Nuffield College, Student Prospectus, Student Places

Students register with the University for their higher degree the management of which is governed by the University’s own rules and regulations. Offers of student places at Nuffield are governed by the College’s regulations as set out below. Students at Nuffield who come to the end of their full-time studies at the College may nevertheless continue to be registered with the University for a higher degree.

Students at Nuffield are offered a full-time student place for a maximum of four years. This period is dependent on the degree they are registered for and what they have done before.

Students who have not completed a Master’s degree before they come are offered a place for four years.
Students who already have a one-year Master’s (e.g. M Sc or M St) normally enter as second year students and therefore have a full-time place for three years.
Students who already have a two-year Master’s (e.g. an Oxford M Phil) normally enter as third year students and therefore are offered two years at the College.
Students migrating from another college in the University of Oxford who are already doing a D Phil normally have the time spent on the D Phil counted in the same way as previous Master’s (e.g. someone who has already done a one-year Master’s and one year on a D Phil enters Nuffield in the third year).

In exceptional circumstances the previous Master’s may be discounted, specifically where the Master’s degree either is in a discipline deemed irrelevant to the D Phil or is deemed to be not up to the standard of the equivalent UK degree.

The College does not normally admit students who would have already spent three or more years doing relevant postgraduate degrees by the time of entry. Students already doing a D Phil at another university are normally admitted only if their supervisor is moving to Oxford University.

Students who do not complete their D Phil by the end of the fourth year remain members of the College (Continuing Students) while they are registered with the University for a D Phil, but do not have a full-time student place. If they are living in Oxford and they register as Enhanced Continuing Students of the College, the College provides them with basic research facilities (e.g. computing, library and shared study space) until they complete their degree. A small termly charge is made for this.

Students coming to Nuffield to undertake a two-year M Phil enter as first year students and are offered a place for two years. If progress is satisfactory and funding is available the student may apply to stay on for a further two years to undertake a D Phil.

Students coming to Nuffield to undertake a one-year Master’s enter as first year students and are offered a place for one year. If progress is satisfactory and funding is available the student may apply to stay on for a further three years to undertake a D Phil.


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