University of Oxford
The B.Phil.'s earliest form is as a University of Oxford graduate degree. Originally, Oxford named its pre-doctoral graduate degrees the Bachelor of Philosophy (B.Phil.) (a two-year degree, partly taught and partly by research) and the Bachelor of Letters (B.Litt.) (a two-year research degree). After complaints, especially from overseas students, that this naming convention often meant that graduate degrees were not being recognised as such, the University renamed them Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) and Master of Letters (M.Litt.). However, the Philosophy Faculty (then a Sub-Faculty) argued that its B.Phil. degree had become so well known and respected in the philosophical world that it would be confusing to change the name. In philosophy, therefore, the degree continues to be called the B.Phil. Those who pass the degree are given the choice of taking a B.Phil. or an M.Phil.; few if any choose the latter. (Note that Oxford also offers a number of other graduate degrees labeled as baccalaureate degrees: the law faculty's BCL; the music faculty's B.Mus; and the theology faculty's B.D.)
Today's Oxford B.Phil. course is a two-year programme of three taught courses and a research thesis (max. 30,000 words). The taught courses are all examined by essays chosen from prescribed lists; candidates submit two essays for each course, or six essays in total (max. 30,000 words), in addition to their theses. The B.Phil. is regarded as a very demanding degree, and it is not suitable for those with no academic background in philosophy.
The Oxford B.Phil. was designed to be a preparation for teaching philosophy at university level. Today it often also provides a foundation for doctoral (D.Phil. or Ph.D.) work in philosophy.
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