Year long 

The year long programme gives students a chance to make the most of Oxford.  The first semester is in many respects a time for settling in to the new system and getting used to working in a new way, with access to research libraries and individual tutorials.  By the second semester students already feel at home and can focus wholeheartedly on their studies or perhaps join a club or society they didn’t feel they had time for in the first semester.  Students normally come for their first semester in the autumn and stay on until the spring, but it’s possible to do it the other way round.  Some students apply for a year in Oxford from the start, but others apply once they are in Oxford.  Either way the second semester gives students a chance to continue working in their chosen discipline, pursue interdisciplinary studies, or put together a personal programme of courses.  In particular second term students work under the supervision of a specialist tutor to write a thesis which for many is useful preparation for graduate school applications, or for a senior thesis at home.  The second term gives students the opportunity to hone their writing and research skills in a place where they feel at home, and many say it changes their aspirations.

Thesis (4 credits)

Second term students develop their ability to write independently by writing a thesis, with specialist guidance, on a topic of their choice.  The topic may be chosen from amongst those in which tutorials are offered.

More information

For more information on the thesis download the following pdf: SSO Thesis.