FAQs

I don't have a law degree. Am I still eligible to apply?

Yes. About 70% of our students are lawyers and 30% from a wide range of other fields, including medicine, journalism, forensic anthropology, economics and many professionals who work with international and non-governmental organisations.

How many people are admitted each year?

Around 30.

What is an MSt and how does it differ from an LLM?

The term 'MSt' stands for 'Master of Studies', a postgraduate degree awarded in disciplines including art, history and social sciences. Oxford offers no LLM degree in any field of law.

Is it possible to do this course full-time?

No, this course is only offered on a part-time basis. If you are interested in full-time programmes, please visit the Graduate Admissions A-Z list of courses.

Does Oxford offer a part-time DPhil (PhD) in Law?

DPhils in any law-related field are based in the Law Faculty and are available on a part-time as well as full-time basis. Further information is available at https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/courses/dphil-law

Will having the MSt make it easier to gain admission into Oxford's DPhil (PhD) programme in law?

Officially, no. Admission to the D.Phil. is a separate, independent process. Unofficially, doing well on the MSt has proven a help to our students when applying to the D.Phil.

I attended the Oxford/George Washington University Summer School in International Human Rights Law. Do I get any credit for the exams that I took during the Summer School which could be transferred to the Master’s Degree?

Although some of the subjects are similar in the Summer School and the Master’s course, the latter is a more rigorous and advanced course and it is therefore not possible to transfer credit from one to the other. The Summer School courses, however, will give a good grounding for the Master’s degree and this often helps students with admission to the MSt.