The Methodist Doctoral Scholarship

The Methodist Doctoral Scholarship is awarded to a student applying for the PhD programme at Cliff College. The recipient's tuition fees will be paid for the whole duration of their studies, which could be full-time or part-time.

There are three research centres at Cliff College: the Bible, Gender and Church Centre, which specialises in biblical interpretation in the light of women’s experience; Generation, which specialises in studying the faith of today’s children and youth; and the Samuel Chadwick Centre, which specialises in the study of the Holy Spirit in the life and mission of the Church. Cliff College is keen to hear from people with research projects that fall within one of these subject areas.

Further details

Who can apply? Any British Methodist, ordained or lay. The academic entrance requirements can be found here. Please note that this scholarship is for students applying for the PhD, not the PhD Missiology.

How do I apply? In the first instance, contact Dr Ben Pugh, the PGR programme leader, on b.pugh@cliffcollege.ac.uk to arrange an initial conversation about your research ideas and prior learning. All being well, you will then be coached through the proces of writing a proposal. When you are ready, you can apply for the programme using the standard application form and indicate in the 'Financial details' section that you would like to receive the Methodist Doctoral Scholarship.

When should I apply? The deadline for both the finalised proposal and the completed application form is midnight on Monday 19 June 2023. Cliff College will then consider all applicants at our Research Degrees Committee in late June, to which a representative from the Methodist Church will be invited. The applicant we select will then be considered at the Religions & Theology Research Degrees Committee for Validated Provision at the University of Manchester on Monday 17 July 2023. This allows time for the favoured applicant to make any further recommended adjustments to their proposal before it is considered at the University. Please note that it will be the University that give final approval to be accepted onto the programme, though we will insure that only viable applications are considered at the University meeting.

The recipient of the award will be expected to engage with the Methodist Church in a variety of ways throughout their research journey. This will include taking part in an annual research conference (held at Cliff College) and sharing their findings with the wider church as appropriate.