MPhil in Art History

The Master of Philosophy (MPhil) is a research degree based upon two years (four semesters) of full-time study or four years (eight semesters) of part-time study.

It is available either with a taught component, or as a full-time research degree. If it is taken with the taught component, then the dissertation should be up to 40,000 words in length; without the taught element, the dissertation will be up to 60,000 words long. Both dissertations are assessed by an oral examination.

If you are considering applying for direct entry to the MPhil, we expect you to first make contact with a faculty member within the School, who has the relevant research expertise to serve potentially as your supervisor. Some students benefit from joint supervision, and it is also possible to work with supervisors from different disciplines, such as (for instance) Modern Languages, History, or Medicine.

When you apply, you should indicate clearly in your application form whether you intend to include the taught element, or whether you plan to pursue a research only degree.

More usually, students apply to enter the MPhil degree after completion of the first two semesters of the Master of Literature (MLitt). If this is the case, then acceptance to the degree programme will depend on whether you have made satisfactory progress and have agreed a suitable research topic with a prospective supervisor.