As a DPhil in Musculoskeletal Sciences student, you will spend up to four years (eight years for part-time students) in one of the Botnar Research Centre’s many research groups, working on a research project supervised by one of the principal investigators and your supervisory team. You will take part in the extensive training programme specifically organised for graduate students within the department.
This DPhil programme focuses on various musculoskeletal and/or musculoskeletal-associated disorders. Key research foci include immune mediated inflammatory disease (including rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease), mechano-inflammatory disease (including osteoarthritis and tendinopathy), various bone cancers, infections, epigenetics, metabolism, aging, microbiome, computational and systems biology, as well as tissue engineering, employing a range of approaches from experimental biology and clinical trials to epidemiology and data sciences.
PhD Program Requirements
A first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours as a minimum, in biological sciences and/or related topics.
The department also considers applicants from medically qualified individuals. In special circumstances, applications from other medically related subjects (eg nurses, and/or allied health professionals) will be considered for the DPhil. If you fall into this category, please contact the Graduate Studies Officer.
You do not need to have a previous master’s degree to be considered for this DPhil.
For applicants from the USA or China, the minimum GPA sought is 3.5 out of 4.0.
Research or working experience in any field may be an advantage. For clinical applicants, evidence of your NHS or HSE trust support will be required.
In exceptional circumstances, an applicant could be considered if they have substantial professional experience in a musculoskeletal-related field.
It would be expected that graduate applicants would be familiar with the recent published work of their proposed supervisor.
Although it is not essential, preference will be given to applicants who have had recent publications and/or awards from various funding bodies.
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. Statement of purpose: Your statement of purpose/ personal statement and research proposal should be submitted as a single, combined document with clear subheadings. Please ensure that the word counts for each section are clearly visible in the document.
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 December 2024
Application Fee
An application fee of £75 is payable per course application.
