Applying for Graduate Study

Graduate admissions are closed and will reopen in September

 

There is nothing to be gained from applying early as we assess all applications together, after the closing date. However, we would advise you not to leave submitting your application form until the last minute, as you may encounter technical difficulties that could prevent your application being submitted.

All applications must be made on line, through the University’s Graduate Admissions site. Before you start your application, please read the information below, and look through the university application guide carefully.

Please note that you can only apply for two taught graduate courses (MSt, MSc, MPhil) and one research course (DPhil), OR three research courses (DPhil) across the University.

Application Documentation

You can find details of what you need to submit with your application on the course page for each course on the University Graduate Admissions pages.

Advice on ...

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To apply for a Masters course you do not need to have a single honours/major degree in history, but you do need some experience of working on a historical subject at university level. You need to have a solid idea why you want to undertake your proposed project, know what skills you have, and how you’re going to gain the skills you don’t have.

 

To apply for a DPhil you need significant historical training in higher education, be able to write a detailed research proposal, and have experience of the skills needed to carry out your research. Such experience is usually obtained through a masters degree in history, but relevant experience can be gained from other graduate courses.

 

The standard offer for Masters applicants is to achieve at least 68% overall (equivalent to a high upper second class degree) on their undergraduate degree and at least 68% for their undergraduate dissertation.

The standard requirement for an undergraduate degree using a 4-point GPA scale is 3.75. 

 

The standard offer for DPhil applicants is to achieve at least 68% overall in their Masters and at least 68% for their Masters' thesis.

The standard requirement for a Masters using a 4-point GPA scale is 3.75. 

We expect our DPhil applicants to have an undergraduate degree at the level required for a Masters application.

 

If your university uses a different marking scale, your offer will be translated to match that scale.

 

If there are mitigating circumstances for your results being lower than expected, you will be able to explain these in your application, and they will be taken into account when assessing your application.

Adjustments will also be made if your overall score is lower than our requirements state, but your marks for history courses are high.

Please be aware that your academic results are not the only part of the assessment.

DPhil students must be able to work in the original language of their research material. You are not expected to be fluent before starting, but must have substantial experience of the relevant language(s). Training is available through the university language centre and at other departments for more specialized study.

Masters students can use translations in their research, but need the basics of the original language and must take a relevant language course, either at the university language centre or Faculty-organised courses.

For more detail on language learning, please use the Language Learning link on the left of this page.

 

Your proposal should show your academic potential and convince us that you have the right intellectual qualities, academic knowledge, and skills to undertake the course. The proposal is the centrepiece of your application and should demonstrate the viability of your topic and the level of background research already done. The depth and structure will naturally differ with the nature of the programme for which you are applying: a proposal for a DPhil should be more detailed, but not necessarily longer.

  • Be precise
  • Give your dissertation/thesis a preliminary title
  • Describe the work you have already done and how you will build on it
  • Give an account of the current state of scholarship and any central issues or problems
  • Explain what contribution your work will make
  • Indicate what kinds of sources you expect to use, where they can be found, how they will contribute to your work, what skills are needed to use these sources (for example, languages or data analysis), and to what extent you have those skills already
  • Give an indication of your methodology and approach to dealing with these sources. For example, the level of your inquiry (micro, macro, regional, national, transnational, comparative), will your research be quantitative or qualitative? will you use samples or case studies? will your research draw on a body of theory? does your research draw on the agendas or methods of other disciplines (for example anthropology, literary studies, sociology)?

 

You do not need to try to find your own supervisor. The faculty will appoint supervisors on the basis of our assessment of their fit with your research interests and their teaching capacity. Graduate students do not need to be at the same college as their supervisor.

Offer of places on both Masters and DPhil courses can only be made if appropriate supervision is available, so all applicants are strongly advised to search members of History Faculty staff to make sure there is someone working in the area in which you want to work, and enter the names of all suitable supervisors on their application forms. It’s a good idea to identify two or three potential supervisors, as not all members of staff are available for supervision every year.

 

Applicants are welcome to contact members of academic staff with queries about potential projects. When you have identified your potential supervisors, send an email with an abstract of your proposal and indicate which course you are interested in. Please don’t send in a full research proposal or CV. Staff may be able to give you advice which will help you think through your project, but do be aware that replies may be delayed at busy times during the academic year. If you don’t receive a reply within three weeks, you’re welcome to send a follow-up email. Please note that an indication from a potential supervisor that they would be willing to supervise a project is not a guarantee that you will be offered a place.

 

Your written work serves the purpose of showing your writing and research skills. It will be assessed for your understanding of problems, your ability to construct and defend  an argument, your powers of analysis, and your powers of expression. Ideally such work would relate to history, but writing samples from other subject areas still give the assessors a clear idea of your abilities. The work can be from your current or previous degree, or you can write something specifically for submission. Please note that the word limit of 4000 words is a maximum, not a target, and it's fine to submit a shorter piece.

References in footnotes are included in the wordcount, but a bibliography is not. There is no required format for references.

 

We normally require three academic references. Your application will be passed for assessment if two references are received by the relevant application deadline, but we will usually ask for a third before an offer is made. Referees must upload their reference directly, through the University admissions portal. More information on and for referees is available here.

We understand that finding three academic references isn’t always possible for mature students. In such cases, two academic references and one professional reference are acceptable.

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If you are not a native English speaker and do not permanently reside in a majority English-speaking country (as defined by UK Visa & Immigration), you will need to prove you have the required level of English language ability by providing a certificate from a recognised language test taken within two years of your proposed start date. Recognised test providers, required scores, and further details can be found on the University’s information on English proficiency . Please note that History applicants need to achieve test results at the higher level. 

 

You do not need to provide a test result in order to make an application, but if you are made an offer you will be required to submit test scores at the required level as part of your academic conditions.

 

You can apply for an English language waiver if you have completed a course taught entirely in English, which lasted at least nine months, within two years of your proposed start date. If the course was not in a majority English-speaking country (as defined by UK Visa & Immigration), you will need to provide evidence that the course was taught in English.

You can also apply for an English language waiver on the basis of professional experience within two years of your proposed start date. You will need to provide proof of the English language required for your role.

 

You can apply for multiple programmes and your applications will be treated separately. However, you can only apply for two taught courses (MSt, MSc, MPhil) and one research (DPhil) course OR three research courses (DPhil) across the University.

You can apply for the MSt and MPhil for the same strand, but you may only receive an offer for one (should you receive an offer).

You will have to pay the application fee for each application.

 

Part-time students do not need to live in Oxford, but must attend the Faculty in person regularly for courses, supervision, skills training, research, and participation in seminars. Part-time study is not distance learning.

Students on Masters courses, are expected to be present in Oxford for two days a week during term. You will therefore need to live within a few hours travelling time of Oxford, or be able to stay in Oxford for one or two nights a week.

Part-time DPhil study cannot be accomplished by evening and weekend study alone. You will need to spend time during the week on your research, and be present in Oxford during the week when needed. Attendance requirements are flexible and should be discussed and agreed with your supervisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.

Part-time students working alongside their studies must have the approval of their employers.

You cannot undertake another course at another institution (or Oxford) while studying part-time.

We cannot sponsor student visas for part-time study as the study patterns are not compatible with Home Office regulations on attendance monitoring. However, other options may be available and you should contact the History admissions office (graduate.admissions@history.ox.ac.uk) to discuss.

 

You are welcome to reapply if you did not receive an offer, or had to decline an offer. All applications will be assessed without consideration of any previous applications.

Please be aware that if you reapply after declining an offer there is no guarantee that you will be made an offer again.

If you have a query not covered by the information above, or the University Application Guide, please contact graduate.admissions@history.ox.ac.uk

Useful links to guide you through the application process: