The Oxford Interdisciplinary Bioscience Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) is a four-year DPhil/PhD course supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
The course that provides innovative training for graduates from a life science, physical science or computational and mathematical science background who wish to conduct leading-edge bioscience research.
Research areas within the programme include integrative animal and plant biology, mechanistic molecular and cellular biology, and bioscience for food, industry and health (including crop science, animal health and welfare, synthetic biology, industrial biotechnology and the development of innovative approaches for drug discovery and pharmaceutical production).
PhD Program Requirements
A first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in a relevant academic subject (eg biochemistry, biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, statistics, computer science).
It is not an application requirement to have completed or to be in the process of completing a master’s degree.
However, entrance is very competitive and most successful applicants have a first-class degree or the equivalent and/or a master’s degree, or substantive relevant work experience.
For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.5 out of 4.0.
Research or working experience in a relevant area may be an advantage, although consideration will be given to the opportunities (or lack thereof) applicants may have had to gain experience based on their personal circumstances. Preference may be given to those who have previously studied in a relevant area.
Evidence of training in a relevant area and/or the relevance of the course (including the training and professional development opportunities provided by the DTP) to future career development plans may also be an advantage.
Although publications are not required, a publication record may advantage an application.
It would be expected that graduate applicants would be familiar with the recent published work of one or more potential supervisors within the partnership.
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. Contextual statement: If you wish to provide a contextual statement with your application, you may also submit an additional statement to provide contextual information on your socio-economic background or personal circumstances in support of your application.
4. Statement of purpose: Applicants who wish to be considered for entry to the main programme and for a specific studentship, should prepare two different statements of purpose using the instructions below (each no more than 1,000 words).
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
1 March 2024
Application Fee
An application fee of £75 is payable per course application.
