Research Degrees in Medieval & Modern Languages

1. Admission as a Probationer Research Student

• Candidates may apply for admission as Probationer Research Student, or directly to DPhil status, on a full-time or part-time basis. In assessing applications from candidates seeking to undertake a research degree through part-time study, the Graduate Studies Committees of the Board of the Faculty of Medieval & Modern Languages shall have regard to evidence that 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 of the Board of the Faculty of Medieval & Modern Languages. During a candidate's probationary period the attendance arrangements must take account of relevant induction and training events scheduled by the Faculty.

  2. Transfer to M.Litt. and D.Phil. status

• Candidates must give notice of intention to apply for transfer in writing to the Modern Languages Graduate Office, 41 Wellington Square, Oxford, by the end of the fourth week of the third term before they seek entry to D.Phil. status, giving the title of the proposed thesis. By Friday of the sixth week they shall submit an application form together with:

  • (i) one electronic copy, or three typed copies, of a statement (not more than 1,000 words) of the title of the proposed thesis and of the manner in which the subject will be treated, and of the way in which the proposed treatment relates to existing work relevant to the chosen topic, the statement to include a provisional scheme of the contents of the chosen topic, and

    (ii) one electronic copy, or two typed copies of a piece of written work normally not more than about 10,000 words long.

    (iii) The application for transfer of status shall be submitted to the Modern Languages Graduate Office, 41 Wellington Square, Oxford.

• 3. Confirmation of D.Phil. status

  • (i) Each applicant for confirmation of D.Phil. status must submit one electronic copy, or two typed copies of a piece of written work of 15,000 words in length (except where text is accompanied by graphs or statistical material), being a draft of a chapter or chapters of the thesis (excluding the introductory or concluding chapters and any section submitted for the first transfer examination). The student shall show on a provisional list of the contents of the thesis the place he or she plans for the draft chapter(s). Each applicant must also submit, at the time of application, one electronic copy, or three typed copies of a statement (of not more than 1,000 words) of the title of the proposed thesis and of the manner in which the subject will be treated, and of work achieved on other parts of the thesis and work remaining to be done.

    (ii) The application for confirmation of D.Phil. status shall be submitted to the Modern Languages Graduate Office, 41 Wellington Square, Oxford.

• 4. 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 80,000 words, excluding the bibliography and any text that is being edited but including notes, glossary, appendices, etc. Leave to exceed these limits will be given only in exceptional cases. 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. Application must be made immediately it seems clear that authorisation to exceed the limit will be sought and normally not later than six months before the intended date of submission of the thesis.

  Every candidate who is editing a text must also state the length of the text being edited.

  In addition to the arrangements for an abstract of the thesis set out in the Education Committee's regulations above, a fuller abstract of the thesis (which shall not normally exceed 1,500 words for the M.Litt. and 2,500 words for the D.Phil.) prepared by the student is required. A copy of the fuller abstract must be included with the electronic copy of the thesis which, if the application for leave to supplicate for the degree is successful, the candidate must submit to the Oxford Research Archive (ORA).