DPhil in History
About the course
The DPhil in History is an advanced research degree, awarded on the basis of successful completion of an individual research thesis and an oral examination.
The DPhil in History offers the opportunity to carry out research on one of the following subject areas:
- British and European History 1700-1850
- British History, 1850 onwards
- Early Modern History 1500-1700
- European History, 1850 onwards
- Global and Imperial History
- History of Science, Medicine, and Technology
- Intellectual History
- Late Antique and Byzantine Studies
- Medieval History
- Military History
- South Asian History
- US History
- Women's, Gender, and Queer History
Within these broad areas, DPhil research can only be carried out if full supervision for a project is available. Places will only be offered if full supervision is available, so all applicants are strongly advised to check the list of faculty members and make sure your research interests coincide with those of a member of the faculty.
If you're thinking about applying for a DPhil researching economic and social history, you should consider whether it would be more appropriate to apply for the DPhil in History (Economic and Social History).
As a DPhil student, you will have many opportunities to present your work and to share ideas through the faculty’s wide and varied range of research seminars. You are also encouraged to gain valuable experience by establishing and convening your own networks and workshops. The faculty and colleges also provide some funding for field-work and attendance at conferences outside Oxford. DPhil students in the Faculty of History may also gain experience in teaching and lecturing through the Introduction to Teaching scheme.
You will be expected to attend and to contribute to the wide range of research seminars, conferences and workshops organised by the division and faculty. You will also have access to specialist training courses offered by the Bodleian Libraries and IT Services. Your supervisor will advise you on what seminars will be more beneficial for your chosen research area. You can attend any lectures, across the University, that you wish to (subject to any specific restrictions), and we encourage students to take advantage of this and explore areas outside of their specific research topic.
Attendance
The course can be studied full-time or part-time with both modes requiring attendance in Oxford. Full-time students are subject to the University's Residence requirements. Part-time students are required to attend course-related activities in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year.
The full-time programme is studied over three to four years. The part-time programme has the same requirements, but is studied over six to eight years. If studying full-time, you are expected to submit your thesis three, or at most four, years from the date of admission. If studying part-time, you are expected to submit your thesis six, or at most eight, years from the date of admission.
Although there will be no requirement to live in Oxford, part-time research students must attend the University on a regular basis in term-time for supervision, study, research seminars and skills training, to ensure a comprehensive integration into the faculty's and University's research culture and with their full-time peer groups. You must be able to devote two to three days a week to your research. The faculty appreciates that part-time research students will have non-standard attendance and work patterns, and research may be concentrated into certain periods rather then spread out evenly. The dates of attendance will be determined by mutual agreement with your supervisor.
Students offered a place on the full-time DPhil can switch to part-time study before the course starts, or after they have enrolled, but cannot switch back to full-time.
Resources to support your study
As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of world-class resources including libraries, museums, galleries, digital resources and IT services.
The Bodleian Libraries is the largest library system in the UK. It includes the main Bodleian Library and libraries across Oxford, including major research libraries and faculty, department and institute libraries. Together, the Libraries hold more than 13 million printed items, provide access to e-journals, and contain outstanding special collections including rare books and manuscripts, classical papyri, maps, music, art and printed ephemera.
The University's IT Services is available to all students to support with core university IT systems and tools, as well as many other services and facilities. IT Services also offers a range of IT learning courses for students, to support with learning and research.
The faculty's research is organised around historical periods, research centres, or in collaborative and individual research projects, and graduates are key participants in the wide range of seminars, workshops and conferences run by the faculty.
In the field of history of science, medicine, and technology, the study environment is particularly enhanced by the Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine, the Museum of the History of Science, and the Centre for the History of Science, Medicine and Technology. There is a large number of academic experts with interest in these fields across the collegiate University and you will benefit from a variety of interdisciplinary resources, including weekly seminars.
The Bodleian Libraries’ Special Collections Department attracts scholars from all over the world. Further strengths include the countless databases and digital resources currently offered by the Bodleian and being developed through Oxford’s Digital Humanities programme.
You will be able to use the specialist resources offered by the Bodleian History Faculty Library which provides dedicated support and training courses for all graduates. You will also have access to the many college libraries and archives which can house significant collections of personal papers as well as institutional records dating back to the middle ages.
Supervision
The allocation of graduate supervision is the responsibility of the Faculty of History and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Offers will only be made if appropriate supervision is available.
DPhil students usually have one or two supervisors. One supervisor must be a permanent member of the history faculty; co-supervisors can be appointed from a different department if specialist knowledge is required. In exceptional circumstances, a co-supervisor from outside the university may be appointed. You do not need to contact potential supervisors before applying, but all applicants are strongly advised to make sure that full supervision is available before applying.
Your supervisor(s) is there to provide advice, guidance, and support throughout your DPhil. You should arrange to meet your supervisor(s) early in your first term to establish a clear framework for your research and writing, and identify any skills training needed to undertake your research. It is up to you and your supervisor to decide on the frequency of future meetings. In the first year, you should arrange to meet your supervisor at least twice a term, and keep in frequent contact. As you become more engaged with your research, you may meet your supervisor less frequently, but you should maintain regular contact with them.
You may also have the opportunity to benefit from the advice and support of other members of the faculty who will be involved in your progression through the transfer and confirmation stages of the degree, and you will be able to draw on the expertise of scholars and colleagues throughout the wider university.
Assessment
All students will be initially admitted to the status of Probationer Research Student (PRS). Within a maximum of four terms as a full-time PRS student, or eight terms as a part-time PRS student, you will be expected to apply for transfer of status from Probationer Research Student to DPhil status. This application is normally made by the second term for full-time students and by the fifth term for part-time students.
A successful transfer of status from PRS to DPhil status will require the submission of a thesis outline and a piece of written work. Students who are successful at transfer will also be expected to apply for and gain confirmation of DPhil status to show that your work continues to be on track. This will need to done within nine terms of admission for full-time students and eighteen terms of admission for part-time students.
Both milestones normally involve an interview with one or two assessors (other than your supervisor) and therefore provide and important experience for the final oral examination.
Full-time students will be expected to submit a substantial thesis of not more than 100,000 words after three or, at most, four years from the date of admission. If you are studying part-time, you will be required to submit your thesis after six or, at most, eight years from the date of admission. To be successfully awarded a DPhil in History you will need to defend your thesis orally (viva voce) in front of two appointed examiners.
Graduate destinations
Approximately half of students who complete their doctoral thesis go on to further academic posts worldwide. Some work in museums, or as freelance historians; others are in professional administrative positions in areas such as the civil service, university administration, banking, and publishing.
Changes to this course and your supervision
The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made if a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency occurs. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.
Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.
For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.
Entry requirements for entry in 2025-26
Proven and potential academic excellence
The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our interactive tool to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.
We know that factors such as socio-economic circumstances and school performance can make it difficult for students to demonstrate their full potential. This course is taking part in an initiative to use contextual data to help us to better understand your achievements in the context of your individual background. For further details, please refer to the information about improving access to graduate study in the How to apply section of this page.
Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying. Contextual data may also be used in the assessment of studentships.
Degree-level qualifications
As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:
- a master's degree with distinction or a high pass (a minimum of 68% overall and 68% for the dissertation); and
- a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours (a minimum of 68% overall and 68% for the dissertation); in history or cognate disciplines.
However, entrance is very competitive and most successful applicants have a first-class degree or the equivalent.
For applicants with a bachelor's degree from the USA, the minimum overall GPA that is normally required to meet the undergraduate-level requirement is 3.6 out of 4.0, and for those with a master’s degree from the USA, the minimum overall GPA that is normally required to meet the masters-level requirement is 3.6 out of 4.0.
However, selection of candidates also depends on other factors in your application and most successful applicants have a GPA of 3.75 or higher for their bachelor and master’s degrees.
Applicants for the History DPhil are expected to have a masters in a historical subject. If you decide to apply without a prior master's degree in history, please ensure that you link your proposed thesis topic with your previous expertise when you present it in your application. You should also show that you have already done a considerable amount of background research into the topic. Your submitted written work should show your writing and research skills in their best light as it will be important to show that you have the necessary skills for historical research and writing.
Many applicants will be enrolled on a master’s course at the point of application, in which case any offer made will be conditional on completing that master’s course to the level specified in the condition.
If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.
GRE General Test scores
No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.
Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience
- In the case of mature students/intended career changes professional experience in cognate areas may compensate for shortcomings in the formal academic record.
- Publications are not required.
Further guidance
When assessors judge that a formally qualified and otherwise promising applicant requires strictly limited further training to embark on a doctoral programme, a doctoral place may be offered but only on the stipulation that the student successfully complete relevant elements of one of the faculty's master's courses before attempting 'transfer' to full doctoral status, meaning that the student may be asked to attend seminars or classes intended for master’s students.
English language proficiency
This course requires proficiency in English at the University's higher level. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are detailed in the table below.
| Test | Minimum overall score | Minimum score per component |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic (Institution code: 0713) | 7.5 | 7.0 |
TOEFL iBT, including the 'Home Edition' (Institution code: 0490) | 110 | Listening: 22 Reading: 24 Speaking: 25 Writing: 24 |
| C1 Advanced* | 191 | 185 |
| C2 Proficiency† | 191 | 185 |
*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)
†Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)
Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides further information about the English language test requirement.
Declaring extenuating circumstances
If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.
References
You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.
Supporting documents
You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.
Performance at interview
Interviews are not normally held as part of the admissions process.
Assessors may get in touch with an applicant by email in case of any queries, but this is very rare.
Offer conditions for successful applications
If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our 'After you apply' pages provide more information about offers and conditions.
In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:
Financial Declaration
If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a Financial Declaration in order to meet your financial condition of admission.
Disclosure of criminal convictions
In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any relevant, unspent criminal convictions before you can take up a place at Oxford.
Evidence of ability to study for employed part-time applicants
If you are applying for part-time study and are currently employed, you may be asked to provide evidence that your employment will not affect your ability to study and that you can commit sufficient time to fulfil all elements outlined in the course description. You may be asked to provide details about your pattern of employment and obtain a statement from your employer confirming their commitment to make time available for you to study, to complete coursework, and attend course and University events and modules.
Other factors governing whether places can be offered
The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:
- the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the About section of this page;
- the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
- minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.
History
History in Oxford stretches from c 300 to the present, and embraces in addition to its British and European heritage an exceptionally broad range of World history. It comprises an active research community of up to 800 senior academics and graduate students, all contributing to a range of research seminars, lectures, academic societies, and personal contacts.
Research in the faculty is organised around historical periods and research centres, or in collaborative and individual research projects, and you will always be welcome at seminars, workshops and conferences across all periods and themes.
You will be encouraged to make use of these opportunities as widely as possible without endangering your own degree work. Striking the right balance between intellectual curiosity and temptation and intellectual discipline, and remaining focused without becoming blinkered, should be an integral part of a successful graduate career. The Oxford environment provides all the ingredients for this.
Funding
For entry in the 2025-26 academic year, the collegiate University expects to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across a wide range of graduate courses.
If you apply by the January deadline shown on this page and receive a course offer, your application will then be considered for Oxford scholarships. For the majority of Oxford scholarships, your application will automatically be assessed against the eligibility criteria, without needing to make a separate application. There are further Oxford scholarships available which have additional eligibility criteria and where you are required to submit a separate application. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential.
To ensure that you are considered for Oxford scholarships that require a separate application, for which you may be eligible, use our fees, funding and scholarship search tool to identify these opportunities and find out how to apply. Alongside Oxford scholarships, you should also consider other opportunities for which you may be eligible including a range of external funding, loan schemes for postgraduate study and any other scholarships which may also still be available after the January deadline as listed on our fees, funding and scholarship search tool.
Details of college-specific funding opportunities can also be found on individual college websites:
Please refer to the College preference section of this page to identify which of the colleges listed above accept students for this course.
For the majority of college scholarships, it doesn’t matter which college, if any, you state a preference for in your application. If another college is able to offer you a scholarship, your application can be moved to that college if you accept the scholarship. Some college scholarships may require you to state a preference for that college when you apply, so check the eligibility requirements carefully.
Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the faculty's website.
Costs
Annual fees for entry in 2025-26
Full-time study
Fee status | Annual Course fees |
| Home | £13,380 |
| Overseas | £34,980 |
Part-time study
Fee status | Annual Course fees |
| Home | £6,690 |
| Overseas | £17,490 |
How long do I need to pay course fees?
Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges.
What do course fees cover?
Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information section below.
Continuation charges
Following the period of fee liability, you may also be required to pay a University continuation charge and a college continuation charge. The University and college continuation charges are shown on the Continuation charges page.
Where can I find further information about fees?
The Fees and Funding section of this website provides further information about course fees, including information about fee status and eligibility and your length of fee liability.
Additional information
Full-time study
There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees (or, after fee liability ends, continuation charges) and living costs. However, please note that, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.
Part-time study
Please note that you are required to attend in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year, and you may incur additional travel and accommodation expenses for this. Also, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur further additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.
Living costs
In addition to your course fees and any additional course-specific costs, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.
Living costs for full-time study
For the 2025-26 academic year, the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student is between £1,425 and £2,035 for each month spent in Oxford. We provide the cost per month so you can multiply up by the number of months you expect to live in Oxford. Depending on your circumstances, you may also need to budget for the costs of a student visa and immigration health surcharge and/or living costs for family members or other dependants that you plan to bring with you to Oxford (assuming that dependant visa eligibility criteria are met).
Living costs for part-time study
Your living costs may vary depending on your personal circumstances but you will still need to cover your cost of living on a full-time basis for the duration of your course, even if you will not be based in Oxford throughout your studies. While the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student living in Oxford is between £1,425 and £2,035 per month, living costs outside Oxford may be different.
Part-time students who are not based in Oxford will need to calculate travel and accommodation costs carefully. Depending on your circumstances and study plans, this may include the cost of a visitor visa to attend for short blocks of time (assuming that visitor visa eligibility criteria are met).
Further information about living costs
The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. For study in Oxford beyond the 2025-26 academic year, it is suggested that you budget for potential increases in living expenses of around 4% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. For further information, please consult our more detailed information about living costs, which includes a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs.
College preference
Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs).
If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief introduction to the college system at Oxford and our advice about expressing a college preference.
If you are a current Oxford student and you would like to remain at your current Oxford college, you should check whether it is listed below. If it is, you should indicate this preference when you apply. If not, you should contact your college office to ask whether they would be willing to make an exception. Further information about staying at your current college can be found in our Application Guide.
Full-time study
The following colleges accept students for full-time study on this course:
Part-time study
The following colleges accept students for part-time study on this course:
Before you apply
Our guide to getting started provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. You can use our interactive tool to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.
If it is important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under the January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance. Check the deadlines on this page and the information about deadlines and when to apply in our Application Guide.
Application fee waivers
An application fee of £20 is payable for each application to this course. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:
- applicants from low-income countries;
- refugees and displaced persons;
- UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and
- applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.
You are encouraged to check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver before you apply.
Readmission for current Oxford graduate taught students
If you're currently studying for an Oxford graduate taught course and apply to this course with no break in your studies, you may be eligible to apply to this course as a readmission applicant. The application fee will be waived for an eligible application of this type. Check whether you're eligible to apply for readmission.
Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?
You do not need to contact anyone in the faculty before you apply. You are not responsible for finding your own supervisor. However, you are strongly encouraged to familiarise yourself with the research expertise within the faculty when preparing your research proposal, to make sure that there is a supervisor available in the same area as your proposed project.
You are welcome to contact potential supervisors (with an abstract of your research proposal) before you apply, but it is not necessary. Please note that if you have contacted a potential supervisor prior to submitting your application, any indication made by an academic that they may be willing to supervise a potential project, is not a guarantee that you will be offered a place, or that the supervisor in question has capacity to supervise you in that particular year.
Offers will only be made if appropriate supervision is available. The faculty determines supervision arrangements, taking due account of the workload and commitments of its academics. If you are made an offer, a supervisor will be assigned to you, and identified in the offer letter.
Improving access to graduate study
This course is taking part in initiatives to improve the selection procedure for graduate applications, to ensure that all candidates are evaluated fairly. It is taking part in the 'Close the Gap' project which aims to improve access to doctoral study.
Socio-economic data (where it has been provided in the application form) will be used as part of an initiative to contextualise applications at the different stages of the selection process.
Completing your application
You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents.
For this course, the application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé. You should not upload a separate document. If a separate CV/résumé is uploaded, it will be removed from your application.
If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.
Proposed field and title of research project
Under the 'Field and title of research project' please enter your proposed field or area of research if this is known. If the department has advertised a specific research project that you would like to be considered for, please enter the project title here instead.
You should not use this field to type out a full research proposal. You will be able to upload your research supporting materials separately if they are required (as described below).
Proposed supervisor
It is not necessary for you to identify a potential supervisor in your application.
However, please check that a supervisor with expertise in your proposed area of research is available before applying. Details can be found on the faculty website. You are free to consult a specialist in your field for advice on your project, if you think that would be helpful.
Referees:
Three overall, academic preferred
Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.
References should generally be academic, though if you are returning to study after extended periods of non-academic employment then you are welcome to nominate professional referees where it would be impractical to call on your previous university tutors.
Your references will support intellectual ability, academic achievement, motivation, ability to work in both a group environment and sustained individual and self-motivated investigation.
Official transcript(s)
Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.
More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.
Research proposal:
A minimum of 500 words to a maximum of 1,000 words
Your research proposal must be written in English. A bibliography may also be provided and is not included in the word count, though any footnotes should be included.
If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.
This should be a developed proposal of your individual research project. It will provide crucial evidence of your readiness for doctoral research. Your proposal should cover all of the following:
- a research question: the central issue or problem with which you intend to grapple, and a working title;
- historiography: some account of the current state of scholarship in this area. You may want to explain why you are dissatisfied with existing scholarship: is it limited, dated or unconvincing? What kind of contribution will your work make?
- sources: an indication of the sources you expect to use, where these can be found, how they will contribute to your research, what if any technical skills you will need to work with them (eg language, quantitative, use of specialist software), and whether you already have, or will need to acquire, those skills; and
- method: some discussion of your approach to dealing with sources and constructing your thesis. Some of the following considerations may apply. At what level is your inquiry: micro or local, regional or national, comparative or transnational? Will you be using qualitative or quantitative techniques? Samples or case studies? Will your research draw on a body of theory? Does your approach draw on the agenda or methods of related disciplines such as anthropology, or literary studies?
It will be normal for your ideas subsequently to change in some ways as you investigate the evidence and develop your project. You should nevertheless make the best effort you can to demonstrate the extent of your research question, sources and method at this moment.
If you are applying for part-time study, you should provide evidence of your ability to commit sufficient time to study and fulfil all elements outlined in the course description (eg completing coursework, assessments, and attending course and University events and modules).
This will be assessed for:
- your reasons for applying
- the coherence of the proposal
- the originality of the project
- evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study
- the ability to present a reasoned case in English
- the feasibility of successfully completing the project within three years
- preliminary knowledge of research techniques
- capacity for sustained and intense work
- the ability to contextualise, and analyse the evidence
- your ability to commit sufficient time to study and fulfil all elements outlined in the course description if you are applying for part-time study.
Written work:
An academic writing sample of no more than 4,000 words in total length
Written work should be from your most recent completed qualification, but does not need to relate closely to your proposed area of study. Extracts from a longer piece of work are welcome, but please include a preface which puts the work in context.
The work will be assessed for your:
- understanding of problems in the area
- ability to construct and defend an argument
- powers of analysis
- powers of expression.
It must be submitted in English (if this work has been translated, you must indicate if the translations are your own, or what assistance you had in producing the English text).
If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document. Any footnotes should be included in the word count. A bibliography may also be provided and is not included in the word count.
Start or continue your application
You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please refer to the requirements above and consult our Application Guide for advice.
Apply - Full time Apply - Part time Continue applicationClosed
After you've submitted your application
Your application (including the supporting documents outlined above) will be assessed against the entry requirements detailed on this course page. Whether or not you have secured funding will not be taken into consideration when your application is assessed. You can find out more about our shortlisting and selection process in our detailed guide to what happens next.
Find out how to manage your application after submission, using our Applicant Self-Service tool.
ADMISSION STATUS
Closed to applications for entry in 2025-26
Register to be notified via email when the next application cycle opens (for entry in 2026-27)
Deadlines
12:00 midday UK time on:
Tuesday 7 January 2025
Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships
Final application deadline for entry in 2025-26
| Full Time | Part Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Course code | RD_HY2 | RD_HY9P2 |
| Expected length | 3-4 years | 6-8 years |
| Places in 2025-26 | c. 54 | c. 6 |
| Applications/year* | 279 | 18 |
| Expected start | 5 October 2025 | |
| English language | Higher level required | |
*Three-year average (applications for entry in 2022-23 to 2024-25)
Further information and enquiries
This course is offered by the
Faculty of History
- Course page on the faculty's website
- Funding information from the faculty
- Academic and research staff
- Faculty research
- Humanities Division
- Residence requirements for full-time courses
- Postgraduate applicant privacy policy
Course-related enquiries
Advice about contacting the department can be found in the How to apply section of this page
✉ graduate.admissions@history.ox.ac.uk
☎ +44 (0) 1865 615000
Application-process enquiries
Visa eligibility for part-time study
We are unable to sponsor student visas for part-time study on this course. Part-time students may be able to attend on a visitor visa for short blocks of time only (and leave after each visit) and will need to remain based outside the UK.