Academic degree
Doctoral degrees or doctorates, such as the Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD or DPhil) or Doctor of Education (EdD or DEd) are awarded following a programme of original research that contributes new knowledge within the context of the student's discipline. Doctoral degrees usually take three years full-time. Therefore, in the UK it may only take seven years to progress from undergraduate to doctoral level – in some cases six, since having a Master's is not always a precondition for embarking on a doctoral degree. This contrasts with nine years in the United States, reflecting differences in the educational systems.
Faculty of History, University of Cambridge
At postgraduate level, the faculty offers three types of degrees: Master of Philosophy (MPhil), Master of Studies (MSt), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The MPhils are 9 month to one year courses, consisting of taught courses and a research dissertation; there are eight MPhils, one for each of the eight subject groups. The MSt is a two year part-time course, consisting of taught modules and a research dissertation: it is jointly taught by the Faculty Of History and the Institute of Continuing Education. The PhD is a research course, taking 3-4 years full-time and 5-7 years part-time, and resulting in a doctoral thesis of 80,000 words.