MSt in Ancient Philosophy
Oxford is widely acknowledged to contain one of the leading groups, arguably the leading group, of ancient philosophers in the world; ancient philosophy at Oxford is ranked top in the Philosophical Gourmet Report’s breakdown of programmes by speciality, and through the Master of Studies (MSt) in Ancient Philosophy the Faculty aims to attract and select the best possible national and international scholars in the subject.
The Master of Studies course offers a graduate education in ancient philosophy of the highest possible quality, which provides a foundation on which students can go on to pursue doctoral work in the area. 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 (PRS).
The Faculty intends to admit around 10 students for the new course each year.
More about Ancient Philosophy at Oxford
The course
The course allows students to specialise in at least two areas of ancient philosophy, and to write a thesis of up to 15,000 words. All students without adequate training in ancient Greek will be required to undergo specialist language training provided by the Faculty of Classics. Students who pass the MSt have the opportunity to apply to continue to the Faculty’s DPhil (doctoral) programme, via a year as a Probationary Research Student.
Subject A
The first subject must be chosen from the list of undergraduate subjects already offered in ancient philosophy:
130. Plato: Republic
131. Plato: Theaetetus/Sophist
132. Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics
133. Aristotle: Physics
134. Sextus Empiricus: Outlines of Pyrrhonism
135. Latin Philosophy
Tuition for this subject is provided in the form of one-to-one tutorials, usually in a student’s first or second term. While the syllabi for these subjects is borrowed from the Faculty’s undergraduate courses, the teaching is at Masters-level, and the subject is examined by one 4,000 word essay.
Subject B
The second subject consists of two classes, run during Michaelmas Term and Hilary Term. The ‘subject options’ covered by the class in Michaelmas Term are different from those covered by the class in Hilary Term. Details of the classes and the subject options to be covered are published in the course handbook before the beginning of the academic year. Students must attend both classes.
The second subject is assessed by two 4,000 word essays on topics relevant to the subject options covered in the dedicated classes. The topics must be chosen by the student and approved by the Course Director, and must not overlap substantially with the choice of option for the first subject. Students may choose either to write both essays on one subject option or to write one essay on one subject option and another essay on another subject option.
The reading lists for both subjects will include texts both in the original language and in translation; students’ readings will be guided by their supervisor(s) according to their level of Ancient Greek.
The thesis
Students are required to write a thesis (of up to 15,000 words) during the Easter vacation and their final term, to be submitted at the end of their final term. The thesis can be on a topic of the student’s choice, within ancient philosophy, and approved by the student’s supervisor and the Philosophy Graduate Studies Committee.
Continuing to the DPhil
The course will allow candidates the opportunity to continue to the Faculty’s DPhil programme, initially as a Probationary Research Student (PRS). Candidates who receive a mark of 68 or above in all parts of the MSt examination will normally be offered a place as a PRS, subject to the availability of supervision. Candidates who receive passing marks of 67 or less in all parts of the examination may apply to the Philosophy Graduate Studies Committee for discretionary admissions as a PRS. All candidates intending to continue to PRS status would be required to submit an appropriate DPhil thesis proposal. During their PRS year students will be required to satisfy certain formal conditions, to be determined by the time of their application. They will then progress to apply for confirmation of DPhil status (see the University's Examination Regulations for details). It is envisaged that a typical student might finish a doctoral thesis within three years of passing the MSt.
How to apply
The deadline for candidates applying for entry in October 2012 has now passed. Late applications will not be considered. Applications for October 2013 entry will open in September 2012 and the deadline will be 4th January 2013 (tbc).
Applicants for admission to the Ancient Philosophy MSt will be assessed on similar criteria to, and along the same timescale as, those for the other courses. Candidates will be required to submit two recent essays on topics within philosophy, not of a primarily expository nature, between 2,000 and 2,500 words each. As is the case for the BPhil, either or both essays could be part of a longer work, but, if so, a section of not more than 2,500 words must be unambiguously identified for particular consideration by the assessors.
Applications would be assessed by the Philosophy Graduate Studies Committee as a gathered field, and offers made on a strictly comparative basis. In the applicant's academic record, evidence will be sought of success in study at university level generally, and in the area of philosophy in particular.
The letters of reference should support such an interpretation of the academic record and also give evidence of the candidate's intellectual potential and aptitude for postgraduate study in ancient philosophy.
The candidate's plans for study or research should be coherent and realistic and there should be a suitable supervisor for them at Oxford.
The written work will be assessed by the evidence that it gives of clarity and accuracy of thought and writing; intellectual independence; willingness and ability to reach conclusions by reasoned argument rather than assertion; a critical and attentive reading of any texts discussed; understanding of at least some important philosophical ideas and theories; and if required by the topic of the work, appropriate technical skills.
Forms and other application information for entry in October 2012 are available from the Graduate Admissions Office. You can download an application pack on-line at: http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/gsp/, or contact them as follows:
Graduate Admissions Office
University Offices
Wellington Square
Oxford OX1 2JD
E-Mail: graduate.admissions@admin.ox.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1865 270059
Fax: +44 (0) 1865 270049
International applicants should take into account the English Language Test Requirements for admissions to graduate courses at the University of Oxford, as well as the visa advice, available on the University’s International Student webpages.
Further details
If you have any further questions about the MSt course in Ancient Philosophy please contact:
Ms Iris Geens
Academic Administrator for Graduate Studies
Faculty of Philosophy
10 Merton Street
Oxford , OX1 4JJ
UK
Tel: + 44 1865 276933
Fax: + 44 1865 276932
Email: graduate@philosophy.ox.ac.uk
More about Ancient Philosophy
Faculty Post-holders with a research interest in Ancient Philosophy include David Charles, Ursula Coope, Roger Crisp, Miriam Griffin, Terence Irwin, Thomas Johansen, Lindsay Judson, Jessica Moss, Michail Peramatzis, Tobias Reinhardt, Christopher Shields, and Cecilia Trifogli. Other members of the Faculty of Philosophy or a related Faculty who are active in research in Ancient Philosophy include Mark Edwards, Gail Fine, Anna Marmodoro, Dirk Obbink, Richard Rutherford, Richard Sorabji, Christopher Taylor, and Fritz Zimmermann.
The Ancient Philosophy community at Oxford meets weekly at the Thursday work-in-progress seminar, which invites guest speakers from inside and outside Oxford. More details can be found here.