Doctoral programs in the United Kingdom?

[B-612]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to see if anyone had any experience studying at a master's or doctoral level in the United Kingdom.

One reason I'm interested is because I'm an Episcopalian, so studying at theological colleges with Anglican affiliations would be much desired (I'm a total anglophile and might just stay over there if I found I myself at home). Another reason is because I feel called to plant a foot in the Church and a foot in the academy. I think a strong intellectual life and continued education is a must for clergy and Christian theological scholars have nothing to root their studies in without a life in the Church.

Perhaps the central reason I'm interested, though, is because I referenced the work of several British scholars throughout my theology, ethics and senior capstone courses during my M.Div. program. My interests center on issues of gender and sexuality, ethics, violence and theologies of the cross. There are scholars on the faculty of Durham University, the University of Manchester and the University of Sheffield with whom I'd love to work.

However, I'm not sure the degree to which U.K. doctoral programs differ from U.S. ones or the difficulty in being admitted/finding funding.

Any advice or personal experiences would be welcome. Thanks for your time!

P.S. If anyone can think of American universities with scholars who share my interests, please don't hesitate to suggest them. I plan on applying here, too, and am happy for any recommendations.

[Balatro]

Yale and Harvard have several Episcopalians/Anglicans on their faculty - Yale even has Berkeley, which I'm sure you're aware of. Duke has some prominent Anglicans on their faculty but two (they were married) have since returned to England, the husband accepted a position as Dean of something, I believe.

While at Yale I took part in the semester abroad to Westcott House (attached to the U. of Cambridge), which was an experience that was simply amazing. In fact, so much so that I got approval to spend my entire middler year in Cambridge and do some research on the writings of Rowan Williams - particularly focusing on the rift within the Episcopal Church regarding gender and sexuality, some ethical pieces too.

As far as how the degrees differ from US and UK - UK degrees generally take a shorter time to obtain but that's because students are expected to come in with the foundation already completed on what they intend to study, there's generally no taking courses for 1-2 years to establish a prospective thesis. UK degrees are also, from my perspective, much more writing and research intensive. Two members of my graduating class that I knew well, went to the UK for PhD (D.Phil) programs and mentioned that they generally had 10-15k word papers constantly in the pipeline being worked on, in addition to keeping on top of their dissertation where the suggested guideline for its length was somewhere around 75,000-100k words (I believe about 300 pages?). I haven't had conversations regarding the intensity of a PhD thesis in the US but from what I've read, they're at times about half as long.

Most of the D.Phil students/graduates that I know were privately funded - either directly (they took out loans/paid for it out of pocket) or were awarded fellowships/scholarships to study in the UK. Using US Federal Aid is hit and miss, not all UK schools are approved to receive funding but several all. Generally, any kind of bursary coverage from the school itself is out of the question for non-EU students since it comes from the government, which we're not entitled to. I've heard rumors that it's easier for Americans to get accepted into places like Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, etc b/c we are essentially private pay (you'll pay an international student rate for tuition and fees, and the money doesn't come from the school/government) so it's more money in the school's pocket and apparently some of these schools are more welcoming of US students because of this.

Really though, your best bet is to first contact the schools you're interested in studying at and inquiring about financial aid resources for US students (most of them have everything you'll need online) and contacting current and former students and see how they funded their studies - they'll be your best bet for potential fellowships and scholarships which could finance your program if the university isn't approved for federal aid.

[Stringfellow]

If you're interested in Durham, or even if not, be sure to check out the Dunelm Road blog. It's a multi-person blog written by several American students who have studied or are studying at Durham, and includes a lot of invaluable information about the U.K. academic culture, funding, the difficulties of moving overseas, and anything else you might expect in such a resource. Even if Durham does not wind up being your school of choice, it can be a good resource to orient you toward study in the U.K. There are good blogs from other American students at other institutions, as well.

From what I understand, the key to finding a landing place in the U.K. is to be in touch with a professor. Identify people whose work you know well, and whose interests match yours, and e-mail them with a proposal for a dissertation. When you find someone who's interested in supervising you, apply to the school. My impression is that U.K. institutions are eager for students at the doctoral level, especially since they do not have a great deal of institutional financial aid, and your presence at the school (whether you pay for it yourself, which is most likely, or earn a grant or fellowship from some outside source) will bring money into the institution. That said, I know of many people who have had great experiences in U.K. schools and wonderful mentoring from the professors there.

It's an appropriate option for people who feel they have had enough coursework and are ready to begin a dissertation right away. If you're not that sure of yourself, or if you would prefer a better guarantee of financial aid, the U.S. or Canada have more to offer. The Toronto School of Theology might be worth looking into, for your interests, as well as Boston University.