[lit-ideas] Philosophical dissertations (for the DPhil Oxon) -- on Grice & Popper: an index
- From: Robert Paul <rpaul@xxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 2 May 2014 12:27:11 -0700
JL writes
[snipped]
Granted, McEvoy's reference does not apply strictly to 'DPhil', since there
are other ways of getting a 'first class' degree: MA and BPhil, and it may
be a first class MA or even BA that McEvoy's commentary can apply, too!
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*As far as I know, there's no such thing as a 'first class' MA or a 'first
class' DPhil (any more than there's such a thing as a 'first class' PhD. As
my former supervisor at a fairly well-known university located at the end
of a lake, once said, 'To get an Oxford MA, all one has to do is get an
Oxford BA, and pay a sum of money.' This was Frank Sibley, of happy memory,
who had done just—and no more than that—but was a full professor at the
institution in question.
*In the US, an MA is 'earned' through course work, and a dissertation. Now,
though few US universities offer it in the humanities except, in some
cases, 'on the way to' a PhD, and even so, do not accept applications from
those who want only an MA or MS. It may be that the MA or MS is useful in
some fields—'counseling'—but it will no longer get you anywhere in
philosophy or in linguistics e.g. (I'm not sure if Kripke has anything more
than a BA, and he may not even have that.)
——————————————————————————————————
Wikipedia says
'In the Universities of
Oxford<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Oxford>
, Cambridge <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Cambridge> and
Dublin <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Dublin>, Bachelors of
Arts <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_of_Arts> of these universities
are promoted to the degree of *Master of Arts
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Arts>* or *Master in Arts* (*MA*)
on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the
university (including years as an
undergraduate<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undergraduate_education>
).
'There is no examination or study required for the degree beyond those
required for the BA. This practice differs from that in most other
universities worldwide, for whom the degree reflects further postgraduate
study or achievement, and these degrees are sometimes referred to as
the *Oxbridge
MA* and *Dublin* or *Trinity MA* to differentiate
them.[1]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Arts_(Oxbridge_and_Dublin)#cite_note-1>The
Oxbridge MA is based on the system of academic rank rather than on one of
academic qualifications. Once incepted/promoted to MA, the holder no longer
wears the academicals <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_dress> or uses
the post-nominals pertaining to a Bachelor of Arts as they are no longer of
that rank, thus the Master of Arts is not a separate degree given in
addition to the Bachelor of Arts but is basically a conversion of one
degree to another.
* 'All three universities have other masters' degrees that require further
study and examination, but these have other titles, such as Master of
Letters <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Letters> (MLitt), Master of
Philosophy <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Philosophy> (MPhil), Master
of Studies <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Studies> (MSt), Master
of Engineering <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Engineering>(MEng)
and Master of Science <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Science>
(MSc).'
——————————————————————————————————
Donal knows all about this stuff, but Oxbridge rules and regulations are
not always transparent to the layperson.
Robert Paul
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