Award courses
DPhil in Literature and Arts
Course status:
Closed
Duration:
4-8 years, part-time
Study format:
In person, Oxford
Level:
Postgraduate
The DPhil in Literature and Arts is a part-time, interdisciplinary research degree that enables students to undertake advanced doctoral study of the British past from c.1450 to c.1945. Bringing together approaches from literary studies, art history and cultural history, the course supports original research that reflects the richness and complexity of Britain’s cultural life across five centuries.
The students on this course carry out independent doctoral research on a subject linked to the British past, c.1450- c.1945. British history is interpreted in the broadest possible sense to include global and imperial connections. For instance, the formation of British culture through the stimuli of influences beyond Europe, from Chinese porcelain to commodities like sugar and tea. Research proposals are welcome throughout the period, from, for example, Tudor and Jacobean Art and Architecture to the changing place of women in early-twentieth-century Britain. We have a democratic view of cultural history in which all men’s and women’s lives play their part.
The DPhil is designed for students who wish to build on prior postgraduate study, typically following the MSt in Literature and Arts, although applicants with a relevant master’s degree in the humanities are also considered. Students benefit from close supervision and the opportunity to develop their research within a supportive academic environment, contributing new knowledge to an established and evolving field of study.
KEY INFORMATION
Applications for 2026 entry are now closed
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The DPhil programme shares the same historical and multi-disciplinary scope as the MSt in Literature and Arts. It may encompass the disciplines of literature, art, architectural history, history, and the history of ideas.
Compared to the MSt, however, students will be working independently towards their own deeply researched 100,000-word thesis, building on sustained independent research over a number of years, and focusing on a specific subject in depth.
The thesis can be completed in four to eight years (a maximum). We encourage students to work towards completion in four to six years, and the supervisors help to structure a realistic work schedule and timetable for completion.
You’ll have the opportunity to undertake research within the specialised themes of this course, which include:
Research on the course should draw on an aspect of British cultural history, c. 1400 – 1945, using literary, visual arts or historical texts as sources. The project must align with the research specialism and interests of an Associate Professor or Professor in the department, and you are encouraged to look at the profiles of potential supervisors to see if there is a match with your own interests.
Please find a sample of recent thesis titles below:
- Poetry, Politics and Porticoes, Whig use of the metaphor of ancient Greece c. 1710-1780
- Lost in Space, Found in Translation: Transformative Gendered Travel within India during the Long Nineteenth-Century
- Dante Gabriel Rossetti and the Artist as Spiritualist Medium in the Victorian Ghost Story
- John Evelyn and the Visual Arts
- The Duchess of Portland, Art Collector and Patron of the Arts: a post-mortem reflection of a lifetime of collecting
- Shakespeare and the Emotional Father on the Victorian Stage
- Catching the Angel by the Throat: Feminine Appropriation of Shakespeare’s Women in the Nineteenth-Century.
Students will be strongly encouraged to participate in seminars and informal meetings with staff and other researchers at the University of Oxford. The major commitment of time will be to individual study and research, involving wide and intense reading, collection of primary evidence, analysis and writing. Students will be expected to attend and to contribute to the wide range of research seminars, conferences and workshops organised in the University. They will also have access to specialist training courses offered by the Bodleian Library and IT services.
Supervision on the DPhil programme will be provided by two supervisors, usually University Lecturers/Professors from Oxford Lifelong Learning and from within the University of Oxford. The two supervisors will be from different disciplines. Supervisors will help students to develop a programme of research and writing.
Students work in at least two of the disciplines and are supervised by academics with two different areas of specialism.
The course enables students to make the most of the university’s resources (e.g. its libraries, computer facilities, museums and historic monuments). Students are also likely to need to consult archives and other primary sources in different locations depending on their project.
Attendance
The course is part-time. Part-time students are required to attend course-related activities in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year. There will be flexibility in the dates of attendance, which will be determined by mutual agreement with your supervisor. You will have the opportunity to tailor your part-time study and pattern of in-person attendance in consultation with your supervisor. It is expected that you will join all online course activities during your period of study.
Professor Yasmin Khan
Prof Yasmin Khan, Professor of Modern History, is a historian whose research focuses on the history of the British in India, the British Empire, South Asian decolonisation, refugees and the aftermath of empire. She has also written about the Second World War and the imperial dimensions of the conflict.
She was educated at Oxford (St. Peter’s and St. Antony’s colleges) and was previously a Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and a Senior Lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London.
The DPhil will be awarded on the basis of a thesis and an oral examination. Your thesis will be based on extensive original research and engagement with current scholarship. Students undertaking a part-time DPhil will normally study for four to six years from the time of admission. This compares with a full-time doctorate, which normally takes three to four years to complete.
As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:
- a master’s degree, usually with distinction in a Humanities subject; and
- a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in any relevant subject
- Show prior interest in the area of research proposed
English language proficiency
This course requires proficiency in English at the University’s higher level. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. Further information on English language requirements can be found here.
Funding
Please see the University’s Fees and Funding pages for help and information with regard to funding doctoral studies. We further recommend that applicants search for funding opportunities via the online Fees, Funding and Scholarship search tool.
In order to be considered for many scholarships, applicants are required to apply by the January deadline. However, applicants should note that some scholarships require additional application materials and may have different deadlines, so applicants should make sure they check the application process for each scholarship carefully.
Application deadlines
12:00 midday UK time on:
- Stage 1: Wednesday 28 January 2026 (Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships)
- Stage 2: Tuesday 3 March 2026
Applications may still be accepted beyond 3 March if places remain.
Applications for this course should be made via the University of Oxford Graduate Admissions website. This website provides information on fees and entry requirements, along with help on preparing and submitting your application.
Contact us
If you would like to discuss your application or any part of the application process before applying, please contact the course administrator:
- tel: +44 (0)1865 286938
- email: pgr@conted.ox.ac.uk
STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS
Dona completed the MSt in Literature and Arts while working full-time in the United States. To continue her research she has since progressed to the DPhil in…
