phd in history oxford university

Faculty of History

Medieval and modern history has been studied at Oxford for longer than at almost any other university: a Regius Professor of Modern History was first appointed in 1724, and undergraduate examinations began in 1850.

The History Faculty has more than 90 permanent academic staff. Of these, 15 are statutory Professors, or Readers. The majority of permanent academic staff, are joint appointees whose teaching responsibilities encompass both the Faculty and the individual college of appointment.

 The Faculty also encompasses at any one time a number of historians employed by colleges – College Lecturers and short-term Junior Research Fellows – as well as those on fixed-term employment with the Faculty: Departmental Lecturers providing teaching for postholders on research leave, and research assistants on funded research projects. Its wider membership includes colleagues in a number of other faculties and departments across the University who work as historians or in closely cognate disciplines.

The University of Oxford is one of the world's most encompassing centres for the study of history. The faculty has nearly twelve hundred undergraduates, and almost five hundred graduate students attracted from around the world.

Teaching and Research Showcase

Podcast: the english people at war in the age of henry viii.

In this history lecture series Professor Stephen Gunn look at the effects of war on the people of England in the 1500s. This lecture series was recorded in Hilary Term 2015 and is part of the annual James Ford Lectures in British History series at the Examination Schools in Oxford University.

More podcasts relating to the Faculty of History

Book: Martin Luther: Renegade and Prophet (Lyndal Roper, 2016)

When Martin Luther nailed a sheet of paper to the church door of a small university town on 31 October 1517, he set off a process that changed the Western world for ever.

Luther’s ideas spread like wildfire. His attack on the Church soon convulsed Germany, divided Europe and polarised people’s beliefs. They triggered decades of religious persecution, social unrest and war. And in the long run, his ideas paradoxically helped break the grip of religion in every sphere of life.

But the man who started the Reformation was deeply flawed. He was a religious fundamentalist, a Jew-hater and a political reactionary. He was a fervent believer who was tormented by doubt, a brilliant writer who shaped the German language and a vicious and foul-mouthed polemicist. He was a married ex-monk who liberated human sexuality from the stigma of sin, but also a man who insisted that women should know their place. For him the Devil was not just a figure of speech but a very real and physical presence. 

In this first historical biography for many decades, distinguished historian Lyndal Roper gives us a flesh-and-blood figure, warts and all. She reveals the often contradictory psychological forces that drove Luther forward – insecurity and self-righteousness, anger and humility – and the dynamics they unleashed which turned a small act of protest into a battle against the power of the Church.

More publications from the Faculty of History

Project Centre: The Global History Centre

The Oxford Centre for Global History was established by the History Faculty in June 2011 to reflect its strong commitment to the field. Global History in Oxford is defined broadly as the global movement of people, goods, and ideas and the consequences that flow from them. Chronologically, it extends across all historical periods from ancient to late modern.

The Centre is particularly keen to encourage cooperation between historians of different periods, as well as places, in the study of themes of global significance. It will support research projects, and host workshops, seminars, and conferences. A key part of the Centre’s role is to facilitate the research of all those in Oxford who are keen to develop a global history dimension in their work. 

http://global.history.ox.ac.uk

More recent research projects and centres from the Faculty of History

For more information, visit the History Faculty website

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Graduate Admissions

Admissions are now closed..

Graduates are encouraged to make use of these opportunities as widely as possible. Striking the right balance between intellectual curiosity and discipline, and remaining focused without becoming blinkered, is an integral part of a successful graduate career. The Oxford environment provides all the ingredients for you to develop these skills while engaging fruitfully with others in the field.

All graduate students have an academic supervisor (or sometimes two or more co-supervisors) with expertise in relevant areas, to help you identify and acquire the knowledge and skills you need to complete your research. You don’t need to find your own supervisor before you apply.

We admit about 250 graduate students each year, with an overall equal gender balance. Approximately half of our graduate students are from beyond the UK, and about 20% of the annual intake receive university funding.

The Faculty offers a range of taught graduate courses (Masters) as well as three research-based DPhil options.

Getting in Touch

The Faculty and University pages should give you the information you need before applying, and guide you through the application process – please do read them thoroughly!

If you have a question that’s not covered, please email [email protected]

100 YEARS OF THE DPhil

How research gained traction at Oxford

Published: 28 November 2017

Author: Richard Lofthouse

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In case you wondered, the initials PhD are drawn from the German penchant for calling their research degrees philosophiae doctor, the Latin nominative plural for philosophia, thus covering a wide range of subjects. This practice had roots in the nineteenth century.

At Oxford, when the issue became pressing in the early twentieth century, the then philosophy tutor at St John’s, Sidney Ball, suggested that it be Anglicized to Doctor of Philosophy, hence DPhil.

The nomenclature stuck. What might seem like yet another instance of eccentric Oxford vocabulary is actually plain English. It’s everyone else who decided to stay with the Latin – a counter-intuitive outcome.

Anyway, research became an urgent matter during the First World War, when it became apparent to a British elite that science was Important. And guess what? It was Oxford that pioneered the doctorate in the UK, perhaps again countering the lazy prejudice that might assume it would be a follower rather than a leader in such matters, perhaps owing to the (then not now) prejudice towards classics and undergraduate provision, plus, as Robert Currie puts it eloquently in a chapter on the history of the University,

‘The absence of systematic instruction for postgraduate students reflected both the colleges’ preoccupation with undergraduates and the widespread assumption that a first degree (or at least a first Oxford degree) equipped its holder with all the formal training he needed to make as original a contribution to knowledge as he would ever be capable of making.’

Given this hubris, what happened so that by the end of 1917 the first DPhil students were reaching the end of their first terms?

It was less about World War One as such and more about American students who in search of professional qualifications had been heading over to Germany since the late 19th century. Since the turn of the century Oxford had had a BLitt and DLitt degree, but neither had competed successfully with Germany.

Matters came to a head in early 1917, when some dons led by Ball defeated the University on a motion to augment the BLitt and DLitt with a D.Sc. They countered by insisting that the world had moved on and Oxford needed to offer a proper Doctorate. Council caved in immediately and the matter was resolved.

The Examination Statutes for 1917 refer to the DPhil requiring an ‘original contribution to knowledge’, with examination by ‘viva voce’ (verbal jousting).

The hubris continued a bit, because Oxford students only had to complete five terms before they could submit an unpublished dissertation. Non-Oxford graduates had to do eight terms, on the assumption that they were less ready for advanced study.

The role of World War One is very difficult to pin down. Arguably it formed part of a powerful backdrop of seriousness. The University lost many men. But equally there had been spats and arguments and exchanges in The Times as early as 1903, when the first Rhodes scholars had arrived. Indeed, a group of dons calling themselves, informally, The Club, had been formed as early as 1889 to promote the cause of research within Oxford.

As you might assume there is irony in this tale. Edith Wardale, the English tutor at St Hugh’s, who had taken a PhD at Zurich in 1892. She outranked virtually all her colleagues at Oxford for possessing that qualification then, yet being a woman she was not a member of congregation because not allowed to be a full member of the University.

The first person to supplicate for a DPhil (in 1919) was an Indian called Lakshman Sarup of Balliol; the first woman was Evelyn Mary Simpson (November 1922) —women having been admitted to the University two years earlier. You can already feel the DPhil opening the University up to the world, a bit like a can opener peeling back a lid. It was a great force for good then and since, externally and internally. 

For the inter-war years Oxford produced about 20 DPhils a year when total student numbers were already climbing towards 2,000. Compare this to the 2017 figures: 11,728 undergraduates and 10,941 postgraduates. The University has become half and half tutorials and research.

But what has been constant from the start in respect of postgraduate study at Oxford is its international flavour. Half the DPhils in the first decade were overseas students; and today the figure is more than half. Of the 10,941 postgraduates in 2017 just 3,906 are from the UK.

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Richardson to Receive 2024 Adele E. Clarke Book Award

HS Prof. Naomi Oreskes Honored by TIME Magazine!

Henry Charles Lea Professor of the History of Science Naomi Oreskes has been named one of TIME magazine’s top 100 climate leaders.... Read more about HS Prof. Naomi Oreskes Honored by TIME Magazine!

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UNC-Chapel Hill graduate programs ranked among best in nation

U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 “Best Graduate Schools” list named multiple Carolina graduate degree programs in the top 10, including UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy at No. 1.

Numerous UNC-Chapel Hill graduate programs received high rankings – 20 were among the top 10 in the nation in their respective categories – as part of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools” list.

For the third time in a row (2016, 2020 and 2024), UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is the top pharmacy school in the U.S. The rankings are based on a survey of peers from accredited pharmacy schools across the country and are published every four years.

The Gillings School of Global Public Health was ranked second out of 213 schools and programs of public health in the U.S. for the seventh consecutive rankings period. The Gillings School has also maintained its position as the top public school of public health and has been ranked among the top schools and programs of public health by U.S. News since the magazine first ranked public health schools in 1987. U.S. News & World Report does not rank all graduate programs each year.

“Carolina’s graduate programs are exceptional, and it’s no surprise that our schools are ranked so highly among peer institutions by U.S. News and World Report, as well as other measures,” said UNC-Chapel Hill Interim Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. “Carolina is always proud to be recognized for our dedication to a world-class education. Every one of our graduate programs contributes to making us the leading public research university.”

Altogether, 23 programs increased their rankings, including multiple programs in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, School of Nursing, School of Education, Kenan-Flagler Business School and UNC School of Law.

“These rankings represent the hard work of our faculty, staff and students who are dedicated to moving Carolina forward through their incredible efforts each day,” said UNC-Chapel Hill Provost Chris Clemens. “It is gratifying to see this public recognition of their commitment to the mission of our graduate programs in research, teaching and public service. Even more than in the rankings, the proof of their work is the quality of our students and our passionate alumni who lead in so many fields.”

The School of Social Work moved up three spots in the latest rankings to a tie for fourth overall and is tied for second among public universities.

This year marks the first time since U.S. News & World Report began ranking law schools in 1987 that UNC School of Law has reached No. 20 out of 196 law schools. The UNC School of Law is also the seventh-ranked public law school.

Additional UNC-Chapel Hill rankings for 2024 follow.

Please note: Not all graduate programs are ranked by U.S. News & World Report every year. For a complete list of rankings for UNC-Chapel Hill, visit the U.S. News & World Report website .

UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy

Gillings school of global public health.

• First public, second overall

Specialty Areas

• Health Behavior, second
• Biostatistics, third
• Epidemiology, third
• Health Policy and Management, fourth
• Environmental Health Science, eighth

School of Social Work

• Tied for fourth

School of Nursing

• Nursing Schools, Master’s Programs, tied for eighth
• Nursing Schools – DNP Programs, tied for 17th
• Nursing Master’s, Administration/Management, fourth
• Nursing Master’s, Nurse Practitioner: Psychiatric/Mental Health, fourth
• Nursing Master’s, Nurse Practitioner: Family, tied for sixth
• Nursing DNP, Psychiatric/Mental Health, third
• Nursing DNP, Family, tied for sixth

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School

• Tied for 20th
• Real Estate, ninth
• Accounting, tied for 13th
• Executive MBA, 14th
• Management, 16th
• Production Operations, 16th
• Finance, 20th
• Marketing, tied for 25th

UNC School of Education

• Tied for 25th
• Special Education, tied for 13th
• Elementary Teacher Education, tied for 14th
• Educational Psychology, tied for 15th
• Education Policy, tied for 16th
• Secondary Teacher Education, tied for 17th
• Educational Administration, tied for 17th
• Curriculum and Instruction, tied for 22nd

College of Arts and Sciences

Computer science.

• Overall, 27th

Public Affairs

• Overall, 39th (Master of Public Policy)

As part of the public affairs category, U.S. News and World Report ranked Carolina programs and specialty areas based in the School of Government and the College of Arts and Sciences’ department of public policy.

School of Government

• Public Affairs, 23rd (Master of Public Administration)
• Local Government Management, second
• Leadership, 10th
• Public Finance, 18th

UNC School of Law

• Legal Writing, tied for 20th
• Criminal Law, tied for 20th
• Tax Law, tied for 20th
• Business/Corporate Law, tied for 22nd
• Clinical Training, tied for 23rd
• Contracts/Commercial Law, 23rd
• Health Care Law, tied for 28th
• Constitutional Law, tied for 29th
• Environmental Law, tied for 45th
• International Law, tied for 52nd
• Intellectual Property Law, tied for 53rd
• Trial Advocacy, tied for 118th

UNC School of Medicine (additional Rankings will be available at a later date)

• Audiology, tied for third
• Occupational Therapy, fifth
• Physical Therapy, 11th
• Speech Language Pathology, 12th

School of Education students networked in Raleigh with representatives from 11 state agencies.

Global studies scholar aspires to diplomacy

After earning a master’s degree, Kat Goodpaster became assistant director of Carolina’s Russian Flagship Program.

Public Service Awards go to 7 people, 2 groups

The Carolina Center for Public Service honored work on health disparities, refugee aid and more.

Broadway writer brings new comedy to PlayMakers

Fresh off the debut of her musical adaptation of “The Notebook,” Bekah Brunstetter ’04 will debut “The Game” in Chapel Hill.

Arts Everywhere Day set for April 12

The eighth annual campus-wide event celebrates artists creating in all mediums.

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Active Shooter and Critical Incident Response training customizes emergency preparedness to your workspace.

EcoStudio matches Tar Heels with internships

Since 2018, the program has helped 466 students explore careers in environment and sustainability.

Morrison Art Studio provides place to create

In this video, learn how one student uses this residence hall space to pursue her passion outside the classroom.

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PhD Oral Comprehensive Examination

Speaker theodora light.

Tedi Light will take her oral comprehensive examinations in room 201 LeConte Hall. The Major Professor is Dr. James Brooks. All members of the university community are invited. If you wish to attend please contact the graduate program office in advance at [email protected] to ensure adequate seating.

We appreciate your financial support. Your gift is important to us and helps support critical opportunities for students and faculty alike, including lectures, travel support, and any number of educational events that augment the classroom experience.  Click here to learn more about giving .

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The Department of Art History

The Department of Art History offers B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Art History and a wide range of courses in European, American, and Asian art history with additional strengths in architectural history and film and media studies.

Apr. 1, 2024

Eilis coughlin, phd candidate, selected as predoctoral research resident in naples, italy, center for the art and architectural history of port cities “la capraia”.

Eilis Coughlin, PhD candidate and HART grad representative, will be heading off to Naples, Italy later this year as the Predoctoral Research Resident at the Center for the Art and Architectural History of Port Cities “La Capraia.” Eilis will be working on her dissertation project, “The Bible of Naples (Paris, BnF, Ms. français 9561): Female Power, Piety, and Patronage in Fourteenth-Century Angevin Naples” at the Center from September 2024 - June 2025 which also engages the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte and the city of Naples “as a laboratory for new research in the cultural histories of port cities and the mobilities of artworks, people, technologies, and ideas.” Research at La Capraia is grounded in direct study of objects, sites, collections, and archives in Naples and southern Italy and fosters research for advance graduate students in the city as a site of cultural encounter, exchange, and transformation, and cultivates a network of scholars working at the intersection of the global and the local. Eilis is currently a fourth-year PhD candidate who focuses on Medieval Art of the Mediterranean. Her interests include the study of female patronage and representation in fourteenth-century Angevin art and art objects.

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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

You are here, clas art history professor named fellow in medieval studies academy.

By Charlotte Brookins 

Robert Bork , professor and director of graduate studies in the School of Art and Art History is one of only seven fellows named to the Medieval Academy of America’s 2024 Fellowship Class .  

The Medieval Academy of America (MAA) was first established in 1925 and works to propagate a scholarly community with the goal of deepening and disseminating knowledge of medieval history in a way that is equitable, accessible, and inclusive. The fellowship class is nominated on an annual basis, with up to 150 fellows at one time. 

“I feel deeply honored to join this group, which includes only a few art historians,” says Bork. 

As described on its website, the purpose of the MAA’s fellowship program is to honor long-term academic achievements in the field of medieval studies. Fellows work as a group to use their raised profile as medievalists to ensure the continued vitality of their field.  

Bork, who has been with the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for just over 25 years, says his time at the university has contributed to his development as a scholar and professor in many ways. 

“Most concretely, the university has supported my work with internal grants such as the Faculty Scholar program, the Arts and Humanities Initiative , and grants for conference and research travel,” Bork explains, referring to the AHI-funded trip in which Bork and a small group of students and staff traveled to France. On this trip, the group used laser scanners to create precise 3D models of Gothic cathedrals important to Bork’s current research.  

“The university has also supported my applications for external grants such as those from the Humboldt Foundation , the National Gallery of Art , and the American Council of Learned Societies , which have been crucial to my book projects,” he adds. 

Bork has appeared in numerous publications detailing his research in medieval studies. 

Bork majored in physics before embarking on his career in architectural history, and he notes that much of his research utilizes his multifaceted background, something that is supported by the university and college’s strength in a variety of programs. 

“I would urge students to take advantage of this breadth by taking a wide range of classes during their years here,” says Bork. “At the same time, I encourage students to share their diverse interests with their faculty mentors, since undergraduate research can open up valuable and unexpected opportunities, as I have seen in my own career.” 

Bork will be formally inducted as an MAA Fellow during the organization’s annual meeting in March. 

The University of Iowa  College of Liberal Arts and Sciences  offers about 70 majors across the humanities; fine, performing and literary arts; natural and mathematical sciences; social and behavioral sciences; and communication disciplines. About 15,000 undergraduate and nearly 2,000 graduate students study each year in the college’s 37 departments, led by faculty at the forefront of teaching and research in their disciplines. The college teaches all Iowa undergraduates through the college's general education program, CLAS CORE . About 80 percent of all Iowa undergraduates begin their academic journey in CLAS. The college confers about 60 percent of the university's bachelor's degrees each academic year. 

Medieval History

This strand of our one-year MSt or two-year MPhil in History  is the equivalent of a free-standing Master’s in Medieval History before 1500. 

This strand offers a unique balance of breadth and depth in the study of the medieval history of Britain and Europe.  It can be taken either as a free-standing degree course or as the first step towards doctoral study.  Its emphasis is on historical skills and knowledge; applicants interested in a developing their knowledge of medieval languages or acquiring a greater level of expertise in medieval palaeography and manuscript studies are advised also to consider applying for the separate MSt programme in Medieval Studies or the MSt/MPhil programme in Late Antique and Byzantine Studies , both of which are also proven routes to a doctorate in Medieval History.

Oxford is home to probably the largest community of medieval historians in the world, including scholars whose research interests range from the fourth to the sixteenth century, and from Ireland to Iran.  The resources for study are equally exceptional, including the largest university library collection of medieval manuscripts, college collections of manuscripts and archives, and the fine holdings of the Ashmolean Museum.  Many of these are available digitally .  The MSt is not prescriptive about what topics you choose to study, but instead insists on intellectual rigour and excitement, whatever your choices.  You will also attend seminars given by leading experts, and have the opportunity to meet medievalists from all over the world.

Course Organisation

Alongside the Theory and Methods   course, students spend their first term studying Sources and Historiography .  As well as training you to work with medieval sources in their original format, this course addresses the distinctive interpretive challenges they pose.  It also invites you to reflect on how historians’ approaches to medieval history have changed over the past two generations or so, influencing the questions, techniques and source bases used to study the Middle Ages, and how the study of the Middle Ages is situated with respect to scholars’ own times.  In Trinity Term, students will be asked to make a presentation about their own dissertation, explaining their choice of approach and how it  responds to wider questions within the historiographical landscape.

Skills Provision:

You are expected to take Latin (at beginners, intermediate or advanced level, depending on previous experience) and will be introduced to the study of medieval handwriting, books and documents (Palaeography and Diplomatic).  You will not be formally examined on these skills, but will be helped to take them seriously, and will have plenty of opportunity to practise them.  You will be encouraged to put them to use in an assessed essay and/or your dissertation, and will also have the opportunity to work on original manuscript books and documents from Oxford’s many collections, and elsewhere, if you wish.  In consultation with your supervisor and depending on your choice of topic, instruction in Old English and other medieval languages is available, and also in modern languages such as French, German or Italian.

Typical Options include :

Saints and Sanctity in Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages

Saints, alive and dead, played a central role in medieval society. This course examines the emergence of the cult of the saint in late Antiquity, and its remarkable spread over subsequent centuries. Live saints reinforced the Christian message and helped the faithful with the travails of daily life, but also represented a challenge to the authority of the established Church. Dead, their cults and their relics spread through the Christian world, encouraging, in a few notable cases, a steady stream of visitors to their graves.

This course is centred around the rich, diverse, and often beautifully written hagiography of the fourth to ninth centuries, both from the Mediterranean region and from northern Europe. It offers an opportunity to examine, across several centuries, a wide range of themes: the fascination with martyrdom; different types of sanctity (such as those available only to bishops, or to women); the role of the saint within society and within the Church; the emergence of different styles of asceticism and spirituality, from Byzantium to Ireland; how a saint was acclaimed and accepted in a period without formal processes of canonization; the extraordinary power of relics, and the attraction of pilgrimage; the often underhand ‘translation’ of holy bodies; and, finally, even the existence of doubters.

The Twelfth-Century Renaissance

The Twelfth-Century Renaissance is an interdisciplinary paper in intellectual history designed to give students a broad overview of the content and applications of learning in the twelfth century. It therefore covers a wide range of different curricular subjects from the perspective both of their sources (the classical textual tradition of ninth-century learning; the impact of newly translated texts; the consequences of personal contact with Muslim and Jewish scholars in Sicily and the Iberian peninsula; the influence of empirical discovery) and of their application through cathedral schools and royal courts to society at large. The course comprises eight classes, organised around the seven liberal arts (the trivium and the quadrivium) and the three higher faculties of the medieval schools.

The Global Middle Ages

This course is structured around two key questions: what can the study of global history bring to our understanding of the Middle Ages, and what can the study of medieval history bring to the evolving field of global history? Those taking the paper will be able to enhance their understanding of medieval history by thinking more about the history and culture of regions beyond Europe during medieval centuries, about parallels and contrasts between the approaches and evidence bases used by scholars of extra-European and European history in the centuries between 500 and 1500, and about the most productive ways to conceptualise that thousand-year period in global terms.  

Throughout the degree, students work towards a dissertation.  Recent topics have included: 

• Pagans and Christians in late Roman North Africa
• From Roman-Briton to Anglo-Saxon: changing conceptions of fourth- to sixth-century identity
• Marriage and family in Gregory of Tours
• Saxon monastic life and Carolingian politics
• The Apocalypse in eighth and ninth century Iberia
• Virginity and female sanctity in late Anglo-Saxon England
• Lordship and the evidence of charter diplomatic in twelfth-century Normandy
• Jews, blood, Christians, and privies in medieval England
• Gendering the common voice in later medieval England
• Marriage as resolution in Rape Cases
• The translation of saints' relics as political ritual
• The Order of St John and the problem of sovereignty in Outremer
• Images of self and others in medieval Serb, Ragusan and Bosnian sources
• The logic of political conflict in late medieval Tournai
• Images of community and the question of urban estate in fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Poznan
• Material culture and the creation of meaning in late medieval wills

Faculty and Research Culture

Oxford’s medieval history community is led by Professor Julia Smith , a specialist in the early medieval west.  There are particular concentrations of expertise in late antique and early medieval history; Byzantine history; medieval political cultures, especially Britain and France; intellectual history; material culture; religious and cultural history; women and gender.  Thinking about the global dimensions of medieval history has been a growing focus of interest in recent years.

Faculty postholders in these fields include:

Late antiquity and the Early Middle Ages

Medieval political cultures, intellectual history, material culture, religious and cultural history, women and gender, global middle ages.

More information on our academics and their subjects, please search within our people section.

In addition to our own research, graduate students come together with teaching and research staff in research seminars to hear speakers including doctoral students, external and internal to the university.  The weekly Medieval History research seminar is enhanced by a dozen other seminars or workshops in Medieval History and/or Medieval Studies (for example, there are seminars in Medieval Church and Culture, Late Antique and Byzantine Art and Archaeology, Medieval English).  A termly booklet provides a convenient roundup of the many seminars, workshops and conferences within Oxford.

Major research projects further enhance Oxfords research culture, including:

• The Cult of Saints  
• Medieval Libraries of Great Britain  
• Dirhams for Slaves   
• ‘Towards a Global Middle Ages’  

Admissions Questions

We normally take about c.12 MSt students and one or two MPhil students in this area, but numbers vary from year to year and we are able to be flexible.  If you have any questions about our admissions procedure, please check the University admissions pages  and/or contact Graduate Admissions . You can also contact any of the academics in your relevant area of study. You can filter the Academics page  by period, region or specialism. 

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• Study finds young adults with history of school discipline report depressive symptoms, lower well-being

research news

Young adults with history of school discipline report depressive symptoms, lower well-being

By BERT GAMBINI

Published April 11, 2024

Research on school discipline has focused largely on the effects of exclusionary measures across the life course, but a UB sociologist has published a new study that suggests how a fuller range of disciplinary experiences, not just the most severe punishments, has detrimental health and well-being implications for students later in life.

The findings, published in the journal Emerging Adulthood, identified three distinct histories of discipline among college-educated emerging adults, a group unlikely to receive the most exclusionary types of discipline. This broader conceptualization of discipline, based on a unique sample of young people, demonstrates the need to think more expansively about the consequences of these disciplinary practices.

Suspension and expulsion are closely related to the school-to-prison pipeline, but the current study suggests the effects of these practices apply even to those who make it to college — not in the form of criminal justice involvement, but in terms of poorer health.

Avoiding the negative outcomes associated with these punishments, while creating an environment conducive to learning, requires understanding the effects of discipline beyond punitive methods, according to Ashley Barr, associate professor of sociology, College of Arts and Sciences, and the study’s corresponding author.

“The current generation of young adults came of age as schools began pulling back on zero-tolerance policies, but racial, class, gender and ability disparities remain,” says Barr. “It’s time to rethink school discipline entirely. Narrow conceptions of exclusionary discipline, limited to expulsion and suspension, don’t capture most of the disciplinary practices experienced by students.”

Barr and her co-author, Zhe Zhang, a doctoral candidate in UB’s sociology department, used survey data drawn from over 700 college-educated young adults who were categorized into three groups: those who were minimally disciplined; those who experienced school-managed discipline, like loss of privileges, written reprimands or in-school detention; and those who received intense discipline that was likely to involve parents, counselors or law enforcement.

Participants with a history of school-managed discipline reported more depressive symptoms and worse self-rated physical health than classmates who were minimally disciplined. Young adults who experienced intensive discipline reported worse self-rated physical health than those in either of the other groups.

“Our analysis shows that the disciplinary histories of this relatively privileged group of college-educated participants did not break down into a simple dichotomy of exclusionary and non-exclusionary,” Barr explains. “Although this finding could be due to the privileged nature of the sample, it is consistent with other research suggesting that most school discipline is not what we typically consider exclusionary and that discipline often begins with school-managed measures and proceeds, often more quickly for students of color, to exclusionary measures.”

These disparities demand attention, Barr says.

“Even in this college-educated sample, we see dramatic disparities in who received intensive discipline,” she says.

Barr encourages other studies along this same research line using a nationally representative sample.

“Assuming the findings are replicated, I think disciplinary practices need to stay on the radar in school policy discussions, beyond the rollback of zero-tolerance policies” she says. “We need to use evidence-based practices in school for making sure that we’re attentive to the ways that our disciplinary practices are perceived by students. What’s supported by the data is that students consider exclusionary practices much more broadly than schools consider those practices, and this is evident in health outcomes.”

MPhil in History of Science, Medicine and Technology

• Entry requirements
• Funding and Costs

College preference

• How to Apply

About the course

This two-year programme offers a range of options drawing on the expertise of Oxford large community of scholars working in the history of science, medicine and technology. You may specialise in the history of science and technology or the history of medicine, although the boundaries between these areas are deliberately permeable.

The history of science, medicine and technology is a long-established discipline in Oxford. R T Gunther and Charles Singer were among the pioneers of the subject early in the twentieth century, and since the 1920s the  Museum of the History of Science has housed an outstanding collection of scientific instruments and a fine specialist library. In the early 1970s, the creation of the chair of the history of science and the establishment of the Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine gave the subject additional strength and allowed important new departures. The Oxford Centre for the History of Science, Medicine and Technology (HSMT)  was created in 2017 in order to build on the teaching and research capacity of the numerous historians working on HSMT subjects in Oxford-based projects and in various museums, colleges and faculties.

The expertise of scholars in Oxford covers most of the main areas and periods of the history of science, medicine, and technology. A varied programme of seminars, lectures, and conferences enables graduate students to obtain knowledge of subjects beyond their chosen speciality and to meet visitors from elsewhere in Britain and abroad.

The course comprises a compulsory core course, option subject courses, and a research project.

• Core course: Methods and Themes in HSMT is taught in classes during Michaelmas term, and reinforced by lectures on specific issues.
• Option courses: You will take four advanced option courses which are usually taught in small classes and mostly during Hilary term of both years. Examples of the option courses are given on course webpage of the faculty's website (see the  Further information and enquiries  section for further details). Please note that not every optional subject listed may be on offer every year, depending in part on levels of student demand.
• Research project: You will work on your original research project throughout both years, under the guidance of your supervisor, and you are expected to commit the summer vacation between the two years and the Michaelmas term in the second year to archival research and writing. 

If you wish to apply for the DPhil you will be encouraged to develop your doctoral proposal during the first few months of the second year of the programme, so that you will be well placed to make a doctoral application.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course 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.

It is usual practice that MPhil students have one supervisor, but a co-supervisor will be appointed if additional specialist knowledge is required. One supervisor must be a member of the Faculty of History but a co-supervisor can be appointed from a different department.

Your supervisor(s) is there to provide advice, guidance, and support throughout your MPhil. You should 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. There is no set timetable for the frequency of future meetings, but it is recommended that you meet your supervisor several times a term in both years, to discuss progress of your research and writing. You should also agree a timetable for the submission and return of drafts of your dissertation.

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.

The Methods and Themes in HSMT core course is assessed through a methodological essay, submitted in week 10 of Michaelmas term in year one.

The four advanced option courses are assessed through essays, submitted at the end of Trinity term.

The research project is assessed through a dissertation of 30,000 words, submitted at the beginning of Trinity term, year two.

Graduate destinations

About a quarter of master’s students proceed to doctoral work at Oxford; others continue academic study at other institutions. Other career destinations are as diverse as, but broadly in line with, undergraduate history career destinations: law, finance, management consultancy, civil service etc.

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 in circumstances of a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency. 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 2024-25

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 .

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. 

Degree-level qualifications

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:

• a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours (a minimum of 68% overall and 68% for the dissertation) in a relevant discipline in the humanities or social sciences.

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.75 out of 4.0.

Applicants are not expected to have a previous degree in history, but are expected to have experience of working historically. You will need to ensure that you link your proposed dissertation topic with your previous expertise, explain why you want to switch to study history, and show that you have already done some background research.

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.

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.

*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.

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.

How your application is assessed

Your application will be assessed purely on your proven and potential academic excellence and other entry requirements described under that heading.

References  and  supporting documents  submitted as part of your application, and your performance at interview (if interviews are held) will be considered as part of the assessment process. Whether or not you have secured funding will not be taken into consideration when your application is assessed.

An overview of the shortlisting and selection process is provided below. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide  more information about how applications are assessed . 

Shortlisting and selection

Students are considered for shortlisting and selected for admission without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, sexual orientation, as well as other relevant circumstances including parental or caring responsibilities or social background. However, please note the following:

• socio-economic information may be taken into account in the selection of applicants and award of scholarships for courses that are part of  the University’s pilot selection procedure  and for  scholarships aimed at under-represented groups ;
• country of ordinary residence may be taken into account in the awarding of certain scholarships; and
• protected characteristics may be taken into account during shortlisting for interview or the award of scholarships where the University has approved a positive action case under the Equality Act 2010.

Processing your data for shortlisting and selection

Information about  processing special category data for the purposes of positive action  and  using your data to assess your eligibility for funding , can be found in our Postgraduate Applicant Privacy Policy.

Admissions panels and assessors

All recommendations to admit a student involve the judgement of at least two members of the academic staff with relevant experience and expertise, and must also be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies or Admissions Committee (or equivalent within the department).

Admissions panels or committees will always include at least one member of academic staff who has undertaken appropriate training.

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.

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.

Intellectual life and community

The explicitly interdisciplinary nature of this MPhil means that the Faculty of History collaborates with other divisions and departments within the University. 

In the field of history of science, technology and medicine the study environment is particularly enhanced by the The Oxford Centre for the History of Science, Medicine and Technology (HSMT) and the Museum of the History of Science, as well as by a large number of academic experts with interest in these fields across the collegiate University. You will benefit from a variety of interdisciplinary resources, including weekly seminars.

More generally, working as an Oxford graduate student is an exhilarating experience. History at Oxford stretches from around c. 300 to the present and embraces an exceptionally broad geographical range. It comprises an active research community of up to 800 academics and graduate students.

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 of History.

Further opportunities for exchange are provided by the interdisciplinary communities fostered within individual colleges, which also offer dedicated support for graduates by means of personal advisors. The Oxford Centre for Research in the Humanities (TORCH) offers a stimulating range of interdisciplinary activities, as does the Oxford Martin School and the new Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities. You are also encouraged to join the Oxford History Graduate Network (OHGN) , which fosters friendships, conversations and collaboration.

The Oxford environment provides a unique opportunity to develop intellectual curiosity whilst remaining focused on your own work without becoming blinkered - an integral part of a successful graduate career.

Libraries and archives

Graduates in Oxford are fortunate in having access to over a hundred libraries. The University's core research resource in the humanities are the Bodleian Libraries, whose combined collections contain more than 11 million printed items, in addition to more than 50,000 e-journals and a vast quantity of manuscripts, maps, music and other materials.

The  Bodleian  has been a library of legal deposit for 400 years. 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 are also able to draw on the specialist resources offered by the  Bodleian History Faculty Library  which provides dedicated support and training courses for all graduates. They also have access to the many college libraries and to college archives which can house significant collections of personal papers as well as institutional records dating back to the middle ages.

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.

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The University expects to be able to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across the collegiate University in 2024-25. You will be automatically considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships , if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by the relevant December or January deadline. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential. 

For further details about searching for funding as a graduate student visit our dedicated Funding pages, which contain information about how to apply for Oxford scholarships requiring an additional application, details of external funding, loan schemes and other funding sources.

Please ensure that you visit individual college websites for details of any college-specific funding opportunities using the links provided on our college pages or below:

Please note that not all the colleges listed above may accept students on this course. For details of those which do, please refer to the College preference section of this page.

Further information about funding opportunities  for this course can be found on the faculty's website.

Annual fees for entry in 2024-25

Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.

Information about 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 .

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 below.

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

There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees and living costs. However, as part of your course requirements, you may need to choose a dissertation, a project or a thesis topic. Please note that, depending on your choice of 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.

Living costs

In addition to your course fees, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

For the 2024-25 academic year, the range of likely living costs for full-time study is between c. £1,345 and £1,955 for each month spent in Oxford. Full information, including a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs, is available on our living costs page. 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. When planning your finances for any future years of study in Oxford beyond 2024-25, it is suggested that you allow for potential increases in living expenses of around 5% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. UK inflationary increases will be kept under review and this page updated.

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 . For some courses, the department may have provided some additional advice below to help you decide.

The following colleges accept students on the MPhil in History of Science, Medicine and Technology:

• Balliol College
• Blackfriars
• Brasenose College
• Campion Hall
• Christ Church
• Exeter College
• Green Templeton College
• Harris Manchester College
• Hertford College
• Jesus College
• Kellogg College
• Lady Margaret Hall
• Linacre College
• Lincoln College
• Magdalen College
• Oriel College
• Reuben College
• St Anne's College
• St Antony's College
• St Catherine's College
• St Cross College
• St Edmund Hall
• St Hilda's College
• St Hugh's College
• Somerville College
• Wadham College
• Wolfson College