How Long Does It Take to Study and Graduate From Oxford?
Introduction
Studying at Oxford is a dream for many students across the world. It’s an esteemed university that has been around for centuries and has a long, proud history of producing many distinguished alumni. As such, getting accepted into the university is extremely competitive, with hundreds of applicants from all over the world applying for acceptance. But aside from the initial application process, once you’re accepted, how long does it actually take to study and graduate from the university?
The length of time it takes to graduate from Oxford depends on several factors, including your selected field of study, your degree type, and even your personal motivation. To help you better understand the process, we’ll outline everything you need to know about Oxford graduation requirements below, touching on topics such as the typical length of a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degree.
How Long is a Bachelor’s Degree at Oxford?
For most undergraduate degree programs at Oxford, you’ll need to complete three years of study or nine terms before you can be awarded your bachelor’s degree. Each school year comprises of three terms that usually run from early October to mid-December, January to March and then April to June. However, if your course requires practical work (such as lab work), then you may need to extend your studies to include a fourth year of “graduate overshoots” (additional terms). Realistically then, it should take around four years to complete a typical bachelor’s degree at Oxford. It also should be noted that some undergraduate degrees will take longer; for example, a bachelor of medicine and surgery at Oxford typically takes around five years to complete.
How Long is a Master’s Degree at Oxford?
A master’s degree from Oxford will typically take one year of full-time study to complete. However, in some cases, you may require an extra term (three months) of research or academic work in order to complete your course. Practical courses also may require two or more additional terms if they involve a lot of fieldwork or lab-related activities. Similarly, certain courses that have a significant amount of reading may take longer since you must have complete all of the prescribed readings in order for your course lecturer to consider your degree completed successfully.
How Long is a Doctorate Degree at Oxford?
Oxford offers a variety of doctoral degrees in different fields of study; they usually consist of two parts: submission of a dissertation (or doctorate thesis) followed by attending an oral examination (viva voce). The full doctorate degree can take anywhere up to four years to complete, although this is mostly dependent on two main factors: the field you choose and how fast you are in writing and reading. At minimum, you should be able to finish the doctorate within two years after submitting your dissertation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can take as little as three years up to as much as four years to complete either a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree from Oxford. Although some potential students may feel like this is a significant amount of time in comparison to other universities worldwide, it should be remembered that Oxford has an excellent reputation for providing some of the best courses available. For more detailed information about the length of the courses available, useful links such as Oxford University Admissions can provide a comprehensive guide to each course type offered by the university.