Doctor of Letters and Doctor of Science

• 1. Any person belonging to one of the following classes may become a candidate for the Degree of Doctor of Letters or of Doctor of Science under the conditions set forth in this Section:1

  • (a) Masters of Arts or Masters of Biochemistry or Chemistry or Earth Sciences or Engineering or Mathematics or Physics (including Masters of Arts or Masters of Engineering of the University of Cambridge, and Masters of Arts of the University of Dublin, who have been incorporated in this University) who have entered upon the thirtieth term from their matriculation (at this University or, if earlier, at Cambridge or Dublin as the case may be);

  • (b) Undergraduates or Bachelors of Arts of the University of Cambridge or Dublin who have been incorporated and have incepted in the Faculty of Arts in this University and have entered upon the thirtieth term from their matriculation at Cambridge or Dublin;

  • (c) Persons on whom the Degree of Master of Arts has been conferred by decree or special resolution, other than a degree honoris causa, and who have entered upon the ninth term from their admission to that degree;

  • (d) Doctors of Philosophy, Masters of Science or of Letters, and Bachelors of Letters or of Science who have entered upon the twenty-first term from their matriculation.

• 2. Any such person may apply for permission to supplicate for the Degree of Doctor of Letters or of Doctor of Science, submitting, with the application, evidence of his fitness. This evidence must consist of published papers or books, and one year at least must elapse between the publication of any such paper or book and its submission as evidence in support of an application.2 The candidate, in his application, shall state whether any part of the work submitted has previously been accepted for a degree.

• 3. 2The application shall be made through the Registrar to the board to which the subject of the papers or books in question belongs, and at least two copies of each of such papers or books shall, where possible, be sent with it. The application must further be accompanied by the fee prescribed in the appropriate regulation (see Appendix I) and by a certificate, signed by some officer of, or some person deputed by, the college to which the candidate belongs, showing that his application has the approval of the college. A candidate who submits papers or books which have been produced in collaboration shall state in respect of each item the extent of his own contribution.

• Applications for permission to supplicate for the Degree of Doctor of Letters shall be made to one of the following bodies only:

• Board of the Faculty of:

  • Classics;

  • English Language and Literature;

  • Law;

    Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics;

  • Management;

  • Medieval and Modern Languages and Literature;

  • History;

  • Music;

  • Oriental Studies;

  • Philosophy;

  • Theology.

• Divisional Board:

  • Social Sciences.

• Applications for permission to supplicate for the Degree of Doctor of Science shall be made to one of the following boards only:

• Divisional Board:

  • Social Sciences;

  • Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences;

  • Medical Sciences.

• Committee for:

  • Archaeology.

• 4. The board shall appoint judges to consider the evidence submitted by any candidate, and to report thereon to the board. In making their report the judges shall state whether the evidence submitted constitutes an original contribution to the advancement of knowledge of such substance and distinction as to give the candidate an authoritative status in some branch or branches of learning.

• 5. If the board approves the evidence as of sufficient merit for the degree, it shall give leave to the candidate to supplicate for the degree, and shall notify its decision in the University Gazette. One copy of each of the papers and books submitted as evidence shall remain in the possession of the University for deposit in Bodleian Library, provided that no book or paper of which the Library already possesses a copy shall be so deposited except with the consent of the candidate and of the Librarian, unless the copy submitted by the candidate shall be of a different issue or shall contain alterations or additions.

• 6. The boards shall have power to make, and to vary from time to time, such regulations for carrying out the provisions of this Section as they may deem expedient, provided that all such regulations and any variations in them shall be submitted to the Education Committee for approval.