Research Development

Graduate Research School Orientation

An orientation seminar will be held each semester for all newly enrolled students. This may be a group session face-to-face, by Zoom video conference, or one-on-one depending on numbers and student availability. It will also cover the specific requirements and expectations for research students within the SCD, from thesis proposal development to final submission and examination of their thesis.  Students will learn about establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with the Supervisor and Associate Supervisor, engaging the wider academic world beyond the SCD through conference attendance and presentations, and will have the opportunity to raise questions.

Research Seminars & Workshops

Research Seminars are held in Sydney approximately eight times a year. The seminars provide an informal testing ground for the reception of the research, opportunities for gaining awareness of broader research areas and research procedures potentially applicable to one’s own research, and engagement with the overall cohort of research students in mitigation of any sense of isolation.

Research Workshops are compulsory for all new thesis writers, including DMin candidates moving to the thesis stage of their candidature. Held annually, they are offered in intensive mode, early in first semester and may also be offered early in the second semester. Presented by various lecturers, they are designed to introduce candidates to practical matters affecting the production of a thesis.

Research Conferences

Research students have the opportunity to attend conferences organised by SCD and its Member Institutions. Each year since 2013 the Sydney College of Divinity has held a research conference. The conferences have covered areas such as theological education, public theology, and biblical, exegetical, and historical studies. They have attracted internationally known scholars as keynote speakers, and conference proceedings have been published from each conference.

Guest academics present new research for the general public and scholars each year at the Annual Lecture and at the Special Lecture. The SCD Annual Lecture is held on an evening in the first semester each year.  The SCD Special Lecture is held on an evening in the second semester each year. Check the events listing to find lectures that are of interest to you.