A day in the life of a theology student

Author: Christina Sexton

Liam McGovern is a Bachelor of Theology (Honours) student who spends much of his day in research mode for his thesis. Here’s how Liam typically manages his time.

6.30 – 7am

"I’m a morning person and I’ve found this is a great time to squeeze in some readings for my degree. Usually it’s the easier stuff, nothing too heavy, but I like making use of this time."

7.30 – 8am

"I’m based at the Strathfield Campus, which is about a 25-minute train trip from home. I like to use my travel time for studying and I don’t really have any problems concentrating on the train. I just pop in my headphones and listen to some music without lyrics and I can easily get some more reading done on my way to uni."

8 – 10am

"After I arrive at the station, I catch the shuttle bus to campus and the first thing I always do is buy a coffee. Then I head to the library for reading and research. My favourite part of my degree is the diversity of research I get to dive into."

10am – 1pm

"I’ll head into a private study room in the library and I have a three-hour video conference with a lecturer who is based at the Brisbane Campus. I’ve had face-to-face lectures in the past – these online lectures and tutorials are just for this semester. Usually the lecturer will talk for an hour or so. Then we’ll discuss the content she’s just delivered before moving on to talk about my own thesis. For the second half of the lecture, I’ll often do a presentation on some of the additional readings that she had previously assigned."

1 – 2pm

"I usually have a lunch break around this time. Sometimes I travel to nearby Strathfield, otherwise I’ll find something to eat on campus."

2 – 3.30pm

"This is my opportunity to meet with my thesis supervisor to discuss my progress. My thesis is on the notion of human dignity in the Abrahamic tradition. I’m looking at the early sacred texts of Judaism, Islam and Christianity and I’m investigating whether they have a common understanding of human dignity. When I was studying a Bachelor of Theology/Bachelor of Social Work before I began my honours degree, I went to a talk by a visiting Jesuit priest and academic from Harvard Divinity School who is a world-renowned scholar in comparative theology. He really fascinated me and inspired my thesis."

3.30 – 4.30pm

"My thesis supervisor runs a postgraduate study group in the theology office, which I was invited to attend even though I’m still an undergraduate. It’s a great opportunity to meet with masters and PhD students at the university. We all present our research to the group and everyone offers feedback. We do some writing, but mostly it’s a lot of chatting."

4.30pm – 10pm

"While my day is pretty much done by 4.30pm, I still try to do some work on the train trip home. I often get out my laptop to write up a summary of the feedback I received that day from my lecturer and supervisor. I’m also working full-time at the moment as a policy officer for the NSW state government. Luckily my job is really flexible and I can work at night when I come home or try to fit it in on the weekends."

Interested in pursuing a degree like Liam’s? Explore theology at ACU.

Category Future student

Tags Current student Theology Undergraduate