Public Policy

The DPhil in Public Policy provides academically outstanding students who are committed to public service an unrivalled opportunity to study for a rigorous research degree that prepares them to have substantial impact on future policy-making processes.

Graduate destinations

Graduates of the DPhil in Public Policy will be expertly qualified to conduct research to advise or be part of governments or other influential policy-oriented institutions.

BSG hosts an extensive range of events and students benefit from the opportunity to meet leading public policy practitioners from a wide range of sectors and organisations. In addition, students can receive expert one-to-one careers advice at the University's Careers Service, which is very close to BSG, and attend careers fairs, talks, workshops and employer presentations.

The DPhil is a research degree that is rooted in and relevant to current policy challenges, over the course of which you will have the chance to meet and interact with leading public policy practitioners. You will work in an interdisciplinary environment where issues, rather than the nuances of debates within specific academic disciplines, take priority in the formation and execution of research questions and strategies.

Although this degree has a focus on applied research, the academic demands of the programme are high and you must have the academic background and skills needed to undertake your research successfully. The Blavatnik School of Government (BSG) encourages an interdisciplinary environment, but you will be expected to anchor your studies in a core academic discipline.

You will be expected to focus your research on practical challenges facing a range of different governments and publicly-oriented agencies. As well as developing your academic expertise, you will learn how to communicate your findings and analysis effectively so as to have real impact on government and public policy development throughout the world.

You will benefit from a DPhil-specific set of seminars and you will be given ample opportunities to present your work in the department, and to develop your research ideas and proposals with the advice and support of your peers.

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 any subject. However, entrance is very competitive and most successful applicants have a first-class degree or equivalent.

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.8 out of 4.0.

Applicants are also expected to have completed a research master’s degree in a relevant subject, which includes methods training appropriate to the research they propose to conduct. Applicants should have a mark of at least 70 per cent or an equivalent level of distinction for both the thesis and overall degree in their master's qualification. The master’s course must be completed and a final transcript available prior to the start of the DPhil.

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).

It is strongly recommended that you also submit scores from a standardised test such as the GRE, GMAT or LSAT, though these are not required to complete your application. 

• Official transcript(s)
• CV/résumé
• Statement of purpose/personal statement:Statement of up to 1,000 words and proposal of up to 2,500 words
• Written work:Two essays of 2,000 words each
• References/letters of recommendation:Three overall, generally academic

ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Higher level

• 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).