Law

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The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2020). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucasThe Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) is the most prestigious of the Law Faculty's research degrees. It entails writing a thesis of between 75,000 and 100,000 words over a period of three, or at most four years (six to eight years for part-time students). All students will be admitted to Probationer Research Student (PRS) status in the first instance, and all students except those who have previously completed the faculty's MPhil in Law programme will undertake a course in legal research methods during the first year as a full-time student or in the first two years as a part-time student. This provides training in legal research methodology, but it will also expose you to the diversity of and intellectual challenges involved in legal scholarship and serves as a forum of peers in which you can discuss the methodological challenges involved in your own research.The Faculty can provide supervision for a wide range of different topics and a list of completed doctorates gives a general sense of the breadth and depth of the research undertaken by its students.A typical week for a student during their first two terms will involve attendance at a legal research training methodology class and perhaps participating in a discussion group (of which there are over 30) or auditing a BCL seminar that relates to their own research topic; apart from which they will be spending their time engaged in their own research. You will also meet with supervisors to discuss your work as explained in the supervision section below. After the third term (providing you transfer to full DPhil status) you may undertake fieldwork and research trips, depending on the nature of your research topics, and there may be opportunities to undertake paid research assistance or to teach undergraduate students.

Some 140 countries have attendees at Oxford and some 60% of the total student body is from outside the UK. There are various programs available for international students to help with orientation and integrating with life in Oxford as well as to help with legal matters such as immigration and visas. They can also help with practical matters such as dealing with finances and accessing health care with the National Health Service (NHS). Student life is filled with many traditions as befits a university of Oxford's age. One of these are the balls, held by the colleges with a formal dress code as well as smaller events regularly during the year. The Oxford University Student Union or OUSU, represents students and is their voice in debate about the university as well as organising student life organisations. There are a large number of sports available outside the classroom and many of these are of a high standard. The Boat Race is a famous example of a rowing race with nearby Cambridge University that is watched by up to 10 million TV viewers each year. There are also student newspapers and a radio station as well as performing arts groups. There are also student societies open to students who aren't studying the subject to learn something new and different.