Master of Philosophy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from MPhil)
Jump to: navigation, search
In the usage of the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and some other countries, the Master of Philosphy (M.Phil.) is a research degree, requiring the completion of a thesis. It is a lesser degree than the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), and in some instances may be awarded as a substitute for a PhD thesis which is a marginal fail. It may also serve as a provisional enrolment for the PhD. It is generally thesis only, and is regarded as a senior or second masters degree. An M.Phil. is generally considered equivalent to the French Diplôme d'études Approfondies or DEA.
Some British universities like the University of Cambridge offer the M.Phil. as one a year taught degree. This is to distinguish it from the Oxford/Cambridge/Trinity Dublin MA degree, which is awarded to BA graduates after a certain period of time, but no further study (since the nineteenth century).
In the Netherlands the M.Phil. is a special research degree and only awarded by selected departments of a university (mostly in the fields of Arts, Social Sciences, Archeology, Philosophy, and Theology). Admission to these programmes are highly selective and primarily aiming at those students opting for an academic career. After finishing these programs students normally enroll for a PhD program.
Some American universities award the M.Phil. At those universities the degree is awarded to Ph.D. candidates when they complete their required coursework but before they defend their doctoral dissertations. Many Ph.D. candidates at these universities view the M.Phil. as a formality and elect not to receive it in order to avoid the paperwork and costs involved.