International Relations

The DPhil in International Relations is a full-time, three-year course of doctoral study which is intended for students who would like to undertake detailed research in preparation for an academic career. 

Graduate destinations

Graduate work in international relations will prepare you for an academic career in the field, either in Oxford or elsewhere, but the department also celebrates the substantial number of its graduates working in government, in diplomatic services, and in senior positions in the private sector.

The department is committed to engaging with its alumni community. The alumni programme is now underway and includes an annual publication ('Inspires’), a website forum, alumni networks and tailored events. 

If you are admitted to this degree, you will conduct your own research under the guidance of a University supervisor. You must be prepared to work on your own a good deal, and will need considerable personal motivation. You are required to have a good general knowledge of the field within which your research falls and of the methods appropriate to the study of this field.

Candidates for the DPhil are normally admitted with Probationer Research Student (PRS) status. As a PRS, you will develop your research proposal and skills, and produce a draft section or sections of the thesis, in order to apply for the Transfer of Status that will end your probationary period as a research student.

You will spend the first year in the development of, and early work on, the thesis topic; in improving knowledge of research design, including statistical, qualitative and other methods; in attendance at relevant lectures, seminars and classes; and in preparing your transfer from PRS to DPhil status. You must be resident in Oxford in term time throughout the probationary period and should not normally undertake fieldwork until after you have successfully transferred to full DPhil status.

Your research training needs will be discussed between yourself, your supervisor and the department's Director of Research Training, and a suitable programme of research training (Training Need Analysis) to assist your research will be agreed. You should then review progress on a termly basis with your supervisor, as part of the process of continuous personal development. The International Relations Graduate Studies Committee will require satisfactory completion of this training programme as a condition of your change of status from PRS to DPhil.

Finally, you will be expected to participate in the Oxford IR Research Colloquium (involving research presentations by faculty, senior researchers, academic visitors and DPhil students), IR DPhil workshop (involving presentations by DPhil students) and the IR DPhil discussion group (an informal student research workshop).

Once you have been admitted to full DPhil status, you must achieve confirmation of that status by the end of your ninth term as a doctoral student.

Applicants are normally expected to be predicted or have achieved a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours (or equivalent international qualifications), as a minimum, in political science or international relations, or in a closely related discipline (eg economics, history, philosophy, sociology, law, etc).

Applicants are also normally expected to be predicted or have achieved a distinction grade at master’s level in international relations, or in a closely related discipline that has prepared you to undertake advanced graduate research on your chosen thesis topic.

Nonetheless, each application will be assessed upon its own merits, and so candidates with a degree in an unrelated discipline should demonstrate the relevance of their academic background to their proposed subject or topic of study. 

Entrance is very competitive and most successful applicants have a first-class degree or the equivalent.

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.7 out of 4.0.

If you hold non-UK qualifications and wish to check how your qualifications match these requirements, you can contact the National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC).

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

• Official transcript(s)
• CV/résumé
• Research proposal:At least 4,000 words
• Written work:Two essays of 2,000 words each
• References/letters of recommendation:Three overall, generally academic

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Higher level

Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

• Global Education
• Hill Foundation Scholarships
• A number of Research Council awards are available each year from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), and Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).