Social Policy

The Department of Social Policy and Intervention offers a DPhil in Social Policy and welcomes students from across the world. Research students are an important part of the department’s community, and you will be fully involved and immersed in the life of the department.

Graduate destinations

Many graduates of the DPhil programme go on to pursue academic careers in world-leading research universities, while others hold influential positions in government, non-governmental and international organisations such as the World Bank, the World Health Organisation, and the UN.

The department welcomes DPhil candidates who are interested in a wide range of areas of social policy research, such as welfare systems in developed and developing countries, family and family policies, demography and social policy with a special focus on East Asia, educational inequalities and educational policies, social inequalities and social mobility and labour market policies. This varied research portfolio is organised within the Oxford Institute of Social Policy.

The department's approach to graduate study emphasises your ability to work independently to explore a new line of research under an academic supervisor. Each member of academic staff has expertise in a particular area of social policy and you will only be accepted for a DPhil if there is an appropriate supervisor available. 

As a doctoral student, you will be offered a unique graduate programme tailored to your individual needs. In addition to individual supervision, the department offers a large and diverse range of seminars, workshops and advanced training opportunities in order to further enhance graduate research experience. 

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 demography, economics, political science, psychology, social policy and social work and sociology, or closely-related fields. 

However, 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.

A previous master's degree is a requirement.

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: Up to 2,000 words
• Written work:Two essays of 2,500 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).