DPhil Study

The History Faculty offers the DPhil (available on a full-time or a part-time basis) in all areas of post-Classical history. 

The DPhil is an advanced research degree, awarded on the basis of a thesis and an oral examination. The thesis will be based on extensive original research and engagement with current scholarship. Full-time DPhil students are expected to submit their thesis three, or at most four, years from the date of admission. Part-time DPhil students are expected to submit their thesis six, or at most eight, years from the date of admission.

All research students in the Oxford History Faculty benefit from the advice of a specialist supervisor or supervisors, and all are encouraged to take advantage of the wide range of expertise available within the Faculty and the University more widely.  

As a DPhil student, you will have many opportunities to present your work and to share ideas through the Faculty’s wide and varied range of research seminars. You are also encouraged to gain valuable experience by establishing and convening your own networks and workshops. The Faculty and Colleges also provides some funding for field-work and attendance at conferences outside Oxford. DPhil students in the History Faculty may also gain experience in teaching and lecturing through the Introduction to Teaching scheme.

The Faculty Offers Three DPhil Degrees:

Part-time DPhil Study

The Faculty is now able to accept a number of students for part-time study towards a DPhil. Part-time students are fully integrated into the research culture of the History Faculty and afforded all the same opportunities and support as full-time students, and are expected to take full advantage of these opportunities. A candidate's supervisor and the co-ordinator of part-time studies (currently the Regius Professor of History), are available to advise part-time students on how to access research and training provision. However, it may not always be possible to offer the part-time study mode in very specialized areas of research.

Although there will be no requirement to reside in Oxford, part-time research students must attend the University on a regular basis (particularly in term-time) for supervision, study and skills training. The Faculty appreciates that part-time research students will have non-standard attendance and work patterns. To ensure a comprehensive integration into the Faculty's and University's research culture and with their full-time peer groups a pattern of attendance at training events and research seminars would form part of the general part-time study agreement as well as the individualized arrangements between supervisor and student.

It is generally not possible for a candidate to register for a part-time degree if:

  • he or she requires a student visa for study in the United Kingdom
  • he or she resides more than a few hours' travelling time from Oxford. 

If an applicant is in employment, they must provide a letter from their employer stating they may take time off if necessary to attend the University as required for the duration of the course, before the Faculty can confirm their offer of a part-time place.

Please note that the University expects that students, once enrolled for full-time or part-time study, do not seek to change their mode of study in subsequent years.

DPhil Handbook

The DPhil Handbook can be found on the Oxford Historians Hub (OHH) site by clicking here.