Oriental Studies DPhil

The Faculty of Oriental Studies offers a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) research degree and is able to offer supervision over the full range of regions in which its academics have expertise. The DPhil in Oriental Studies is the faculty's main research degree. Supervision can be offered in the full-range of areas in which the faculty has expertise, namely Chinese studies, Egyptology and the ancient Near East, Eastern Christianity, Hebrew and Jewish studies, the Islamic world, Japanese studies, Korean studies and South and Inner Asia. You will be assigned a supervisor(s) who has overall responsibility for the direction of your work on behalf of the faculty. Typically, you should expect to have meetings with your supervisor at least twice a term during the period of your study, often more frequently during the earlier stages of the research programme. Through independent research, and with the guidance of your supervisor, you will be required to complete a thesis of 80,000 to 100,000 words. You will have the opportunity to attend faculty seminars, lectures and colloquia, as well as a variety of skills training sessions offered by the faculty, as appropriate to different stages of the graduate career. Graduates in Oriental studies have found employment in many diverse fields including business, the civil service, finance, law, government, industry, and journalism and the media. Many graduates have also undertaken further research into subjects linked with Oriental studies and have pursued successful careers in the academic world, education, libraries, literature and museums.