menu icon
Book your open day visit nowClick to book open day
DPhil in Architectural History

Different course options

Study mode

Part time

Duration

5 years

Start date

13-OCT-24

Key information
DATA SOURCE : IDP Connect

Qualification type

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

Subject areas

Architectural History

Course type

Research

Course Summary

About the course

It is possible to study for a doctorate by part-time research in architectural history. Students studying for the DPhil part-time normally study for five to eight years. This compares with a full-time DPhil which normally takes three to four years to complete.

The DPhil programme draws on considerable experience in providing advanced tuition in architectural history. It profits from the close links within the department between the disciplines of architectural history, art history, English local history and landscape archaeology. It also has links with other parts of the University, particularly the Faculty of History, the Department of the History of Art, and Kellogg College, amongst the fellows of which is the largest concentration of architectural historians associated with the University.

In broad terms, supervision is possible in most areas of British architectural history from the middle ages to the present, and some European topics. In terms of Great Britain, academic staff currently have particular research interests in ecclesiastical buildings, medieval castles, great houses and their landscapes; country houses; vernacular architecture; urban and institutional architecture, especially of London and Oxford, from 1660 to the present.

Assessment

You will be admitted initially as a Probationary Research Student (PRS), in line with University regulations on doctorates. During the probationary period, you will develop and begin work on the thesis topic. You will develop research skills through a range of training and skills development primarily offered via the Department for Continuing Education Graduate School, as well as across the University.

Students must apply for a Transfer of Status from PRS to DPhil status between the 6th and the 8th academic term after admission, each academic year at Oxford having three terms. This involves the submission of a piece of written work that is examined by two assessors, neither of whom will be supervisors. This process is to ensure that your work is of potential DPhil quality and that the methodology of the research is appropriate and feasible. Upon successful completion of the Transfer of Status, you would usually undertake a period of primary fieldwork/data collection over one to two years.

Graduate destinations

The number of students completing the DPhil is too small to provide information on destinations.

Tuition fees

UK fees
Course fees for UK students

For this course (per year)

£4,925

International fees
Course fees for EU and international students

For this course (per year)

£12,935

Entry requirements

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the equivalent of the following UK qualifications or their equivalent: a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in a related subject; a master’s degree, preferably with a Distinction; the PGCert in Architectural History, showing consistent performance at the highest level; Applicants who have a Level 4 vocational qualification rather than an undergraduate degree may be considered. In exceptional circumstances, applicants who have substantial experience in a relevant profession (eg one related to building analysis and recording or to historic conservation) may also be considered. For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA normally sought is 3.5 out of 4.0.