Doctor of Theology: Focal Area in Church History and Church Polity

Students who wish to register for the PhD programme must:
• be in possession of the MTh degree (thesis option) of this University with a minimum final mark of
60%, on condition that:
o if you have enrolled for the MTh programme before 1985, you must take a preliminary examination consisting of four papers (written or oral) on the major subject group, one paper (written or oral) on each of the two supplementary subjects, and an oral examination before the Faculty of Theology; and
o to pass the preliminary examination, you must achieve a final mark of at least 50% in each of the papers in the main subject group and achieve a final mark of at least 50% in each of the two supplementary subjects; or
• be in possession of the MTh degree (structured option) of this University with a minimum final mark of 60% and have obtained a minimum final mark of 70% in the research assignment, and have completed any relevant supplementary work that may be required, on condition that:
o if you have enrolled for the MTh programme before 1985, you must take a preliminary examination consisting of four papers (written or oral) on the major subject group, one paper (written or oral) on each of the two supplementary subjects, and an oral examination before the Faculty of Theology; and
o to pass the preliminary examination, you must achieve a final mark of at least 50% in each of the papers in the main subject group and achieve a final mark of at least 50% in each of the two supplementary subjects; or
• be in possession of a MDiv degree of this University with a minimum final mark of 70% and have obtained a minimum final mark of 70% in the research assignment, which usually explores a cognate discipline or area of study, and have completed any relevant supplementary work that may be required as determined by the discipline group; or
• be in possession of a MPhil (Religion and Culture) degree of this University with a minimum final mark of 60%, and have completed any relevant supplementary work in consultation with the discipline group concerned; or
• have achieved a level of competence in your particular field of study in some other way that Senate considers to be adequate for this purpose.
• In addition to the above requirements regarding minimum final marks, students from another university should be in the possession of a full research master’s degree or a master’s degree with a significant research component.

Submission of your Research Proposal

• When considering the applications, the disciplinary groups will contact you to get an indication of the specific subdiscipline you want to specialise in.
• On admission you will be allocated a supervisor, according to availability, in order to assist you in preparing a research proposal.
• You can register as student only after the Faculty’s Research Committee has approved your research proposal. This process takes a number of months.

Departmental form
Download and fill in the following departmental form, and submit with your application:
https://files.su.ac.za/public/postgraduate-studies/documents/2025-09/st…

Document placeholder name on application portal:
Dept-PhD Church History and Church Policy

Duration of Programme

• You must be enrolled for the PhD programme for at least two years before you can report for the
final examination; and
• A supervisor may, after consultation with the environment concerned, require a minimum period of six months’ residence for PhD students from outside Southern Africa.

Programme Description

• As candidate for the PhD degree you must submit, for Senate’s approval, a dissertation which:
o deals with a subject in your main field of study;
o may only be submitted two years after the MTh degree has been obtained; or
o after you have achieved a level of competence in the specific field of study in some other way that Senate considers to be adequate for the purpose.
• After registration for the PhD, you will receive a policy document from the relevant discipline group containing clear guidelines on the responsibilities of candidates and their supervisors, regular discussions, progress reports, examination procedures, assessment criteria for dissertations and other regulations of the discipline group.
• You must deliver a report on your research at least once during a postgraduate seminar.
• Discipline groups report annually to the Faculty on the progress of doctoral candidates.
• You must take note of all fees and possible additional levies as specified in Part 3 (Student Fees) of the Yearbook, or you must consult the Student Fees Division.

Assessment and Examination

Completion and submission of your Dissertation:
• When you present yourself for examination, you must submit an electronic pdf version of the dissertation through Turnitin and at the administrative officer of the disciplinary group concerned.
• You will be required to orally defend your dissertation to a panel that includes the examiners and academic representatives from the discipline groups and that will determine the outcome of the defence.
• Where applicable and feasible, and taking into account the requirements set by the University, you are encouraged, before reporting for the examination, to submit a manuscript or manuscripts on the results of your research for publication in recognised academic journals.