Graduate
In the sections below you will find information about the graduate courses offered by the Oxford Philosophy Faculty, including the reformed version of the BPhil (the Faculty’s two-year Master’s programme). For information about the application process, please click here. The deadline for candidates applying for entry in October 2012 has now passed, Applications for October 2013 entry will open in September 2012 and the deadline will be 4th January 2013 (tbc). This deadline applies to all the Faculty’s graduate courses, and no applications can be considered beyond it. For information about fees, please click here.
Introduction to graduate study - Background
The aim of the Faculty’s graduate programmes is to prepare students for an academic career in philosophy. The usual progression through the Oxford philosophy graduate programme is to take the BPhil or one of the specialist MSts and then to continue research on the DPhil, which is examined by a thesis of approximately 75,000 only. Students who progress from the specialist MSts must spend one year as a Probationary Research Student (‘PRS’) before applying for full DPhil status. Typically, a candidate’s thesis for the BPhil or the Ancient Philosophy MSt will provide a basis for his or her DPhil thesis. There is no thesis element to the Philosophy of Physics MSt, but candidates who progress to the DPhil from that course are required to write a 20,000 word thesis during their year as a PRS. For all these degrees the student must be a matriculated member of a college, and must normally reside in Oxford for at least two years.
It is also possible to study philosophy at Oxford without being enrolled for a degree. In order to do this, you must apply for entry as a Visiting Student or Recognised Student. Information is available here.
Each year, around 40 graduate students in philosophy are admitted to Oxford. About half are admitted for the Bachelor of Philosophy course (the ‘BPhil’; note that, despite its name, the BPhil is a Master's level, postgraduate degree, equivalent to a two-year MPhil) and between 6 and 10 students are admitted for each of the Faculty’s specialised Master of Studies courses, in Ancient Philosophy and Philosophy of Physics. A small number of students are admitted each year directly to the Doctor of Philosophy course (the ‘DPhil’, the Faculty’s doctoral programme), initially as Probationary Research Students. These students will typically have already completed substantial graduate work in philosophy, at least equivalent to that required for the BPhil.
A comprehensive review of the BPhil course was completed in 2011, and the degree will be changing in some important ways with effect from October 2012. The reformed version of the BPhil will offer more breadth of study and provide contact with a greater range of Oxford philosophers. Further details can be found below.
The BPhil
The BPhil is an intellectually demanding course, presupposing an undergraduate background in philosophy (or equivalent). It is not suitable as a conversion course for students changing to philosophy from another subject; and it cannot be studied part-time or externally. It is regarded both as a training for the DPhil and a basis for teaching a range of philosophical subjects and requires sustained and focused work over two years.
As mentioned above, from October 2012 the BPhil degree will be reformed in several significant ways. Below is an outline of the new version of the course. Further details about subject areas and classes will be published on the Faculty website in due course.
Candidates admitted for the BPhil will be taught through a combination of classes and one-to-one supervisions. Each candidate will be required to submit seven assessed essays (of no more than 5,000 words each) across at least five subjects (with no more than two essays on any one subject), together with a thesis of up to 30,000 words.
The assessed essays must be chosen from three broad subject Groups: one essay must be on a subject from Group 1 (“Theoretical Philosophy”), one on a subject from Group 2 (“Practical Philosophy”), and two on a subject or subjects from Group 3 (“History of Philosophy”), of which at least one must be concerned with philosophy written before 1800. The precise list of subjects in the three groups will be published at the beginning of each year and will be tailored to the particular strengths of the Faculty members who will be teaching that year, but a typical list might be as follows:
Group 1: Metaphysics; Epistemology; Logic and Philosophy of Logic; Philosophy of Language; Philosophy of Mind; Philosophy of Religion; Philosophy of Probability and Decision Theory ; Philosophy of Science; Philosophy of Mathematics; Philosophy of Physics; Philosophy of Psychology and Cognitive Science.
Group 2: Ethics; Political Philosophy; Philosophy of Law; Aesthetics.
Group 3: Ancient Philosophy; Medieval Philosophy; Early Modern Philosophy; History of Philosophy from 1800 to 1950.
There will be provision for candidates to apply to offer up to two essays on at most one subject not included in the list of approved subjects.
During their first four terms of study, students will be offered four one-to-one supervisions on each of two of their chosen subjects: two supervisions per term. A “Pro-seminar” will be held in Michaelmas Term and Hilary Term of the first year, covering classic papers in metaphysics and epistemology (broadly construed) and practical philosophy, and providing guidance on research training methods. In every term, there will also be a wide range of specialised graduate seminars on offer. Students will be expected to attend at least two graduate classes per term (not including the Pro-seminar).
Students’ essays will be assessed continuously over the first four terms of study, with one essay submitted at the beginning of the second term, and two essays submitted at the beginning of each of the following three terms. The thesis is submitted at the end of the sixth (and final) term. Students will be allocated a thesis supervisor, and can expect to receive two one-to-one supervisions on their thesis in each of their final two terms of study.
To be awarded the BPhil degree, students must achieve (i) a passing mark in seven essays, which collectively must meet the distribution requirement described above; and (ii) a passing mark in the thesis. The lowest passing mark for the essays and the thesis is 60. Details of arrangements for the resubmission of failed work will be set out in the Course Handbook.
To obtain a distinction, which is also the criterion for automatic entry into the DPhil (subject to the provision of a suitable proposal and the availability of a suitable supervisor), students must obtain an average of 70 or more out of the 6 highest marks for the essays and a mark of 70 or more for the thesis.
The MSt in Ancient Philosophy
The MSt course in Ancient Philosophy aims to attract students of the highest calibre - with a background in philosophy or classics - and to provide a graduate education in ancient philosophy of the highest possible quality; one which will provide a foundation on which students can go on to pursue doctoral work in the area. The course consists of two subjects (examined by a total of three 4,000 word essays) and a thesis of up to 15,000 words.
Knowledge of ancient Greek language is not a prerequisite for admission to the course. However, students admitted will be expected to achieve Intermediate Level ancient Greek, for which specialist language training can be provided by the Faculty of Classics.
Students who pass the MSt in Ancient Philosophy will have the opportunity to apply to continue to the Faculty’s DPhil (doctoral) programme, via a year as a Probationary Research Student.
For a full description of the MSt in Ancient Philosophy click here.
The MSt in Philosophy of Physics
This course aims to attract students whose undergraduate degree is primarily in physics and who otherwise might not apply to Oxford because they feel that they lack the philosophical background and training to apply for the BPhil, or because they wish to specialise in Philosophy of Physics in a way that the BPhil presently does not allow. The course will offer a graduate education in Philosophy of Physics of the highest possible quality, providing a foundation on which candidates can go on to pursue doctoral work in the area.
The course consists of three subjects: Philosophy of Physics, Philosophy of Science, and an elective component (chosen from the following list: Metaphysics and Theory of Knowledge; Philosophy of Mind and Action; Philosophical Logic and the Philosophy of Language; and Philosophy of Mathematics.
Students who pass the MSt in Philosophy of Physics will have the opportunity to apply to continue to the Faculty’s DPhil (doctoral) programme, via a year as a Probationary Research Student.
For a full description of the MSt in Philosophy of Physics click here.
Probationary Research Student Status
An alternative route to the DPhil, involving initial admission directly as a Probationary Research Student (PRS) and later transfer to DPhil status, is available to candidates who already have a substantial background in philosophy, equivalent to that acquired in taking the BPhil. A general condition for admission of any candidate to the DPhil course is that their proposed thesis constitutes a suitable philosophical project of the required length and that there is a member of the Faculty who is able to act as supervisor.
The MSt and the MLitt
In addition to the BPhil, the MSts in Ancient Philosophy and Philosophy of Physics, and the DPhil, there are two other graduate degrees. The Master of Studies (MSt) is a one-year taught course, and the Master of Letters (MLitt) is a thesis-only degree of a standard more modest than the DPhil. The entry requirements for the MSt and MLitt (for transfer from PRS) are the same as for the BPhil and DPhil (for transfer from PRS) respectively. However, the Philosophy Graduate Studies Committee considers applications for the MSt or MLitt degrees only in exceptional circumstances and rarely admits students to these courses.
Open Day
An Open Day for all students who are offered a place for October 2012 will be held at the Philosophy Centre in March 2012.
Fees
For the latest information on fees charged by the University please visit http://www.ox.ac.uk/feesandfunding/fees/.
Enquiries
If you have any queries regarding graduate courses or admissions in Philosophy, please contact the Academic Administrator for Graduate Studies.