MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at least two years of original research, normally in the form of a thesis or dissertation.
[2][3] In Belgium, the MPhil is a special research degree, and is only awarded by selected departments of a university, mostly in the fields of arts, social sciences, archaeology, philosophy and theology.
[citation needed] The MPhil is offered at some Canadian universities as a two-year degree involving coursework, examinations, and practice at academic writing.
Several universities offered enrolment in their integrated MPhil–PhD program and MPhil degree holders were usually exempted from some of the doctoral coursework requirement.
Specifically for the University of Malaya, if the desired field of research does not belong to any of the specialized faculties, it is normally categorized under the MPhil supervised by the Postgraduate Institute.
[7][failed verification] The Dutch Department of Education, Culture and Science decided in 2009 not to recognize the MPhil degree.
[citation needed] In Pakistan, the MPhil is one of the most advanced master's degrees offered by public and private universities in several different fields of study.
[10][failed verification] This is usually a two-year full-time program which includes teaching and research that leads to the PhD.
[citation needed] In Spain, the MPhil degree is equivalent to the Diploma de Estudios Avanzados, or DEA.
[citation needed] It is common for students admitted into a PhD program at a UK university to be initially registered for the degree of MPhil, and then to transfer (or upgrade) to the PhD upon successful completion of the first (or sometimes the second) year of study: this will often involve the submission of a report or dissertation by the student, and possibly an oral examination or presentation.
[14] The Oxford MPhil requires a lengthy thesis in the second year and more examinations than a one-year master's degree (such as the MSc or MSt).