Admission for PhD studies

The Doctoral School of Theology and Religious Studies of the Protestant Theological Institute of Cluj-Napoca announces a competitive admission examination for doctoral studies.

Places announced: 5 × 2 places per year (2 places per supervisor).

Application requirements (in brief)

  • Master's degree (or equivalent), with a minimum of 300 ECTS credits in total (bachelor's + master's studies)
  • Minimum overall grade point average of 8.00 (bachelor's and master's studies combined)
  • Prior consent of the supervisor (Statement of Principle Agreement)
  • Language requirements: at least B2 level in one international language; for certain specializations (Old Testament, New Testament, church history), knowledge of the biblical languages or Latin is required
  • Those who already hold a doctoral degree in theology may only apply in a different field of science

Components of the admission examination

Examination component Weighting Minimum score
Evaluation of the professional portfolio 20% 70/100
Written subject examination 50% 70/100
Oral examination (academic interview) 30% 70/100

Minimum admission average: 8.00. For certain specializations, an additional eliminatory examination is also possible (translation from Hebrew/Greek/Latin, graded "passed"/"failed").

Required documents

The complete list of documents required for the application is contained in point 4.3 of Annex 1 of the Methodology (Admission procedure – PO-CSUD-301); it is available in the attached PDF.

How to apply

Online, on the https://webform.proteo.hu/admission/phd platform, or in person at the Institute's secretariat, with certified copies.

Syllabus and compulsory bibliography of the written examination

Balogh Csaba - biblical theology

For the written examination of the doctoral admission, the candidate must choose one of the works listed below. The written assessment is based on the bibliography chosen by the candidate.

  • H. H. Hardy II and M. Daniel Carroll R. (eds): The State of Old Testament Studies. A Survey of Recent Research. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2024 (512 p)
  • Scot McKnight and Nijay K. Gupta (eds): The State of New Testament Studies. A Survey of Recent Research. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2019 (512 p)



Proficiency in Hebrew or Greek will be assessed through reading, translating and grammatically analysing the following texts. Language knowledge is linked to the admission with a pass / fail grade.

  • Hebrew: Job 1:1-22; 2:1-13; 3:1-26; 42:7-17.
  • Greek: Luke 1:1-80; 2:1-39.


Kiss Jenő - practical theology

For the written examination of the doctoral admission, the candidate must choose one of the works listed below. The written assessment is based on the bibliography chosen by the candidate.

  • Richard R. Osmer: Practical Theology: An Introduction. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008
  • John Swinton & Harriet Mowat: Practical Theology and Qualitative Research. London: SCM Press, 2d. ed. 2016


Kolumbán Vilmos József - church history

In the written examination of the doctoral admission, the candidate will be examined on the literature listed below. (All items are compulsory reading.)

  • Buzogány Dezső: Harc a tiszta evangéliumért. Kétszáz esztendő az erdélyi református egyház életéből, 16-17. század. Erdélyi Református Egyháztörténeti Füzetek 6. Kolozsvár: Protestáns Teológiai Intézet, 1999 (178 p).
  • Zoványi Jenő: A magyarországi protestantizmus 1565-től 1600-ig. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1977 (pp. 11-100) {PDF version available here}
  • Nagy Géza: A református egyház története 1608-1715. Gödöllő: Márabesnyő, 2008 (vol. II, pp. 219-334)


Kovács Sándor - church history, Unitarian theology

For the written examination of the doctoral admission, the candidate must choose one of the works listed below. The written assessment is based on the bibliography chosen by the candidate.

  • Martin Mulsow and Jahn Rohls (ed.): Socinianism and Arminianism. Atitrinitarians, Calvinists and Cultural Exchange in Seventeenth-Century Europa. Leiden-Boston: Brill, 2005 (306 p.)
  • Lydia Willsky-Ciollo: American Unitarianism and the Protestant Dilemma. Lexington Books, 2015. (281 p.)
  • Csepregi Zoltán: A reformáció nyelve. Tanulmányok a magyarországi reformáció első negyedszázadának vizsgálata alapján. Budapest: Balassi Kiadó, 2013 (363 p.) {PDF version available here}
  • Gray Dorrien: Kantian Reason and Hegelian Spirit. The Idealistic Logic of Modern Theology. London: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012 (574 p.)


Visky Sándor Béla - systematic theology

Anthropology and eschatology
In one contemporary international and three twentieth-century Hungarian Reformed dogmatics – all the sections listed below are compulsory

  • Wolfhart Pannenberg: Rendszeres teológia , vol. 2, Budapest: Osiris, 2006 (pp. 111 – 248: Creation and eschatology; The dignity and misery of man; Anthropology and christology)
  • Wolfhart Pannenberg: Systematic Theology , Volume 3. London: Continuum, 1994 (pp. 527–646: Chapter 15: The Consummation of Creation in the Kingdom of God)
  • Tavaszy Sándor: Református keresztyén dogmatika . Kolozsvár, 1932 (pp. 127 – 152: Part 3, Chapter II: Knowledge of the work of God the Father before and after the Fall; pp. 280 – 284: Part 7: §§ 68 - 69: Faith as hope resting on future glory; Faith in the last things)
  • Sebestyén Jenő: Református dogmatika .Budapest–Gödöllő: Iránytű Kiadó, 1994. (vol. 1, pp. 138 – 156: Anthropology; vol. 5, pp. 1 – 83: Eschatology)
  • Török István: Dogmatika . Amsterdam: Free University Press, 1984 (pp. 242 – 284: Man; pp. 477 – 501: Eschatology)



Transylvanian foreign missions
For the written examination of the doctoral admission, the candidate will be examined on the literature listed below.

  • Craig G. Bartholomew, Michael W. Goheen: A nagy történet. Hogyan találjuk meg a küldetésünket a Biblia elbeszélésében? Budapest: Kálvin Kiadó, 2018.
  • Horváth Jenő: A külmisszió lényege. A külmisszió református theologiai alapvetése . Debrecen, 1936. (pp. 268-283: Chapter XII: The Reformed dogmatic-ethical foundation of foreign missions).
  • Horváth Levente: The Concept of Mission in the Hungarian Reformed Church of Transylvania between 1895 and 1950. Breakthrough in thinking about foreign missions and an analysis of its practical hindrances. (pp. 328-354: The debate on mission in ‘Egyház és misszió’; pp. 354-373: the sending out of Babos .
  • Kool, A.-M.: God Moves in a Mysterious Way. The Hungarian Protestant Foreign Mission Movement, 1756-1951. Zoetermeer: Boekencentrum, 1993.


Further information on doctoral studies

Further information on the doctoral programme can be found at this link.

For further information, please contact the secretariat of the Protestant Theological Institute of Cluj-Napoca.
email: secretariat@proteo.cj.edu.ro
Tel: 0264-591-368, 0264-592-841