Religions and Philosophies

Entry requirements

We normally require a 2.1 bachelor's degree (or its equivalent) plus a Masters degree in appropriate subject area plus one reference. In exceptional cases we may accept applicants who do not meet these criteria if they show evidence of a strong Masters degree and/or appropriate level of relevant work experience. International applicants should also see Doctoral School English language requirements

Months of entry

September

Course content

Join our Research Degrees: Religions and Philosophies at SOAS — as a PhD student at SOAS you will be welcomed by our research community of doctoral researchers from across the globe and play a vital role in developing our vibrant and intellectual culture.

The SOAS Religions and Philosophies Department offers a vibrant, stimulating, and interdisciplinary research environment. We provide individual research supervision in a wide variety of religious traditions and comparative and interdisciplinary topics. Supervisors are experts in their fields and thoroughly familiar with the religions, cultures, languages, and geographical areas they specialise in.

In addition to individual supervision the Department offers research training at various levels: an obligatory research writing workshop which prepares year 1 MPhil students for their upgrade to the PhD level; a weekly seminar for PhD students in years 2 and 3 to discuss work in progress and receive feedback before submitting their thesis; a departmental research seminar in which both staff and students present papers on their research projects and discuss them in an interdisciplinary setting.

You will also have the opportunity to attend seminars, lectures, and conferences offered by the various specialist SOAS Research Centres: Centre for Jewish Studies, Centre for the Study of Japanese Religions, Centre of Buddhist Studies, Centre of Jaina Studies and Centre of World Christianity. Our centres run regular evening lecture series, workshops, and conferences which host visiting speakers from other universities in Britain, Europe, and globally.

As you think about commencing your PhD with us, we invite you to contact a potential supervisor in your area of interest, ideally with a first draft of your project proposal .This member of staff will then advise you on your project and on any questions you might have before making your application.

Why study Research Degrees: Religions and Philosophies at SOAS

• we are World Top 50 for Arts & Humanities (QS World University Rankings 2022) - with a rate of 91.7% overall student satisfaction (NSS 2021)
• we have been ranked 3rd for research outputs and 7th place overall in the Theology and Religious Studies research rankings in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021
• SOAS is ranked in the top 5 universities in the UK for producing a CEO or Managing Director, according to new research
• employability — our strong focus on enhancing your career prospects and practical skills are integrated across the programme
• led by our global community of research-active academic staff we have been very successful in acquiring research funding, hosting research centres and are actively engaged in professional networks with scholars worldwide

Information for international students

For details, including English language requirements, please see SOAS website

Fees and funding

For details of postgraduate fees, please see SOAS website