This MPhil is by dissertation only. It aims to give students an opportunity to develop their analytical, research and writing skills in preparation for further academic research or as a way to complement and enrich their interest in the Indian religious and intellectual traditions. The dissertation-only format entails working closely with one supervisor throughout the year on a dissertation to be submitted in mid-August. The dissertation will be on a subject approved by the Degree Committee, and has a word limit of 25,000, including footnotes and appendices but excluding bibliography. An oral examination on the thesis and on the general field in which it falls will be required. Even though there are no taught courses, students taking the MPhil in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies by Research (South Asian Studies) may attend a weekly graduate seminar and other reading groups with PhD students and post-doctoral researchers, thus having an opportunity to interact with their peers and seniors in a supportive environment. They may also receive training in codicology, manuscriptology, and other skills. Where relevant, they are also encouraged to attend advanced undergraduate lectures and language courses. Students can also benefit from access to Hindi language literary sources under the guidance of the Faculty's Teaching Officer in Hindi. At the end of the MPhil programme, students will be expected to have: acquired the ability to read, interpret and translate primary sources in Sanskrit (and/or Pali/Prakrit); acquired a good knowledge of the general scholarship on pre-modern South Asian culture(s); acquired an in-depth knowledge of the secondary literature relevant to the subject of their dissertation; developed the ability to formulate original research questions and produce a well-constructed argument to answer them, in the form of an independent piece of research based on the use of primary and secondary sources and acquired the skills to use library and internet resources independently.