DPhil Asian and Middle Eastern Studies

Introduction

All topics fall under the general degree title of DPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.

Through independent research, and with the guidance of your supervisor, you will be required to complete a thesis of 80,000 to 100,000 words. 

The DPhil normally takes between three and four years to complete. 

You will begin your programme as a Probationary Research Student (PRS), applying to transfer to full DPhil status by the start of your second year. If successful, a further assessment, to confirm DPhil status, will take place during the third year. The transfer of status and confirmation of status assessments are processes handled by academics other than the supervisor, and are an opportunity to receive substantive feedback on your work by experts other than your supervisor(s). The final thesis will be assessed through a viva voce examination, typically with one internal and one external examiner.

You will have the opportunity to attend faculty seminars, lectures and colloquia, as well as a variety of skills training sessions offered by the faculty, as appropriate to different stages of the graduate career. All research students are offered an opportunity to attend the tutorial teaching day at the faculty in Hilary term. Those completing the training are then placed on the Graduate Teaching Register and may provide teaching for undergraduates if the opportunity arises.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. In such circumstances, a second internal supervisor may be appointed to provide guidance on policy and procedures of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.

You will be assigned a supervisor(s) who has overall responsibility for the direction of your work on behalf of the faculty. Typically, you should expect to have meetings with your supervisor at least twice a term during the period of your study, often more frequently during the earlier stages of the research programme.

Contacting a supervisor

Before you apply, you should identify an academic member of staff who is willing to supervise you and has the resources to support your proposed research project. You should do this by contacting them directly. Details of academic staff, including their research interests and contact details, can be found on our Faculty webpages.

Finding contact details

Any prospective supervisor should be a member of the teaching staff at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies so please use the filters to show ’Academic postholders’; the most appropriate area in ‘Subject Group’; and ‘DPhil supervision.’

If you have any questions about whether or not a potential supervisor is a member of the Faulty's teaching staff, reach out to our academic administration team on graduate.administrator@ames.ox.ac.uk

What to include in your email

The best way to proceed is to approach the faculty member whose research interests most closely match your own to ask if they might be interested in supervising your project. It’s a good idea to attach your CV and research proposal.

Potential supervisors will not be able to give any firm assurances about your application at this stage, since it will depend on the details of your application and others received in the admissions cycle.

 

Resources

During your studies you will have access to the Nizami Ganjavi Library based in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.

In addition to this, there are a number of other specialist library collections in Oxford that focus on Asian and Middle Eastern studies, such as:

Adjacent to the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies is the Ashmolean Museum, which houses superb collections. The Sackler Library includes the principal library for Egyptology and ancient Near Eastern Studies. The Khalili Research Centre is the University of Oxford's centre for research and teaching in the art and material culture of the Islamic societies of the Middle East and of non-Muslim members and neighbours.

You will also have access to the University's centrally provided electronic resources, the department's IT Officer and other bibliographic, archive or material sources as appropriate to the research topic. There is a computing room for the use of graduate students in the Faculty building, as well as a common room where tea and coffee are available and staff and students can meet. The provision of other resources specific to your project will be agreed with your supervisor as a part of the planning stages of the agreed project.

How to apply