The Democratic governor of Maryland has a tendency to embellish.
The Democratic governor of Maryland, Wes Moore (who is also a potential 2028 presidential candidate), has a tendency to embellish. The Free Beacon compiled a long list of strange inconsistencies related to his studies at Oxford University: “The problems start with confusion — which neither Moore’s staff nor Oxford’s registrars were willing or able to clear up — about when Moore completed his studies, when he received his degree, whether he submitted his thesis, and what the title of the work was,” the article states. Moore simultaneously claims to have graduated from Oxford with a master of letters (MLitt) degree in 2003 and 2004, while the university says he completed the program in 2005. The governor also claims that his thesis was titled “The Rise and Ramifications of Radical Islam in the Western Hemisphere,” although the university’s certificate says it was called “Radical Islam in Latin America in the late 20th Century and its Middle Eastern Roots.” Perhaps the biggest discrepancy, however, is that Moore claimed in his White House fellowship application that he was a “Doctoral (DPhil) Candidate,” which is Oxford’s equivalent of a Ph.D. — yet the Free Beacon notes, “There’s no evidence he was ever a doctoral student.”
Since I’m a recent recipient of an MPhil degree from Oxford, I know that the MLitt is currently a specific type of master’s degree that functions as Oxford University’s consolation prize to a student who is deemed unsuitable for a doctorate. Oxford’s handbook for the Department of Politics and International Relations clarifies that transferring to an MLitt is an option when “the work presented was not suitable for transfer to DPhil. status” but when “the assessors felt it was strong enough for the lower award which is a less demanding and shorter time-scale research degree.”
To be clear, this does not necessarily mean that Moore failed his doctoral program. In emails to National Review, an Oxford spokesperson said that “at the time Governor Moore was a student the relevant graduate studies guidance from the university does confirm it was possible to pursue the MLitt as a standalone degree.” So, it is plausible that Moore directly applied for an MLitt degree.
That still leaves unanswered questions. Moore describes himself as a “Doctoral (DPhil) Candidate” but apparently was not awarded a doctoral degree. Did he switch from a DPhil to an MLitt program? If so, why? Even though the policy was not yet formalized at the time he was a student, it’s still possible that he began a doctoral program, did not meet the academic standards, then switched to the MLitt. Alternatively, Moore may have directly applied for the MLitt, since the university says that option was available during his time as a student. But if that’s the case, then he may never have been a doctoral candidate, and it doesn’t explain why it took him four years to earn a master’s degree when most are completed within two.
In a series of emails, Governor Moore’s communications staff repeatedly said National Review’s understanding was “not correct.” The press team said, “He did not transfer from a Dphil to an MLitt,” but it avoided addressing any of our questions in further detail. If there is a reasonable explanation for all the discrepancies surrounding Moore’s time as a student at Oxford, his team has been unwilling to share it with us. Ultimately, a current governor with a lengthy record of self-aggrandizing claims will likely have to explain the irregularities surrounding the prestigious academic institutions he affiliates himself with — especially if he runs for president.