Economics (combined) MPhil

<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 MPhil + DPhil in Economics (MPhil + DPhil) is an integrated taught and research course. It begins with a two-year MPhil covering theory, econometrics, and applied economics, followed by a DPhil focused on original research in specialised fields.<br/><br/>Students admitted to the joint MPhil + DPhil in Economics will first complete the two-year MPhil in Economics and then (subject to satisfactory performance) automatically progress to the three- to four-year DPhil in Economics.<br/><br/>If you intend on studying the MPhil followed by the DPhil in Economics at Oxford, and if you have had substantial economics training and exceptional results in your prior studies, this is the right course for you. Automatically progressing from MPhil to DPhil (subject to satisfactory performance) reduces the uncertainty regarding the transition from MPhil to DPhil.<br/><br/>Please note that if you are applying for the MPhil + DPhil in Economics and your application is unsuccessful, your application will automatically be considered for the MPhil in Economics, even if you have not indicated in the application form that you want to be considered for other courses. You will not need to make an additional application for the MPhil course or pay an additional application fee to be considered for both courses under these circumstances. If an application is unsuccessful for the MPhil + DPhil in Economics, but is accepted for the MPhil, then you will receive notification of an offer for the MPhil. If an application is unsuccessful for the MPhil + DPhil in Economics, and you receive notification of a rejection, then you were considered for the MPhil but were unsuccessful, therefore you will not receive an offer for either course. <br/><br/>Students who have experience in graduate work in economics or related fields, or for example have completed the MSc in Economics for Development may wish to apply directly to the DPhil in Economics.<br/><br/>Within the department, specialised research groups play a key role in bringing together faculty and graduate students working in particular sub-fields, supporting and mentoring our doctoral students and postdoctoral research fellows, and promoting research of the highest international standard. The research groups provide an important interface between research centres and the department, for example econometrics and the INET programme on Economic Modelling (EMOD); development economics and CSAE.<br/><br/>Other research groups facilitate collaboration across departments, as in the case of the economic history group and economic historians in the Faculty of History. Each research group runs a regular seminar series with external presenters, plus a more informal workshop in which members, including DPhil students, present their research in progress. <br/><br/>MPhil + DPhil students will join one or more of the departments research groups, becoming part of a vibrant educational research community with an active set of doctoral student-led events, seminars and conferences. You will have opportunities to present your work at a variety of seminars and sessions in the department.<br/><br/>Students can access a range of internship programmes through the University Careers Office as well as the RCUK Policy Internship scheme for ESRC-funded students. In addition, the Bank of England and other institutions often provide a short summer internship for a doctoral student specialising in macroeconomics or finance and the Department of Economics is accredited by the Asian Development Bank to nominate candidates for their internship programme.<br/><br/>In recent cohorts, students have benefited from an internship with organisations including the EBRD, European Central Bank, UK Home Office, as well as those identified above.