Overview
For successful completion of the course, you must submit the following written work for examination:
- A ‘formative’ essay of not more than 3,000 words. This essay is internally assessed, but does not contribute towards the final mark.
- Two essays of no more than 5,000 words.
- A dissertation of no more than 12,000 words.
Essays two and three each account for 20% of the final mark, and the dissertation accounts for 60%.
Once submitted, each essay and dissertation is read anonymously by two senior academic members of staff, neither of whom will have supervised the work being marked. Both will submit independent reports.
Assessment standards
Formally, this MPhil is a pass/fail course, and no marks are made publicly available. However, you will receive feedback, including provisional marks, throughout the year, and internal transcripts at the end of the year.
The essays must show evidence of a critical engagement with health, medicine and society; they are not required to present original research in order to pass. The dissertation must be clearly written, take account of previously published work on the subject, and represent a contribution to learning. It must show evidence of independent research.
When marking coursework examiners will be asking:
- What is the main achievement of this work? Is there an original contribution? If so, what is it?
- Does the candidate show a good understanding of relevant material? Is the content of the work informative and insightful?
- Does the candidate advance effective arguments contributing towards well-articulated conclusions?
- Has the candidate used a sufficient number and range of appropriate sources? Are they effectively used and properly credited and cited?
- Does the work have a clear and effective structure? Is the writing clear, grammatical, and free of typographical and other errors? Is the style of the references and footnotes clear and consistent?
Prizes
The Habib Prize, endowed by Benyamin Habib, is awarded each year to the MPhil student who has the best overall performance in the formally assessed essays.
The Forrester Prize, endowed by the family of John Forrester, is awarded each year to the MPhil student with the best performance in the dissertation.
Results and Degree approval
You will receive your dissertation marks and feedback after the Degree Committee meets in late June. Marks will subsequently be ratified by the Student Registry, at which point you will be able to obtain a formal transcript and make arrangements for graduation.
Your College will be your primary contact regarding graduation arrangements. For further information, visit the Student Registry website.
If you receive an extension to your dissertation deadline, you may not receive your marks and reports until September or October.