Criminology DPhil

<strong>The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2025). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas.</strong><br/><br/>The DPhil Criminology is offered as either a full-time three to four year degree, or a part-time six to eight year degree.<br/><br/>The DPhil entails researching and writing a thesis of between 75,000 and 100,000 words under the guidance of at least one supervisor who will be an acknowledged authority on your chosen topic. After three or at most four years, or no later than eight years for the part-time pathway, you are expected to submit your final thesis. <br/><br/>As a first-year full-time student, or in your first two years as a part-time student, you will follow courses of instruction in criminological research methods to develop your research skills, unless you have acquired sufficient methods training on a masters degree.<br/><br/>The DPhil in Criminology is offered by the Centre for Criminology to develop academic and transferable skills. You must complete both modules during your DPhil and you can choose which term/academic year it would be most useful for you to take each.<br/><br/>Module One, Intellectual Foundations, will help you think theoretically about criminological research and engage with the intellectual foundations of criminology in order to assist you in developing theoretical and conceptual frameworks for your own projects.<br/><br/>Module Two, Professional Development, will help you with your professional development and to give you opportunities to present your own work ‘in progress’ and learn to critique the work of your peers.<br/><br/>The Faculty of Law and Social Sciences Division also offer skills training as appropriate to different stages of the graduate career. There are also opportunities to access advanced and specialist research methods training. <br/><br/>In addition to the different DPhil components and methods training, you will be encouraged to attend the Oxford criminology and informal research seminars organised by the centre and get involved in the various criminology discussion groups. Research seminars bring you and other students together with academic and other research staff in the department to hear about ongoing research and provide an opportunity for networking and socialising.<br/><br/>You will have the opportunity to attend a variety of skills training sessions and you may be required to successfully complete research methods training provided by the centre, as a condition of your transfer/admission to DPhil student status. There are also opportunities to access advanced and specialist research training provided through the Social Sciences Doctoral Training Centre. The Social Sciences Division also organises an academic and professional development programme covering a range of relevant generic transferable skills which you will be encouraged to attend.<br/><br/>You will be encouraged to attend the Oxford criminology and informal lunchtime seminars organised by the centre and you will also have the opportunity participate in the criminology discussion group, criminological research workshops, and other relevant discussion groups which are held during term time. You will also have access to seminars organised by the Faculty of Law as well as other faculty discussion groups.