Master of Philosophy - in The United Kingdom

In The United Kingdom

In most UK universities, completion of an M.Phil. typically requires two years of full-time study or four years or more of part-time study and the submission of a thesis comprising a body of original research undertaken by the candidate.

It is common for students admitted into a Ph.D. (or D.Phil.) program at a UK university to be initially registered for the degree of M.Phil., and then to transfer onto the Ph.D. upon successful completion of the first (or sometimes the second) year of study: this will often involve the submission of a short report or dissertation by the student, and possibly an oral examination or presentation. In addition, most universities allow examiners to recommend award of an M.Phil. if a Ph.D. candidate's thesis is deemed not to be of the requisite length or standard for a doctorate. However many students register for an M.Phil. with no intention of upgrading to a Ph.D., due to personal circumstances, due to their chosen research project having insufficient scope for a Ph.D or due to desiring to complete a slightly shorter qualification both in length and duration.

At a few UK universities, an M.Phil. research degree can be achieved after only one year of study and is viewed as being equivalent to a taught M.A. or M.Sc. degree.

However, in some institutions, such as University College London and the University of Aberdeen, a clear set of requirements must be met for the award of an M.Phil, under which candidates are required to submit and defend a thesis against external and internal examiners, a process which may in itself take up to a year, and, as such, the award may be regarded as a mini-PhD. For example, the degree of Master of Philosophy of the University of Aberdeen requires the submission of a thesis of up to 70,000 words plus a viva examination; this is a considerably larger piece of work than is required for the same qualification at other institutions.

Furthermore, at the University of Manchester, the candidate shall be required to attend an oral examination on the subject of the thesis and matters relevant thereto at the examiners’ discretion. The candidate may also be required by the examiners to undergo a written or other examination. The oral examination shall be attended by the candidate and the examiners and, if required, an independent chair. Each candidate shall be examined by two or more examiners of whom at least one shall be an external examiner.