General Regulations for the Degree of Master of Studies

Differences from 2018/19 to 2022/23

§1. Degree of Master of Studies

  • 1. Any person who has

    • (a) been admitted as a student for the Degree of Master of Studies under the provisions of this section,

    • (b) satisfied the examiners in one of the examinations prescribed in this section, and

    • (c) kept three terms of statutory residence as a matriculated member of the University after admission as a Student for the Degree of Master of Studies,

      may supplicate for the Degree of Master of Studies.

  • 2. For the purpose of this section the words ‘board’ or ‘faculty board’ shall include any committee or other body authorised to admit candidates for the Degree of Master of Studies.

§2. Examinations for the Degree of Master of Studies

  • 1. The examinations for the degree and the bodies responsible for the supervision of each examination shall be as listed below.

  • [See Table 25]

  • 2. The subjects of each examination shall be determined, subject to the approval of the Education Committee, by regulation of the board concerned, which shall have power to arrange lectures and courses of instruction for the examination.

  • 3. No full-time student shall be admitted as a candidate for examination for the degree until he or she shall have spent at least three terms at work in Oxford after his or her admission as a student for the degree; time spent outside Oxford during term as part of an academic programme approved by Council shall count towards residence for the purpose of this clause.

  • 4. Part-time students for the degree shall in each case be required to pursue their course of study for twice the number of terms required of an equivalent full-time student. Part-time students will not be required to keep statutory residence but must attend for such instruction and undertake such supervised fieldwork as the faculty board or committee concerned shall require. The Director of Graduate Studies of the faculty board concerned, or the director of the department concerned, as the case may be, shall keep a register of attendance of part-time students. No student shall be granted leave to supplicate unless the register shows satisfactory attendance by him or her.

  • 5. Final examination marks shall be released to candidates at the conclusion of the examination. Exceptions to this may be made where assessment takes place throughout the course. In such cases, examination boards must meet formally, with all members present, at interim points in the year in order to agree final marks for specified assessment components. Marks released as final marks may not subsequently be amended without permission of the Proctors.

  • 6. A candidate who has failed to satisfy the examiners in any one of the examinations may enter again for that examination on one, but not more than one, subsequent occasion. Unless the special regulations for the examination specify otherwise, this resit attempt shall normally be taken at the next opportunity, but may be deferred once, i.e. it must be taken at one of the next two opportunities. No candidate who has satisfied the examiners in any one of the examinations may enter again for the same examination.

  • 7. The examiners may award a merit for work of particularly high quality in the whole examination or a distinction for excellence in the whole examination. Candidates who have initially failed any element of assessment shall not normally be eligible for the award of merit or distinction.

§3. Admission of Candidates

  • 1. Any person may be admitted by the board concerned as a candidate for an examination for the Degree of Master of Studies provided the following conditions have been satisfied:

    • (a) The application must be supported by the candidate's college.

    • (b) A candidate must either (i) have passed all the examinations required for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts and have obtained first or good second class honours in the Second Public Examination, or have obtained such honours in a degree examination of another university, such university having been approved by Council for the purpose of senior status, or (ii) in the opinion of the board, be otherwise adequately qualified to undertake the course.

  • 2. An application for admission of a candidate who has passed the examinations required for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts shall be sent to the Registrar by the head or tutor of his or her college, and shall be accompanied by a statement of the subject which he or she proposes to study and evidence of his or her fitness to undertake a course of study therein.

  • 3. An application for admission by a graduate of another university shall be sent to the Registrar by the head or tutor of the college to which he or she belongs or to which he or she has applied for admission, and shall be accompanied by all the necessary certificates from his or her previous university and by a statement of the subject which he or she proposes to study and evidence of his or her fitness to undertake a course of study therein.

  • 4. An application for admission by any other candidate shall be sent to the Registrar by the head or tutor of the college to which he or she belongs or to which he or she has applied for admission, and shall be accompanied by evidence of his or her previous education and by a statement of the subject which he or she proposes to study and evidence of his or her fitness to undertake a course of study therein.

  • 5. The Registrar shall bring any application submitted under cll. 2, 3, or 4 before the appropriate board for its approval. Such approval shall not be granted unless the board is satisfied that the candidate is well-fitted to enter on the course of study proposed by him or her.

  • 6. A board shall have power to appoint a standing committee of its own members to consider the applications of candidates and to report to the board.

  • 7. It shall be the duty of the Registrar to notify a candidate of the decision of a board as soon as may be.

  • 8. A member of the University who holds the status of Probationer Research Student or the status of student for another higher degree or postgraduate diploma within the University may, with the approval of the board which admitted him or her, transfer to the status of Student for the Degree of Master of Studies, in which case the date of his or her admission as a Probationer Research Student or to the status of student for a higher degree or post-graduate diploma shall then be reckoned, unless the board shall determine otherwise, as the date of his or her admission as a Student for the Degree of Master of Studies.

  • 9. A candidate for the B.Phil. in Philosophy may, with the approval of the Board of the Faculty of Philosophy, transfer to the status of a Student for the Degree of Master of Studies in Philosophy. The application must be submitted not later than Friday of the fourth week of the Hilary Full Term of the year in which he or she wishes to take the examination for the Degree of Master of Studies. The date of the candidate's admission as a B.Phil. Student shall then be reckoned as the date of his or her admission as a Student for the Degree of Master of Studies.

  • 10. A student holding the status of Probationer Research Student may, with the approval of the board which admitted him or her, be admitted as a candidate for an examination for the Degree of Master of Studies. Time spent as a student holding the status of Probationer Research Student shall count as time spent working for the Degree of Master of Studies.

  • 11. A Student for the Degree of Master of Studies who is not a graduate of the University may wear the same gown as that worn by Students for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

  • 12. A Student for the Degree of Master of Studies shall cease to hold such status if

    • (i) he or she shall have been refused permission to supplicate for the Degree of Master of Studies, or

    • (ii) the board concerned shall, in accordance with provisions set down by regulation by the Education Committee, and after consultation with the student's society and supervisor, have deprived the student of such status;

    • (iii) he or she shall have been transferred under the relevant provisions to another status;

    • (iv) he or she shall not have entered for the relevant examination within six terms for a full-time student and twelve terms for a part-time student.

§4. Supervision of Students

  • 1. Every candidate on admission as a Student for the Degree of Master of Studies shall be placed by the board which admitted him or her under the supervision of a graduate member of the University or other competent person selected by the board, and the board shall have power for sufficient reason to change the supervisor of any student.

  • 2. It shall be the duty of a supervisor of a student to direct and superintend the work of the student for any part of the student's course in which supervision is required and to undertake such duties as shall be from time to time set out in the relevant Policy and Guidance issued by the Education Committee.

  • 3. The supervisor shall send a report on the progress of the student to the board at the end of each term and at any other time when the board so requests, or he or she deems it expedient. The supervisor shall communicate the contents of the report to the student on each occasion that a report is made, so that the student is aware of the supervisor's assessment of his or her work during the period in question. In addition, he or she shall inform the board at once if he is of the opinion that the student is unlikely to reach the standard required for the Degree of Master of Studies.

  • The Registrar shall send a copy of each report by the supervisor to the student's society.
Table 25

Examination

Board

Ancient Philosophy

Philosophy

Archaeological Science

Social Sciences

Archaeology

Social Sciences

Bible Interpretation

Oriental Studies

British and European History, from 1500 to the present (full-time)

 History

British and European History, from 1500 to the present (part-time)

 History

Celtic Studies

Modern Languages

Chinese Studies

Oriental Studies

Classical Archaeology

Social Sciences

Classical Armenian Studies

Oriental Studies

Classical Hebrew Studies

Oriental Studies

Comparative Literature and Critical Translation

Humanities

Creative Writing

Continuing Education

Diplomatic Studies

Continuing Education

English

English Language and Literature

English Language

English Language and Literature

Film Aesthetics

Modern Languages

General Linguistics and Comparative Philology

Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics

Global and Imperial History

History

Greek and/or Latin Languages and Literature

Classics

Greek and/or Roman History

Classics

Historical Studies

Continuing Education

History

History

History of Art and Visual Culture

History

History of Design

Continuing Education

InternationalIntellectual Human Rights LawProperty 

ContinuingSocial EducationSciences

Islamic Art and ArchaeologyArchitecture

Oriental Studies

Islamic Studies and History

Oriental Studies

Japanese Studies

Oriental Studies

Jewish Studies

Oriental Studies

Jewish Studies in the Graeco-Roman Period

Oriental Studies

Korean Studies

Oriental Studies

Late Antique and Byzantine Studies

Classics and History

Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics (Advanced Study)

Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics

Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics (Research Preparation)

Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics

Literature and Arts

Continuing Education

Medieval History

History

Medieval Studies

History

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

Continuing Education

Modern Languages

Modern Languages

Modern South Asian Studies

History and Oriental Studies

Music

Music

Oriental Studies

Oriental Studies

Philosophical Theology

Theology

Philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy of Physics

Philosophy

Practical Ethics

Humanities/Continuing Education

Psychodynamic Practice

Continuing Education

Slavonic Studies

Modern Languages

Study of Religions

Theology

Syriac Studies

Oriental Studies

Theology

Theology

USTraditional HistoryChina

HistoryOriental Studies

Women's Studies

Modern Languages

Yiddish Studies

Modern Languages