MPhil or DPhil... or: Another MA or straight to PhD?

[caranciaest]

I'm in a bit of a strange situation. I'm currently doing a two-year MA in the UK in (continental) philosophy and art theory with full research council funding. I did my undergrad at LSE in Government. I want to do a PhD and hopefully get a career in academia. I'm pretty set on applying to Oxford to do work in political theory. My academic interests are in the intersection of political theory, critical theory, and art theory, and I've set my eyes on two Oxford professors in DPIR who would be a good match.

 

Long story short I've got the opportunity of almost full funding for an MPhil (funding by home government fund). I feel my current MA is seriously lacking in coursework load and lack of PhD-preparation in general. It's just not fulfilling enough academically to me. The MPhil is two years, has a reputation for being rigorous, and is academically reputable. It also means potentially cutting a year off the DPhil which I would be hoping to do subsequently.

 

Is it frowned upon to do two MAs? Should I just apply straight to the DPhil or might I as well do the MPhil first if I have the academic motivation, drive, and expect it will give me (in)valuable preparation for the DPhil?

Edited December 28, 2013 by caranciaest

[o.j.]

Think you should apply for the MPhil, as I think it will shave off more than 2 years from DPhil at Oxford. 

[caranciaest]

Think you should apply for the MPhil, as I think it will shave off more than 2 years from DPhil at Oxford. 

Do you know anything about how likely it is to be allowed to upgrade to the DPhil?

[o.j.]

I think it is all a matter of how well you get to know the Professors, quite a few people get the upgrade, but this kind of happens in the second year of the MPhil.  

 

I am guessing you still have a year to go before you finish, I think you could use this time to make contacts with Professors at Oxford. Does your University have any conferences where these Professors might be present? In any case, I think you should write to them and see if you can go meet with them to discuss your idea, especially for your Master's thesis. Getting a publication out of this master's would be great too and you could then directly apply for a DPhil.