PhD
A PhD in History is mainly made up of independent study, with supervision meetings spread throughout the year.
The PhD involves a minimum of three years full-time or six years part-time directed research, at the end of which you will produce an 100,000-word thesis on your chosen subject. You will also take a verbal examination called a viva voce, where you explain your project in depth to an examination panel.
MPhil
Studying for an MPhil degree involves a minimum of two years of full-time or four years of part-time directed study, at the end of which you will produce a 60,000-word thesis on your chosen subject.
You may transfer to the PhD at the end of your course, following your final annual review, if your work is judged to be of suitable quality.
What is the thesis pending period?
All periods of registration are followed by a period of writing-up (called the thesis-pending period) when tuition fees are not paid and students are writing up their thesis.
Annual review
All PhD students take part in annual review assessments to ensure that their project is progressing satisfactorily. An annual review usually consists of a written report.
For full-time students, the first year is probationary (first two years for part-time students), and the first year annual review involves a viva with an independent internal assessor.