International Relations 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 in International Relations is a two-year course offering rigorous training in theory, recent history of world politics, and research methods, culminating in a thesis on a specialised topic.<br/><br/>The objective of the course is to give you, a thorough mastery of the major facts, methodologies and perspectives in International Relations, as well as to develop research skills.<br/><br/>The course will equip you with the knowledge and skills you require to pursue further research and study at an advanced level and also to undertake many forms of professional work in the field. It provides methodological training and personalised guidance for the production of high-quality original research. It is a very popular course, attracting students from the world’s leading institutions. Entry is very competitive and students come from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities.<br/><br/>The course provides an excellent foundation for doctoral work in terms of substantive knowledge of the field, methods training, and the experience of conducting original research and thesis-writing. Those continuing on to the DPhil in Oxford can incorporate their MPhil thesis into the doctorate and progress as full doctoral students. Progression to the DPhil depends on meeting defined criteria. In most years a good percentage of the class moves on to the doctoral degree.<br/><br/>The Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) works with a range of research centres and programmes, such as the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC), the Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict (CRIC), and the Changing Character of War Centre (CCW).<br/><br/>Research centres actively seek to develop collaborative research activity via conferences, workshops and other academic events. They provide opportunities for you to present your own work in research seminar series. The research centres have an established and popular visitors’ programme which has allowed many scholars of international repute to participate in the DPIR’s research activities.<br/><br/>The department convenes a weekly IR Research Colloquium and many of the academic staff who teach and supervise on the programme organise seminars, talks and conferences during term time.<br/><br/>Course structure<br/>In your first-year you will complete core classes, a core course in research design and methods, and compulsory methods training. This is supplemented in the second year by two optional subjects and a thesis.<br/><br/>The approach to teaching comprises intensive and interactive work between you and your supervisor and course teachers, combined with a carefully planned programme of classes, seminars and lectures, as well as directed self-study.<br/><br/>Work on the thesis is individually supervised.