Statute VII: Divisions, Faculties, Sub-faculties, Departments, and the Department for Continuing Education

Approved with effect from 1 October 2002
(Supplement (1) to
Gazette No. 4633, 9 October 2002)
Amended with effect from 1 October 2005 (
Gazette Vol. 136, p.246, 27 October 2005), 11 October 2005 (Gazette Vol. 136, p.184, 13 October 2005), 30 May 2006 (Gazette Vol. 136, p.1163, 1 June 2006), 13 June 2006 (Gazette Vol. 136, p.1240), 10 June 2008 (Gazette Vol. 138 p. 1237, 12 June 2008), 19 May 2009 (Gazette Vol. 139, p. 1081, 14 May 2009), 13 October 2009 (Gazette Vol. 140, p. 89, 8 October 2009), 6 March 2012 (date of effect 1 October 2012, Gazette Vol. 142, p. 362, 8 March 2012), 1 October 2021 (Gazette, Vol.151, p. 430, 27 May 2021), 1 August 2022 (Gazette, Vol. 151, p. 431, 27 May 2021 and Gazette, Vol. 152, p. 382, 19 May 2022)

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1. The academic activities of the University shall be grouped in the following four divisions:

(1) Humanities;

(2) Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences;

(3) Medical Sciences;

(4) Social Sciences.

2. The composition of the divisions and the allocation of activities to them shall be laid down by Council by regulation.

3. There shall be a divisional board with responsibility, under Council and subject to plans, policies, and guidelines set by Council and its committees, for the management of each division. The membership, functions, and powers of each board shall be laid down by Council by regulation.

4. There shall be a head of each division, the arrangements for whose appointment shall be laid down by Council by regulation.

5. There shall be twenty-six faculties:

(1) the Faculty of Anthropology and Geography;

(2) the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies;

(3) the Faculty of Biochemistry;

(4) the Faculty of Biology

(5) the Faculty of Chemistry;

(6) the Faculty of Classics;

(7) the Faculty of Clinical Medicine;

(8) the Faculty of Computer Science;

(9) the Faculty of Earth Sciences;

(10) the Faculty of Engineering Science;

(11) the Faculty of English Language and Literature;

(12) the Faculty of History;

(13) the Faculty of Law;

(14) the Faculty of Linguistics, Philology, and Phonetics;

(15) the Faculty of Management;

(16) the Faculty of Materials;

(17) the Faculty of Mathematics;

(18) the Faculty of Medieval and Modern European Languages and Literatures other than English (elsewhere in the statutes and regulations referred to as the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages);

(19) the Faculty of Music;

(20) the Faculty of Philosophy;

(21) the Faculty of Physics;

(22) the Faculty of Physiological Sciences;

(23) the Faculty of Psychological Studies;

(24) the Faculty of Social Studies;

(25) the Faculty of Statistics;

(26) the Faculty of Theology and Religion.

6. Faculties shall be allocated to divisions by regulations made under section 2 of this statute.

7. The members of each faculty1 shall be:

(1) the holders of all university posts2 approved for this purpose by the relevant divisional board the duties of which include research or teaching;

(2) the holders of all posts in the colleges and societies of the University the duties of which are certified by the head of the college or society to include research or teaching;

(3) such persons as may be made members by a divisional or faculty board on account of the work being done by them in Oxford in the academic areas with which the board is concerned, subject to conditions (a)-(c) below:

(a) the relevant divisional board may, if it thinks fit, permit persons who are not members of the University to be made 'additional members' of faculties under this sub-section, but such 'additional members' shall not be qualified for membership of Congregation under the provisions of Statute IV;

(b) no person who has exceeded the age of 70 years shall be made a member of a faculty, but a member of a faculty who has attained that age while not having attained the age of 75 years may remain a member under sub-sections (1)–(3);

(c) in no case shall any person remain a member of a faculty after attaining the age of 75 years.

8. The relevant divisional board shall determine the faculty or faculties of which those qualified under section 7 (1) and (2) of this statute shall be members.

9. The relevant divisional board may, with the consent of Council and on terms authorised by regulation or approved by Council, divide a faculty into sub-faculties.

10. If a divisional board divides a faculty into sub-faculties under section 9 of this statute, it shall determine the sub-faculty or sub-faculties to which each member of the faculty shall be allocated.

11. The relevant divisional board may, with the consent of Council and on terms authorised by regulation or approved by Council, establish and maintain departments.

12. The faculties, faculty boards, sub-faculties, and departments shall perform such functions as are assigned to them by the statutes, by regulations, or by the divisional or faculty boards.


1 Persons who do not receive faculty membership under section 7 may at the discretion of the relevant faculty board receive 'associate' faculty membership, but such 'associate members' shall not be qualified for membership of Congregation under the provisions of Statute IV, nor to vote in faculty board elections or serve on faculty boards under the provisions of Council Regulations 19 of 2002.

2 The posts approved under this sub‑section are those of professor, reader, university lecturer (including faculty, CUF, special (non‑CUF), and junior lecturer), senior research officer, instructor, clinical professor, clinical reader, clinical tutor, honorary senior clinical lecturer, clinical lecturer, tutor in General Practice, lector under the aegis of the Board of the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages, research officer in the Department of Economics and in the Sub‑department of Particle and Nuclear Physics, and departmental lecturer. In addition, holders of the following titles shall be faculty members: visiting professor, professor, reader, visiting lecturer, university research lecturer, university lecturer (including CUF lecturer and special (non‑CUF) lecturer), clinical professor, clinical reader, and clinical lecturer.

13. (1) There shall be a Department for Continuing Education which shall, in collaboration with the divisional boards, advance the provision by the University of continuing education opportunities with the exception of the postgraduate medical education for which the Director of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education and Training has specific responsibility, and for this purpose shall advance co-operation between the University and other agencies.

(2) Continuing education shall be defined in this context as all education taken up after a substantial break following initial education, except for the education of mature students on courses leading to postgraduate qualifications under the aegis of the divisions.

14. The department shall be under the general supervision of a Continuing Education Strategic Management Board, the membership, functions, and powers of which shall be laid down by Council by regulation.

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