Last Updated: February 07, 2021
Be a part of the Oxford family
The prestigious Oxford University has been the alma mater of renowned scholars globally. Established in 1096, Oxford has stood witness to world happenings and has adapted its curriculum to cater to every new generation of scholars. If that wasn't a feat on its own, Oxford University has been the leading face for numerous world-renowned researches, as well as a great academic record to add it up. Oxford is a grand institution that houses students from over 140 countries, with 41% of its teacher's citizens of other nations. It has over 11,955 postgraduates and 12,010 undergraduates, all of them being one of the best in their own respective fields. Moreover, international students form about 45% of the student body.
Talking about being the best, Oxford did not achieve the title of being #1 of the many universities just like that. Oxford is fiercely competitive in nature. The competition is not just for academics or jobs, it is also a requirement. Anyone wanting to go to Oxford for studying has to be academically sound and then can be considered for a place at Oxford.
Even if the competition to get into the university is quite a lot, almost every student of Oxford agrees that it's worth it. The academic module is just a part, but even the faculty of Oxford is top-notch. Getting into Oxford also means that you would be getting hands-on experience of the best in your respective fields.
Since the university is so huge, they have hundreds of departments with a lot of courses available. The list below will provide information about the major departments and the courses they have to offer.
Top courses
As mentioned above, Oxford offers a lot of courses. Students of Oxford are offered unique learning experiences to hone their skills, be it in the classroom or outside. Be it a bachelor's degree or master's degree, each of them has something unique to offer. For example, undergraduates and graduates have regular one-on-one sessions with tutors and are counseled to excel, amongst other things.
Oxford has maintained high-quality teaching and research methodologies, especially in medical, scientific, and technological development. Its courses in pure sciences and humanities are equally interesting.
Let us look at some of the most popular courses.
Engineering Sciences
The department of Engineering Science in Oxford is being taught since the 1880s by scholars of repute. Students are offered at least eight specializations to choose from. The university churns out more than 160 fine engineering graduates every year, with training in managerial, entrepreneurial, and financial skills.
The courses offered in the department of Engineering Sciences are Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Information Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.
Fees
| Course | Tuition Fees |
| MEng | £38,000 |
| MSc Engineering Science | £28,000 |
| D.Phil | 28,000 |
Medical Sciences
The six-year Clinical Medicine course at Oxford is divided into pre-clinical and clinical sections. The pre-clinical course, which lends a BA degree, spans over three years and provides theoretical knowledge of clinical medicine. The clinical level prepares students for competent medical practice with a Biomedical. Furthermore, after 3 years of clinical medicine, one can opt for further one year of course, which will lead them to obtain a masters degree.
Fees
| Course | Tuition Fees |
| BA/MBiomedSci | £30,000 |
| BA/Mbiol | £38,000 |
| BA (health science) | 30,000 |
| BA/ BM BCh | 36,000 |
Other Sciences
Computer Science
Another fantastic and unique course provided by the university is the Computer Science course. Students with a flair for mathematics are trained in all aspects of computer science through problem-solving and program designing modules. Students are also encouraged and guided to develop something that can be their new creation and can take them ahead in life by exposing them to real-world activities.
The course is for 3 years in total, after which you would be awarded a BA degree. If the students wishes to, they can continue their studies for a year longer and make the degree a masters, and be awarded the MCompSci degree.
Fees
| Course | Tuition Fees |
| BA | £38,000 |
| MCompSci | £38,000 |
Earth Science
Another interesting course is that of Earth Sciences (also known as Geology). Students who are passionate about everything the earth has to offer, are trained in unique skills that help them interpret geological phenomena and excel as geoscientists and oceanographers, amongst other professions.
Just as Computer science, an earth science course lasts for 3 years as a BA degree, but can be made into a master's if the duration is extended by a year. An MEarthSci degree will be awarded which is an equivalent of a master's degree.
Fees
| Course | Tuition Fees |
| BA | £38,000 |
| MEarthSci | £38,000 |
Humanities
Arts & Humanities has been given the same amount of importance as any other science course at Oxford. There is a wide range of Humanities courses to choose from, including Experimental Psychology, Philosophy, Theology, Politics, Literature, History, and Arts. The fees and duration of the course is subject to change as per the course. Below you will find the general information regarding courses in humanities.
The duration of any course you choose will last for a maximum of 4 years. Some courses are for as short as 9 months as well. Courses offered at Oxford for humanities are for educational purposes, as well as for the purpose of finding something different to do. For example, taking a course in history can lead you to seek out careers in fields that are not mainstream.
Fees for humanities course are on a range, as they change as per the course. But in general, fees ranges between £25,000 to £30,000. Scholarships are available for every course as well.
Economics
The Economics and Management undergraduate course at Oxford is designed to provide students with knowledge about the world economy. Students with this degree have landed plush jobs in the financial, banking, research and teaching industries as they have had first hand experience about the fast paced financial world.
The course lasts for 3 years, after which you will be awarded a BA in economics degree. For postgraduate study, you would have to apply again. The postgraduate course will last for 21 months and after completion you would be awarded an MPhil degree.
Fees
| Course | Tuition Fees |
| BA | £32,000 |
| Mphil | £25,000 |
Law
Oxford is very well recognized for Law. It comes as one of the top 5 universities and within good reason. Students opting to study Law at Oxford can choose from a 3 year course or a 4 year course. The latter gives students an opportunity to train in France, Italy, Spain or Germany in the 3rd year, to study the laws of that country, or at Netherlands to study International and European Law. Oxford's legal studies are unique in that students are taught through discussions in small groups.
After the completion of your undergraduate course, a BA degree will be awarded to you. For further studies in Law, you would have to reapply for an MPhil in Law. The duration of MPhil is for 12 months.
Fees
| Course | Tuition Fees |
| BA (equivalent to LLB) | £29,000 |
| MPhil | £25,000 |
Admissions for International Students
Undergraduates
Applicants for undergraduate courses need to live on the research-intensive campus and can choose between one to three subjects for specialization. Applicants are shortlisted based on academic potential and need to submit:
- secondary school results
- personal statement
- academic reference
- appear for an admission test/submit written work if demanded by the course
Minimum high school scores for eligibility
- A-level and/or A*AA level scores
- IELTS score with 7/7 in each component
- Paper-based TOEFL score of 600 with at least 5.5 in Written English Test
- Minimum of Grade A in the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English
- Minimum of Grade B in the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English
- Grade B in English language GSCE or O-level
- Grade 5 in English Language (A or B) in the International Baccalaureate Standard Level
Postgraduates
Essentially one or two-year courses, Oxford's postgraduate degrees are a step towards scholarly opportunities. Those who opt for intensive research doctorate courses are conferred a D.Phil rather than a Ph.D.
Applicants need to submit:
- three academic references
- transcripts of all previous education
- resume
- research proposal
- GRE scores and other written work as demanded by courses
Minimum graduate scores for eligibility
A minimum academic percentage of 77% in your bachelors
A grade of B+ as an overall scoring
A GPA grade of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale
A GPA grade of 3.6 on a 4.3 scale
A GPA grade of 7.0 on a 9.0 scale
A GPA grade of 10.0 on a 12.0 scale
A TOEFL iBT score of 95 overall
An IELTS score of 7 overall, with no less than a score of 6.5 in every component.
Fees and scholarships
Academic fee for international students is higher than those from the UK (also known as home students). Students also need to take into account the costs of their stay, visa, and travel.
Oxford University offers several geographic scholarships to international students, but these scholarships are reserved for students who exceed Oxford's expectations in terms of academia. Otherwise, international students can look into scholarships provided by the British Council, as well as other sponsors. Keep in mind that if you get a scholarship from another source than Oxford, it is important to check if Oxford will accept those scholarships. In most cases, they do unless the scholarship is from an institute they do not recognize.
Careers
A majority of Oxford graduates opt for professional occupations. About 14% take to teaching, while many steps into research. Oxford offers a Career Service to its students, which is inclusive of counseling by experts and job placements.
It goes without saying that any graduate of Oxford, be it an undergraduate, postgraduate, or Ph.D. holder, gets an edge in the real world. Since the students of Oxford get more opportunities, with a much more centralized outlook into their field, they tend to get better training in their area of study and hence, become exceptional masters in what they studied.
As a huge institution, including Oxford University Press, the university is responsible for creating 33,700 jobs in the county and injecting more than £2.3bn annually into the regional economy, as of 2020. Meaning that in a fast-paced employment world, Oxford is almost always at the top and will most probably continue as such even while being one of the most competitive universities around the globe.
