The DPhil in International Development provides an opportunity for outstanding students to pursue in-depth multi- and interdisciplinary research, guided by leading scholars in the field, into processes of social, political and economic development and change in the global South.
Academics at the Oxford Department of International Development (ODID) can offer supervision in a wide range of subjects, including migration, refugees and humanitarianism; urban, agrarian and environmental development; political and social change and conflict; state-making and disciplinary regimes; public health and social policies; global governance, diplomatic studies, and security; economic growth and structural transformation; macroeconomics and public finance; firms and households; poverty and inequality; and technology. The department also has close connections with other departments and research centres across the University.
PhD Program Requirements
A master’s degree with a distinction or a very high 2:1/merit in a relevant social science subject; and
A first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in a relevant social science subject.
However, entrance is very competitive and most successful applicants have a first-class degree or the equivalent. Most successful applicants have strong backgrounds in one or more core disciplines: history, politics, anthropology, sociology, or economics, or combinations of these disciplines (e.g., Philosophy, Politics, and Economics).
It is also expected that they should already have familiarity with key literature in the proposed field of study.
It is relatively rare for applicants to be successful whose primary academic training is in fields such as management or business, and it is also rare for us to accept students who are primarily trained in engineering or the sciences.
We welcome applicants with professional experience in development, but this is not generally seen as a substitute for previous social science study.
The master’s degree must be completed and a final transcript made available to the department by the end of August prior to the start of the DPhil.
For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA normally sought is 3.8 out of 4.0 for those marks most relevant to the proposed DPhil programme of study.
PhD Funding Coverage
The University expects to be able to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across the collegiate University in 2024-25.
You will be automatically considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships, if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by the relevant December or January deadline.
Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential.
Application Requirement
1. Online Application
2. Official transcript(s): Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.
3. Research proposal: The research proposal should be written in English only and should set out your research topic succinctly.
4. Written work: Academic essays or other writing samples from your most recent qualification, written in English, are required. Extracts from longer pieces of work are acceptable, but should not come from the same piece of work and should be prefaced by a note which puts them in context. Please note that multi-authored works are not acceptable. Work that is not academic, for example journalism or popular writing, is not appropriate.
5. GRE General Test scores: No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.
6. English language proficiency: This course requires proficiency in English at the University’s higher level. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement.
Application Deadline
19 January 2026
Application Fee
An application fee of £75 is payable per course application.
