How to apply for the DPhil

Application and Admissions Procedure

All prospective candidates must make their application through the University's Graduate Studies Office, and are advised to consult the University's Graduate Studies Prospectus beforehand. All applications are processed initially by the Graduate Studies Office, and must not be made directly to the OII.

• University Graduate Studies Prospectus
• Application and Admissions Procedure
• Course code: 003480

Application deadlines for 2012/13 entry

• 18 November 2011 (Interviews planned week of 12 December 2011)
• 20 January 2012 (Interviews planned week of 20 February 2012)
• 9 March 2012 (Interviews planned week of 9 April 2012)

Prospective candidates are strongly advised to apply in the first two deadlines if they are planning to apply for funding.

Applicants whose first language is not English must have met the highest level of Oxford University's English language requirements. Please note that it is essential that applicants obtain the higher level score.

Admission has now closed for entry in 2011-12 and the materials for admission to our 2012-13 programme will be available from September 2011.

Admission requirements

• A taught Masters or other advanced degree normally passed with a mark of at least 67% or an equivalent level of distinction, normally in one of the social sciences (including law) but candidates from other disciplines embracing the social study of technology will also be considered.
• Not less than a 2.1 (or equivalent) at first degree level and, if applicable, high scores in the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). We only require the GRE results if you have taken the examination.
• Applicants whose first language is not English must have met the higher level of Oxford University's English language requirements.

Candidates must display:

• Outstanding academic ability (as shown by official University transcripts and evidence from the confidential reports of at least three referees).
• An aptitude and potential for research investigation (including evidence from the reports of the referees and any Masters dissertation or other publications).
• A coherent thesis proposal (up to two thousand five hundred words) in an area of study covered by at least one member of the research staff at the OII, or its associated faculty in departments and Colleges participating in this programme (see DPhil supervisors below). Please note that we will only admit students where appropriate supervision is available. Please see Oxford University's Application Guide for further guidance on writing a research proposal.
• An interest and enthusiasm for study of the many social aspects of ICTs (as shown in the research proposal).
• A high level of proficiency in, and understanding of, the technology of the Internet and World Wide Web and related technologies (as shown by an example of the candidate's work and/or the reports of referees).

Information regarding Interviews

Candidates are shortlisted based on the quality of application and those who are shortlisted will normally be interviewed.

Interviews are held usually about 1 month after the application deadline. Interviews can be done in person, by telephone or via Skype with or without video. There is usually only one interview held which lasts 30-40 minutes. You will be asked questions about your academic background, planned research and why you think the Oxford Internet Institute would be the best place to conduct your studies. The interview panel will consist of two interviewers which are usually the potential supervisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.

Admission statistics

DPhil supervisors

We recommend that DPhil candidates should contact a potential supervisor(s) in the first instance before submitting an application. It would be expected that graduate applicants would be familiar with the recent published work of their proposed supervisor.

The following factors will govern whether candidates can be offered places:

• The ability of Oxford Internet Institute to provide the appropriate supervision, research opportunities, teaching and facilities for your chosen area of work.
• There are minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted onto Oxford's research programme.

All applications will be assessed by more than one member of the academic staff with relevant experience and expertise.

The provision of supervision is subject to the following points:

• The allocation of graduate supervision is the responsibility of the Oxford Internet Institute and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff.
• Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Oxford Internet Institute.

In the case of students who require specific help to adjust to an academic programme or to a new range of skills, the supervisor will work with them to ensure that they have additional support.

The course is full time and all students are expected to be resident in Oxford during term time. Under University regulations students are not permitted to work full time alongside their studies.

The following OII faculty members and Research Associates currently supervise (or can supervise) DPhil students. The supervision areas are intended as a guide only: please contact us if you would like to discuss a suitable supervisor for your proposed thesis, or if you are considering supervision by a faculty member from a different department at the University of Oxford.

Prof. William Dutton, Prof. Helen Margetts, Dr Victoria Nash, Grant Blank, Dr Ian Brown, Dr Rebecca Eynon, Dr Sandra Gonzalez-Bailon, Dr Mark Graham, Dr Bernie Hogan, Dr Eric T. Meyer, Viktor Mayer-Schonberger, Dr Ralph Schroeder, Greg Taylor, Dr Nir Vulkan.

Selecting a College

Candidates can specify a College preference on their application forms (not necessarily the same College as that of the potential supervisor) or indicate that they have no preference, in which case a college will be selected on their behalf. Whether or not you state a college preference will not affect how the department assesses your application and ultimately whether or not they decide to make you an offer.

The following Colleges accept applications from OII doctoral students: Balliol College, Campion Hall, Green Templeton College, Keble College, Kellogg College, Linacre College, Mansfield College, St Anne's College, St Anthony's College, St Catherine's College, St Cross College, St Hilda's College, St Peter's College, Wolfson College.

Funding

Prospective students should note that many scholarships or awards can only be applied for before study begins. Details of fees, living expenses, definitions of home and overseas students, and information about potential sources of funding are available from the Graduate Studies Office Financial Information pages. Selected sources of funding of particular relevance to our students are available on the DPhil funding and scholarships page.

Whether you have yet secured funding is not taken into consideration in the decision to make an initial offer a place, but please note that the initial offer of a place will not be confirmed until the college which gives you an initial offer of a place is satisfied that you have sufficient funding to cover your fees and living costs for the standard period of fee liability for your course.

Disability, health conditions and specific learning difficulties

Students are selected for admission without regard to gender, marital or civil partnership status, disability, race, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, age or social background. Decisions on admission are based solely on the individual academic merits of each candidate and the application of the selection criteria appropriate to the programme of study. Further information on how these matters are supported during the admissions process is available on the University's Equality & Diversity page.

Applying for readmission as a continuing student

If you are currently studying for a taught course at Oxford and applying to carry on to a research programme with no break in your study, you can do so on a re-admission form and will be exempt from paying the application fee. If there is any break in your study (even if only for a term), you will not be able to use a re-admission form and will need to submit an application form for graduate study and pay the application fee.

Re-admission forms are available via OSS Student Self Service and are pre-populated with details that the University currently has on record for you, such as your personal details and your previous qualifications, but you will need to enter details of the programme you intend to study and any changes to the data we hold in your record.

You will need to submit your re-admission form together with all supporting materials required for the programme of study that you have selected. For guidance on supporting materials please refer to the Notes of Guidance for Applicants to Graduate Study 2012-13.

You should ensure that your re-admission form and all supporting materials, including your references, are submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office in time to meet the application deadline(s) for your chosen programme. Late or incomplete re-admission applications will not be considered. Guidance on which application deadlines apply to your programme can be found in the Notes of Guidance for Applicants to Graduate Study 2012-13.

Last updated on: 9 January 2012