A graduate student in OWL library - Photo: © John Cairns - www.johncairns.co.uk

Graduate Study: Why Merton?

Graduate students at Merton form part of a dynamic and diverse intellectual community. In addition to great accommodation and food, they enjoy many formal and informal opportunities to interact with one another as well as with established scholars.

Research groups, such as the History of the Book and the Biomedical & Life Sciences Group provide exciting spaces for intellectual cross-pollination. Less formal conversations around College—perhaps over dinner or during a sports match—also offer graduate students unique opportunities to grow intellectually. The thriving MCR also hosts a variety of social events and opportunities for rest and relaxation.

Graduates constitute over half of the student body — a larger than average proportion for a college which does not confine itself to graduates. The college is strongly committed to the College Adviser system, and to providing ample opportunities for graduates to participate in, and benefit from, college life in general. More information about events and college life can be found at the student-run MCR website.

The University's website offers a range of information about graduate life including dedicated sections on reputation and quality; research; teaching; and careers and alumni. Prospective graduate applicants are welcome to visit the College - contact the Graduate Officer for further information - and to email the MCR Vice-President for a current graduate student perspective.

Academic life
  • Merton has a Dean of Graduates with overall responsibility for the academic progress and wellbeing of its graduates.
  • All graduates are also assigned a College Adviser, a Fellow of the College in the same or a closely-related subject who will meet them from time to time, often over lunch or dinner.
  • Each term there are two SCR-MCR talks, held after dinner, given by a mix of current graduates, Fellows and visitors.
  • Graduates are also encouraged to join a College-based research group:
    • The History of the Book Research Group
    • The Biomedical and Life Sciences Research Group
  • The College has various funds to support graduate research.
  • The majority of subjects have a College Society to which members of all three common rooms belong. These hold an annual dinner and sometimes other events.
  • The College has an annual exchange arrangement with the École Normale Supérieure, whereby Merton graduates may be provided with accommodation free of charge to pursue their studies for one or more terms in Paris. Graduates are notified by email of this opportunity in Hilary term each year.
Video: Graduate Study at Oxford