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	text:  larger  smaller		Candidates for the Master of Studies in Legal Research (MSt) must write a supervised thesis of up to 30,000 words, as well as completing a course in legal research method. The regulations allow up to 5 terms (about 18 months) for submission of an MSt thesis. However, the Law Faculty structures the MSt as a one-year full-time programme and asks its MSt students to do likewise. More about funding for postgraduate students. More about admissions to the MSt: requirements and procedures, links  to forms, etc. Our postgraduate handbook (pdf), which explains in more detail what to expect as a MSt student, including more details of the course in legal research method. General questions about life as a research student? Check out our FAQs The MSt is an entry-level research degree. It can of course be regarded as a standalone degree. But for those interested in taking their research further, it can also double as the first year of the Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) programme. A student intending to study for an Oxford DPhil must anyway spend a year as a 'probationer research student' and then take a 'qualifying test' to become a full DPhil student. If you are an MSt student during this first year, you can arrange to have your proposal for DPhil work assessed at the same time as your MSt thesis; the MSt examination then doubles as your qualifying test. (NB it is possible to pass the MSt without passing the qualifying test.) If you are aiming at the DPhil pinnacle, you should ideally take the longer route BCL/MJur (one year) » MPhil (one year) » DPhil (approx. two further years). But if you want to study towards a DPhil without doing one of our taught masters-level degrees first, we recommend the route MSt (one year) » DPhil (approx. two further years). Subject to certain regulations your MSt thesis can be incorporated into your DPhil thesis. More about the DPhil and the alternative routes into it.