their course.
4. 4. The examination will consist of an extended essay of up to 7,000 words on each of the two compulsory and two optional units of Part I of the M.Th. course as set out above. The regulations concerning extended essays are as prescribed at A.4. above.
5. 5. No full-time student for the Diploma shall retain that status for more than six terms in all, and no part-time student for that award shall retain that status for more than nine terms in all.
6. 6. Candidates who have successfully completed the Diploma at an appropriate level may subsequently proceed to Part II of the M.Th. on the recommendation of the M.Th. Studies Committee. At the discretion of the Committee, transfer of Diploma candidates to Part II of the M.Th. course may be allowed to those candidates who have reached the required standard in the four papers submitted by the end of their first year.