Research Degrees in History
Differences from 2014/15 to 2023/24
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1.
Admission/First year course workInResearch students in History (which includesmedieval history,economic and social history, history of science and medicine, and history of art)graduate students are initially admittedeitheras candidates for a taught programmeoras candidates for a research programme. The requirements for all taught programmes are laid out in detail under their individual regulations above.Research studentsare admitted as Probationer D.Phil.students, and are required to undertake the following work in their probationary period:-
(a) attend such lectures, seminars and master’s classes as
his or hertheir supervisor shall determine; and -
(b) present one seminar paper during the first year. Such paper shall normally be assessed by two assessors. Such assessors should not include the candidate’s supervisor. The work done for the seminar paper may form the basis of the essay required under (2) below.
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Applications for admission/transfer to full M.Litt. or D.Phil. status shall be accompanied by:
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(1) one
two copiescopy of a statement (of 500 to 1,000 words) of the subject of the thesis and the manner in which the candidate proposes to treat it; such a statement will also normally include a descriptive title for the research project, an indication of identified or envisaged primary sources, an outline of the time table for background reading, archival or field work, and writing-up; also an account of how the research project relates to work done for any relevant master’s dissertation; (2) one
two copiescopy of a piece of written work,normallybetween 3,000–and 5,000 words long, beingeitheron(a)thea sectiontopic of the proposed thesis,or(b)usually anessayearlyondraft of arelevant topic, or (c) an augmented versionchapter of thestatement required under (1thesis)above;candidatesif the submitted work is not a draft chapter, then the candidate shouldnoteprovidethatanifexplanationthey adopt alternative (c) they must also submit separatelyof thestatementwrittenrequiredwork’sunderrelationship(1)toabovethe thesis;-
(3) one
two copiescopy of a confidential report from the supervisor(s), which should be sentby the supervisor directlydirect to the Faculty’s Graduate Office.
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All work should be emailed as a PDF or Word copy to the Graduate Office.
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Successful completion of the work prescribed above is not in itself sufficient qualification for students to advance to M.Litt. or D.Phil. status.
2. Readmission after completion of a taught programme
Students who are currently entered as candidates for the examination in the M.St. in Medieval History, M.St. or M.Phil. in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, M.St. in Medieval Studies, M.St. or M.Phil in Modern British and European History, M.St. in Global and Imperial History, M.St. in US History, M.St. in History of Art and Visual Culture, M.Sc. in English Local History, M.Sc. or M.Phil. in Economic and Social History, M.Sc. or M.Phil. in History of Science, Medicine, and Technology, or another relevant Master’s programme may apply for admission to the M.Litt. or D.Phil. programme in the year in which they enter the final examination for their M.Sc., M.St., or M.Phil. programme. Readmission may be made conditional on such requirements as the Graduate Studies Committee may impose, and successful completion of their current degree is not in itself sufficient qualification for students to be admitted to a research programme.
3. Special provisions for part-time students 1
In assessing applications from candidates seeking to undertake a research degree through part-time study, the Graduate Studies Committee of the Board of the Faculty of History shall have regard to evidence that:
(i)the candidate is suitable to undertake research at doctoral level;(ii)the candidate's proposed topic of research is suitable for part-time study;(iii)the candidate's personal and professional circumstances are such that it is both practicable for him or her to fulfil the requirements of the course, and necessary for him or her to study on a part-time basis;(iv)if appropriate, the candidate has the written support of their present employer for their proposed course of study and its obligations;(v)the candidate can meet the following attendance requirements for their period of part-time study: attendance for a minimum of thirty days of university-based work each year, normally coinciding with the full terms of the academic year, to be arranged with the agreement of their supervisor, for the period that their names remain on the Register of Graduate Students unless individually dispensed by the Graduate Studies Committee on the Board of the Faculty of History. During a candidate's probationary period the attendance arrangements must take account of relevant induction and training events scheduled by the Faculty.
4. Transfer to full M.Litt. or D.Phil. status
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(i) The application form, endorsed by the candidate’s society and supervisor, and the supporting material as outlined under 1. above shall normally be presented to the Faculty’s Graduate Office not later than Friday of eighth week in the candidate’s first Hilary Term (or Friday of eighth week in the candidate's second Hilary Term in the case of part-time students). In exceptional cases the Director of Graduate Studies
Committeemay permit the candidate to postpone submission: candidates seeking such postponement should applytoforthe Directordeferral ofGraduatetransferStudiesof status well in advance. (ii)
Two copies of a confidential report from the supervisor should be sent by the supervisor directly to the Faculty’s Graduate Office.The Graduate Office shall sendbothcopies of the written work and the confidential report to the candidate’s interviewer who will pass on one copy to the second assessor nominated as below.-
(iii) The interviewer shall then, together with a second assessor appointed in conjunction with the Director of Graduate Studies, examine the candidate orally. The interviewer shall be entitled, after consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies, to appoint a deputy to act instead. When the interviewer is also the supervisor, the Director of Graduate Studies shall act as if he or she were the interviewer and shall have power to appoint a deputy and the second assessor.
(iv) The assessors shall report to the Director of Graduate Studies
Committeein writing whether the candidate’s subject is satisfactory for the degree in question and whether he or she is competent to tackle it.2 If they think this is not the case, they may recommend resubmission after a set period of further probation; such resubmission will constitute the second attempt at Transfer of Status provided for in the General Regulations for the degree. If the assessors disagree, the Director of Graduate StudiesCommitteeshall decide what should be done.-
(v) Candidates holding the status of M.Litt. student may apply for transfer to D. Phil. status at any time, within the statutory limit of nine terms. Their Transfer of Status application will be considered according to the procedure laid down for confirmation of D. Phil. status (see below). The interviewer appointed by the Faculty Board shall follow that procedure, except that the interviewer will be asked to state explicitly whether in addition to this procedure a subsequent formal confirmation of D. Phil. status would be desirable, or not.
53. Confirmation of D.Phil. status
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(i) Application for confirmation of D. Phil. status, with endorsements by the candidate’s society and supervisor, shall normally be presented to the Faculty’s Graduate Office not later than
MondayFriday ofthirdfifth week in the eighth term after admission to the D. Phil. programme (or, in the case of part-time students, in the candidate's twelfth term aftertransferadmission tofullthe D. Phil.statusProgramme,inor,theifcaseswitchingoffrom full-time to part-timestudentswhile on-course, an equivalent number of terms). In exceptional cases the Director of Graduate StudiesCommitteemay permit the candidate to postpone submission by up to one term: candidates seeking such postponement should apply to theCommittee through theDirector of Graduate Studies well in advance. -
(ii) Application for confirmation of D.Phil
.status shall be accompanied by: (1) a full outline of chapters (1–-2 pages), summarising the scope of individual chapters and their state of completion, including a timetable for completion of the work which remains to be done before submission of the thesis; (2) a draft abstract of the thesis as a whole, of between 1,000 and 2,000 words; (3) a sample chapter, of between 6,000 and 10,000 words; (4) a confidential report from the supervisor(s) which should be sent direct to the Faculty’s Graduate Office. The Graduate Office shall send the written work and the confidential report to the interviewer appointed by the Faculty Board. -
(iii) The interviewer shall then examine the candidate orally. If the interviewer considers it necessary, a second assessor may be appointed in conjunction with the Director of Graduate Studies. In cases where the interviewer is also the supervisor, the Director of Graduate Studies shall act as if
he or shethey were the interviewer and shall have power to appoint a deputy and, if necessary, a second assessor. (iv) The interviewer shall report to the Director of Graduate Studies
Committeein writing whether the candidate’s subject is satisfactory and whether he or she is competent to tackle it. If confirmation is not recommended the interviewer may recommend reapplication after a further period of study (within the timeframe provided for in the General Regulations) or alternatively transfer to M.Litt. status, subject to the general regulations governing confirmation of status.
64. Theses
Theses submitted for the Degree of M.Litt. should not exceed 50,000 words and those submitted for the Degree of D.Phil. should not exceed 100,000 words, including all notes, appendices, any source material being edited, and all other parts of the thesis whatsoever, excluding only the bibliography and abstract; any thesis exceeding these limits is liable to be rejected on that ground. Any application for permission to exceed the limit should be submitted with a detailed explanation and statement of the amount of excess length requested, and with a covering letter from the supervisor. Applications should be made as soon as possible and may not be made later than the last day of the fifth week of the term before that in which application is made for appointment of examiners. The presentation and footnotes should comply with the requirements specified in the Regulations of the Education Committee for the degrees of M.Litt. and D.Phil. and follow the Conventions for the presentation of essays, dissertations and theses of the Faculty of History.
All candidates must submit with their thesis two printed or typewritten copies of an abstract of the thesis, which shall not normally exceed 1,500 words for the M.Litt. or 2,500 words for the D. Phil., prepared by the student. This is in addition to the requirement to submit an abstract of not more than 300 words in length required by the Education Committee's regulations. Copies of both abstracts shall be bound into the copy of the thesis which shall be deposited in the Bodleian Library. One loose copy of the 300 words abstract, printed on a single page, must be submitted together with the Library copy to the Examination Schools.