Eastern Christian Studies MPhil

MPhil Eastern Christian Studies

The MPhil in Eastern Christian Studies is a two-year degree which is intended to give you experience in reading and interpreting a wide range of Eastern Christian texts in one of three options - Greek, Armenian with Greek, or Syriac with Greek. This degree can be a stand-alone qualification or preparation for doctoral research.

About

Christianity was formed and defined its core beliefs among the Greek, Syriac, Coptic, and Armenian speaking peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean, amongst whom there was great cultural and intellectual exchange – although this is often obscured as a consequence of subsequent doctrinal disputes and by narrow academic specialisations. This degree enables students to gain a broad understanding of the history of the Eastern Churches and of doctrinal development within them, up to AD 717, as well as a detailed reading knowledge of texts produced by ecclesiastical writers in Greek, or Armenian, or Syriac, and to produce a thesis on a more focussed subject within the field.

Before arrival in Oxford you will be required to choose to study for papers in one of the three following options:

Greek (Patristic and Byzantine)
Armenian with Greek
Syriac with Greek

Teaching for each option may not be available in every year. In 2025/26 the Greek (Patristic and Byzantine) option will not be offered.

Set texts are agreed with candidates at the beginning of the academic year, and a list of these can be obtained from the Course Director.

Teaching takes the form of text classes, supervisions and/or seminars, and background lectures. The Armenian and Syriac set texts are read in the first year in text classes, for which you will be expected to prepare, while the Greek set texts will normally be left to you to work through alone. You will also be required to write and present essays, either for supervisions or for seminars. All students also prepare a thesis, normally in the second year, the subject of which must be approved by the Faculty Board. Your supervisor will provide general guidance on this.

Assessment

You will sit an examination towards the end of Trinity term in the second year which takes the form of four papers:

One paper will consist of essays on the development of doctrine and the history of the church in the Christian East.
Two papers will be on the specified Armenian and Syriac historical and theological texts, in which besides passages for translation and comment, there may also be essay questions associated with the set texts.
One paper on Greek ecclesiastical texts which will include some passages from unspecified, as well as specified, texts.

You will also submit a thesis, of 30,000 words, at the beginning of Trinity term.

You will be examined by viva voce unless you have been individually excused by the examiners.

Teaching staff

Resources for study

Libraries and museums

The University of Oxford is a world leader in the study of the history and culture of the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, and the Caucasus, from the beginnings of civilisation through to the present day.

Within the Faculties of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Classics, History, Theology, Philosophy and the School of Archaeology, there are unparalleled numbers of scholars and research students working on the region, and bringing with them knowledge of an extraordinary range of disciplines. This research has been further boosted in recent years by the founding of the Oxford Centre for Late Antiquity, the Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research, the Khalili Research Centre for the Art and Material Culture of the Middle East, and the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies. These faculties and centres provide the outstanding seminar culture for which Oxford is famous.

The University has excellent library holdings of original manuscripts and secondary literature in all of the ancient and modern languages of the region, including those of the Asian and Middle Eastern Christian populations, as well as in all major related disciplines. The Bodleian Library is the main research collection which students for the MPhil in Eastern Christian Studies will use. The Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and Theology Faculties both have their own libraries, with lending facilities, and one of the world’s most important collections of books and journals relating to archaeology and the ancient world is located in the Art, Archaeology and Ancient World Library. Further large Asian and Middle Eastern Christian manuscript collections are within easy reach in the British Library in London, and in the Mingana Collection in Birmingham.

Faculty resources

Students have access to the University's centrally provided electronic resources, the Faculty's IT Officer, and other bibliographic, archive or material sources as appropriate to the topic. There is a computing room for the use of graduate students in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, as well as a common room where tea and coffee are available and staff and students can meet.

Oxford colleges

Oxford’s colleges provide support, facilities and membership of a friendly and stimulating academic community. All colleges provide library and IT facilities, welfare support, and sports and social events. Although your academic studies will be directed by the faculty, colleges can be a valuable source of support. Please check the application guide for information about colleges.

How to apply

Apply

Make an application, check the course entry requirements and what supporting documents you need to submit

Application Guide

The University's Application Guide covers all aspects of completing the graduate application form and uploading your supporting documents

How-to-guides

Students and staff provide tips and advice on preparing your application for postgraduate study, such as how to write a personal statement

FAQs

Can I submit one 4,000 word piece of written work instead of two 2,000 word pieces?

Not for our courses. We ask for two pieces which will show a range of ability rather than two highly similar pieces and you may find it useful to check the criteria your written work will be assessed for when choosing your samples. Your samples can be extracts from longer pieces of work and if this is the case, please indicate this on a cover page, or at the beginning of each piece of work.

Where can I find out about funding available for applicants?

Your best guide to funding opportunities will always be the University's admissions webpages. We recommend that you use the Fees, funding and scholarship search which is a useful tool for finding any funding that you may be eligible to apply for.

If you submit your application by the January deadline you will automatically be considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships. There’s no separate scholarship application process or extra supporting documentation required for funding. Based on the information supplied in your graduate application, you will be automatically considered for scholarships where you meet the eligibility criteria with most scholarships using academic merit and/or potential as the basis on which award decisions are made.

However, please note, in addition to submitting an application form for your chosen course, the scholarships listed on the following page also require an additional application to be considered for them.