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			Here are some frequently asked questions about life as a BCL/MJur student. Some but not all of the questions and answers are also relevant to students on the MSc and MPhil in Criminology. Those interested in the MSc and MPhil in Criminology will find more tailored information on the Centre for Criminology website. For more detailed and more authoritative answers to all of your questions please consult the Faculty's postgraduate handbook (pdf). Some of the answers below are simplified. What do the BCL/MJur degrees qualify me to do afterwards? They are academic masters-level programmes that are best studied for the sake of academic interest. They both have powerful reputations worldwide. Employers (in legal practice, legal academia, and many other spheres) are likely to be impressed if you do well in them. However they do not count as (or count towards) formal qualification for entry into legal practice in the UK or anywhere else. If your aim is to qualify as a legal practitioner you should be considering the BA in Jurisprudence. To the best of our knowledge, the only thing that a BCL or MJur degree may formally qualify you to do, if you do well enough, is to proceed to our MPhil in Law (a one-year research degree that can itself lead into our DPhil programme). More about the BA in Jurisprudence, our 'qualifying law degree' ... More about the MPhil in Law ... What are the dates for the beginning and end of the programme? An Oxford academic year is made up of three eight-week terms, generally beginning early October (Michaelmas Term), mid-January (Hilary Term), and late April (Trinity Term). Although teaching is within these eight-week terms only, BCL/MJur students should arrive in September to start reading for their courses (consult your college tutor), and will not be able to leave until mid-July (the when the BCL/MJur examinations end). Check the precise term dates for the next few years ... How do I register for BCL/MJur courses? The Faculty has an online course registration process that runs at the beginning of Michaelmas Term. It is not possible to register for courses before arriving in Oxford. The faculty reserves the right to apply a cap to any BCL or MJur course in the event of an enrolment that exceeds available teaching capacity. A cap will normally be applied in cases where numbers are greater than 35, but occasionally there may be lower or higher caps. Check course availability and enrolment caps (advance information for the following academic year is posted from late May onwards) ... Is attendance at seminars, lectures and tutorials compulsory? Attendance at seminars and lectures is not compulsory for BCL/MJur students but you would be very unwise to absent yourself from the core teaching for your courses. It is absolutely NOT in order for you to miss tutorials since these have been specially arranged for you. Check individual BCL courses and MJur courses for their teaching arrangements ... Can I attend seminars and lectures other than those for the courses I am taking? You may attend anything you like that appears on the printed lecture list for any faculty or department, unless special indications are given to the contrary.  In small group seminars it is polite to ask since these may have a more personal dynamic that you might upset. Look at lecture lists from around the University...  Or just the law list on this site ... What part does my college play in the programme? Your college is responsible - through its law tutors - for laying on your tutorials and for keeping an eye on your general academic progress. It also has various administrative, disciplinary, domestic, and pastoral functions. It is also very likely to be the place where you live. More on the federal organisation of the university ... If I am not doing a dissertation, will I be set any written work during the year? You will normally be expected to write essays for tutorials. These essays do not play a part in your degree result but they do matter to your learning curve. MJur students will have seven or eight tutorials in courses they take from the BA curriculum. Other BCL/MJur courses three or four tutorials. It is a good idea to have some of your tutorials before Easter if you can, even though you may be tempted to put them off. Ask your college tutor and/or the relevant subject group convenor about the timing of tutorials for your particular selection of courses. Check out the subject group lists ... What's the difference between a tutorial and a seminar? Seminars are plenary classes for all the students taking a course, and indeed anyone else that wants to attend. Some are convened by two or more members of the Faculty together. They vary in size according to the number of students taking the course and/or interested in the topic. Tutorials, in Oxford parlance,are small interactions between a single tutor and a few students (not more than five, more typically two). They are arranged directly with the students concerned and normally involve the production of written work. The provision of tutorials on the BCL/MJur is one major difference between these programmes and LLMs at other law schools. Will I have my own desk or workspace provided by the Faculty? There is an area of the Bodleian Law Library set aside for BCL/MJur/MSc students, although without individually assigned seats. There is also a dedicated Graduate Reading Room with 45 desks: 30 of which have power and ethernet connections available (the rest are covered by the wireless network) and several sofas for more relaxed reading. Those in college accommodation will normally find that their room is set up as a live/work space. Colleges also have their own libraries, and many have separate law libraries where you will find extra workspaces. News item on the opening of the Graduate Reading Room More on libraries and work facilities ... How are BCL/MJur courses examined? Mostly by traditional unseen three-hour written examinations sat at the end of the year. If you are not used to this style of examination then you might like to attend the extra induction sessions  that the Faculty arranges, mainly with MJur students in mind, at the beginning of the year. You may also like to write practice examinations by arrangement with your tutor. The BCL/MJur paper Jurisprudence and Political Theory is examined by the submission of three essays written over the Easter vacation on topics prescribed by the examiners, rather than by a traditional three-hour exam. Are the BCL and MJur degrees classified? There are distinctions as well as passes in the BCL and MJur. About a third of BCL students and roughly a fifth of MJur students achieve distinctions. The combined failure rate is about 2%. (These figures are based on the five years beginning with the 2001 examination.) Will I be able to do paid work during my BCL/MJur year? The BCL and MJur are extremely intensive full-time courses and you would be very unwise to give them any less than your full energies all year, including vacations. If you are unwise enough not to follow this advice, your college will nevertheless have strict rules governing paid employment during term time. Many funders also have such rules. Will there be opportunities to teach or act as a research assistant? Not for those on taught postgraduate courses. The Faculty makes these opportunities available only to research students in their second or later years of research. Is there student representation in Faculty decision-making? Yes, there is BCL/MJur and MSc representation on the Faculty's graduate studies committee and on the Faculty Board. There is also a graduate student representative on the Committee for Library Provision in Law. The Faculty's graduate student society organises the election of representatives. There is a senior faculty officer - the Director of Graduate Studies (Taught Courses) - with whom issues can also be raised. More on committees and officers ... Where can I find the answer to my other questions? Try the Faculty's postgraduate handbook. Ask your college tutor if you have already been admitted to a college. Or contact the Faculty's Graduate Studies Officer, who will pass your query on to the Director of Graduate Studies (Taught Courses) if necessary. Our postgraduate handbook (pdf) ... Graduate Studies Office contact... Admissions question? Graduate admissions FAQs are here...