Graduate StudiesGraduate Studies
Christ Church is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1546, and 450 years later it is still a large and vibrant academic community. There are usually about 410 undergraduate members of the college, together with approximately 250 graduate students.
There are also about 100 teaching and research staff who are senior members of the College. On average approximately 80-85 new graduate students are admitted each year; some of these will have completed an undergraduate degree at Christ Church, but the majority come from elsewhere, including overseas.
The University website provides essential information for prospective graduates including the application form and online University Graduate Prospectus at http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/postgraduate/
Q. If I want to come to Christ Church, how do I apply?
A. First you have to be admitted by the faculty relevant to your research degree. This means you must make an application to the University on a form available from the university website www.ox.ac.uk/postgraduate/
On that form you may select your choice of colleges and this is where you can express a preference for Christ Church. Once your application has been considered by the faculty and you have been offered a place, your details will be passed on to your first choice college. When Christ Church receives your dossier, it will make a decision about whether or not to offer you a place.
Q. How can I check if Christ Church accepts applications for my subject?
A. There is a list of all the subjects taken at graduate level at Christ Church which can be downloaded as a pdf file at the bottom of this page.
Q. How will Christ Church make its decision about my application?
A. When the College receives your dossier it will be passed on to the college tutor whose interests are closest to your own. The tutor will make a recommendation to the Tutor for Graduates and the Dean of Christ Church, who will make the final decision in the light of the overall competition for graduate places.
Q. How will I hear about the outcome of my application?
A. If Christ Church is able to offer you a place, you will hear from us directly. Our letter will explain what you need to do in order to confirm your place and you will also be told whether or not we can offer you a room in college. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified directly by the University.
Q. Do you offer places without the promise of a room?
A. Christ Church would like to be able to house all of its graduates for the duration of their course or research. Unfortunately, this is not possible. Some graduates coming to Oxford for the first time are found a college room for their first year. We only have enough accommodation for about half of our annual intake of new graduate students. Christ Church undergraduates staying on to do post-graduate work are not offered a room for their first year of graduate work. Where accommodation is provided, each student has his or her own study bedroom and the use of a shared bathroom and a kitchen. Where possible, we try to put graduates who are new to Oxford on the main college site, but it might sometimes be necessary for such graduates to live in flats or houses approx 15 minutes walk from the main college site.
Q. What are the arrangements for food in college?
A. The college provides breakfast, lunch and dinner that you pay for. All meals are served in the hall at Christ Church on the main college site.
Q. Does Christ Church have married/partnered accommodation?
A. Christ Church has a limited number of flats for married/partnered graduates, situated in the city centre near the railway station (approx 15 minutes walk from the main college site).
Q. Do I have to meet any conditions to be admitted to Christ Church?
A. Any academic conditions, such as attaining a particular standard in your undergraduate degree or passing an English language test, set by the faculty admitting you will also be required for entry to Christ Church. We do not add any further conditions of our own. In order to confirm your place in the College, you do have to give us proof that you have funding or are able to support yourself for the full duration of your research or course.
Q. What sort of proof of funding will the College require?
A. If you are in receipt of a grant from a funding council, your home University or government, you must send a copy of the notification of that grant to the Tutor for Graduates at Christ Church. If you intend to finance all or part of your studies from your own or your family's resources, we will ask you to supply proof, in the form of a letter from your bank or your parent’s bank, that you have sufficient funds for the duration of your studies. A graduate place at Christ Church is always conditional upon providing evidence of your ability to fund your course.
Q. Are there opportunities for graduates to earn money to help fund their studies while in Christ Church?
A. Regrettably, the opportunities for finding paid employment are very limited both in the University and Oxford in general. It is not normal in the UK for students to work their way through graduate school as in the USA, for example. The College cannot accept the intention of finding a job as proof of adequate funding for a course.
Q. Does Christ Church have any scholarships for graduates?
A. Currently our only college scholarship for new graduates is the Myers Scholarship for Australian students reading law. Please see the funding search on the University graduate website for further information. Details of this scholarship will also be put on the Christ Church website in February in each year.
As a graduate student, you may find that the main focus of your academic life is in your faculty or department. This is particularly true in the sciences, where you will probably be a member of a research group. However, the College will also play a part in your academic studies. At Christ Church, you will be assigned a college adviser who will be a senior member of the college working in a similar field to you. He or she will see you at least once a term and will discuss your progress. Your academic supervisor will not necessarily be a member of Christ Church. In addition to contact with senior members in college, you will also meet graduates working in a range of areas through your college membership, and these contacts can often be an important feature of your broader intellectual development. The College supports postgraduate studies with generous book grants and financial assistance towards travel and conference expenses. It also holds a number of social events for graduates during the year.
Christ Church offers good facilities for its graduate students. Graduates may use the well-stocked college library. We also have a separate law library. There is a graduate common room situated in the main quad. This offers a sitting room, study room, and computing facilities. Meals are served in Hall. The GCR has a strong social life, and regular events include video evenings, guest dinners (with a speaker), wine tastings, and visits to the theatre. Graduates usually play a full part in the wider social and sporting life of the college. There are art and music rooms in college and an excellent sports ground nearby. The boathouse is a short walk away across Christ Church Meadow. The College Picture Gallery contains a collection of Old Master paintings and drawings of international importance of interest to any student concerned with the visual arts.
The Tutor for Graduates is a member of the academic staff with special responsibility for graduate affairs. These include admissions, academic progress, and graduate facilities. The Academic Assistant for Graduates should be contacted if you have specific questions after reading this. If you need information about a specific course or subject please see the relevant Faculty or Department website.
The Tutor for Graduates and Academic Assistant for Graduates at Christ Church, Oxford
| Attachment | Size |
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| Graduate Subjects taken at Christ Church 2012 - pdf | 372.66 KB |
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