International Development 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 in International Development provides an opportunity for outstanding students to pursue in-depth multi- and interdisciplinary research into processes of social, political and economic development and change in the global South.<br/><br/>Academics at the Oxford Department of International Development (ODID) can offer supervision in a wide range of subjects. The department also has close connections with other departments and research centres across the University. <br/><br/>As a DPhil student you will undertake your own original research project under the guidance of your supervisor. The supervisor will help develop and guide your project and, at later stages, provide feedback on chapter drafts. However, you will work to a significant extent on your own, and you will need a high level of motivation and self-discipline.<br/><br/>During an initial probationary period as a Probationer Research Student (PRS), you will develop and begin work on your thesis topic. You will be offered training in relevant research methods, computing and other skills, and you will have the opportunity to attend lectures, seminars and classes in your general topic area. <br/><br/>As a PRS, you will also take one taught course, either in research methods or from an Oxford master’s degree relevant to your research, which will be examined. Full-time students usually transfer to full DPhil status by the end of their first year and part-time students usually transfer by the end of their second year.<br/><br/>Following satisfactory progress and transfer to full DPhil status, you may leave Oxford for up to three terms (six terms for part-time students) in order to conduct fieldwork, if the project requires. You will then continue the course by carrying out your own research under the guidance of your supervisor, with whom you will have the opportunity to meet or correspond. Full-time students should return to Oxford after fieldwork for at least three terms. <br/><br/>As a doctoral student you will become part of a vibrant research community. The department hosts around 60 outstanding academics researching in four broad themes: economics of development; political and international dimensions of development; human development, poverty and youth; and migration and refugees in a global context. We host a diverse set of research groups that are at the forefront of their specialist fields: the International Growth Centre, the Centre for the Study of African Economics, the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, the Refugee Studies Centre, Technology and Industrialisation for Development Centre, Young Lives, and Choosing Islamic Conservatism. These all contribute to the doctoral programme by providing case studies, fieldwork support and specialist supervision, alongside scholars working independently.<br/><br/>You will have access to a wide range of seminars organised by the department as well as an enormous variety of events across the wider University. The department has its own lively and long-standing DPhil work-in-progress seminar, at which you can present your ideas and receive feedback from your peers, as well as dedicated workshops for the DPhil.<br/><br/>You will also have access to training opportunities provided by the Social Sciences Division, which offers advanced research and career development training.