What is a DPhil?

I'm familiar with most undergraduate and postgrad degree terms BA MA Msci MEng LLB LLM Phd etc., but what is an MPhil & DPhil?

Reply 1

sisyphus

samd294

I'm familiar with most undergraduate and postgrad degree terms BA MA Msci MEng LLB LLM Phd etc., but what is an MPhil & DPhil?

A DPhil is an Oxford PhD. An MPhil is a one or two year further degree taken after a masters or bachelors, sometimes as a precursor to a PhD.

Reply 2

hornblower

samd294

I'm familiar with most undergraduate and postgrad degree terms BA MA Msci MEng LLB LLM Phd etc., but what is an MPhil & DPhil?

The Master of Philosophy is a research degree awarded for the completion of a thesis. It is a shorter version of the PhD and some universities routinely enter potential PhD students into the MPhil programme and allow them to upgrade to the full PhD programme a year or two into the course.

The most common type of research doctorate is a Ph.D. (Philosophiæ Doctor or Doctor of Philosophy), though there are many other designations, listed below. Some British universities, including York, Oxford and Sussex refer to the Ph.D. degree as the D.Phil..

Look at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_degree

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D.Phil.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degrees_of_Oxford_University

Reply 3

tommyboy

At most English universities an MPhil would be a two year research course - basically something in between the MA and the PhD, and sometimes regarded as a failed PhD (it can, in fact, be awarded for a PhD dissertation that would otherwise be given a fail). However, Cambridge, for instance, do one year MPhil courses (both taught and research), as their BAs can get upgraded to MAs after a couple of years (and then there's also the MSt!).