Program Overview

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MSc in Digital Scholarship

The MSc in Digital Scholarship is a taught course that explores how digital tools transform humanistic research. It combines lectures, seminars, and a practicum, culminating in a dissertation with optional digital outputs.

About the Course

The course is designed to help students lead and manage digital projects in and outside the academic domain and gain expertise to progress to innovative doctoral research projects. It is comprised of four main elements: a core paper on Elements of Digital Scholarship, two technical options papers on Methods of Digital Scholarship, a subject-specific paper, and a Practicum placement to gain experience developing the proposed research topic.

Course Structure

• The course is full-time and requires attendance in Oxford.
• Full-time students are subject to the University's Residence requirements.
• The course is taught through lectures, seminars, technical classes, and one-to-one supervision for the dissertation, as well as a project placement.
• Michaelmas term is the most teaching-intensive term, with about 10-12 contact hours, and further classes take place in Hilary term.
• In Trinity term, apart from the Practicum placement, students will be expected to do independent work on their dissertation.

Resources to Support Study

As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of resources, including:

• Libraries: The Bodleian Libraries is the largest library system in the UK, with over 13 million printed items and access to e-journals.
• Museums and galleries.
• Digital resources and IT services: The University's IT Services supports core university IT systems and tools, as well as many other services and facilities.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the steering committee for the MSc in Digital Scholarship in consultation with faculties in the Humanities Division. Each student will be given the opportunity to participate in an optional career mentor system, paired with one of Oxford's renowned digital scholars.

Assessment

Assessment methods include:

• Elements of Digital Scholarship: Assessed by two essays.
• Methods of Digital Scholarship: Assessment methods depend on the options chosen but are likely to involve both a practical and written element.
• Subject-Specific Paper: Follows the assessment regime determined by the convenor of the individual course selected by the student.
• Practicum placement: Assessed by submission of a digital asset and short report.
• Dissertation: Due at the beginning of August, with advice from a supervisor on scope and research.

Graduate Destinations

Graduates might typically go on to further research within the Humanities or work in a cultural institution or creative industry. The skills learned should prepare students for a wide range of jobs and industries.

Entry Requirements

Proven and Potential Academic Excellence

• A first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honors in a relevant discipline in the humanities.
• For applicants with a bachelor's degree from the USA, a minimum overall GPA of 3.6 is normally required.
• Entrance is competitive, and most successful applicants have a first-class degree or the equivalent.

Degree-Level Qualifications

• The minimum qualifications required are a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honors in a relevant discipline.
• For international qualifications, visit the University's International Qualifications page for guidance.

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.

References

You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course.

Supporting Documents

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application, including transcripts and a statement of purpose.

Funding

The collegiate University expects to offer over 1,100 full or partial graduate scholarships across a wide range of graduate courses. Details of college-specific funding opportunities can be found on individual college websites.

Costs

Annual Course Fees

The fees for this course are charged on an annual basis. For the academic year, the fees are:

• Home: Ł19,900
• Overseas: Ł43,730

Living Costs

In addition to course fees, you will need to ensure you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course. The range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student is between Ł1,405 and Ł2,105 for each month spent in Oxford.

College Preference

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. You can express a preference for one of the colleges that accept students for this course or ask to be assigned a college.

How to Apply

Before you apply, refer to the guide to getting started, which provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. The application form will include questions that collect information usually included in a CV/résumé. You should not upload a separate document.

Referees

You must register three referees, with at least two being academic. Your references will be assessed for intellectual ability, academic achievement, motivation, and ability to work effectively.

Official Transcript(s)

Your transcripts should give detailed information about the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date.

Statement of Purpose

Your statement should explain your motivation for applying, relevant experience and education, and specific areas of interest. It should be written in English, between 500 and 1,000 words, and focus on academic achievements and interests.

Written Work

Academic essays or other writing samples are required, typed and written in English, related to the subject you propose to study. The written work should be between 2,000 and 4,000 words and will be assessed for comprehensive understanding, ability to construct and defend an argument, and aptitude for analysis and expression.

After You've Submitted Your Application

Your application will be assessed against the entry requirements detailed on this course page. You can find out more about the shortlisting and selection process in the detailed guide to what happens next.