DPhil Programmes
Part-time DPhil (PhD) study at Oxford
Advance your career, deepen your expertise, or pursue a lifelong passion.
We offer a number of part-time DPhil programmes. 'DPhil' stands for 'Doctor of Philosophy', sometimes referred to as a doctorate or PhD, and is the highest level of degree that a student can achieve.
This is an advanced research degree awarded on the basis of a thesis and an oral examination called the viva voce. The thesis must be a significant and substantial piece of research, make an original contribution to its field, and be presented in a lucid and scholarly manner. In the viva, the candidate is required to defend their thesis and to demonstrate a good general knowledge of their field of study.
DPhil students are not required to be resident in Oxford but will normally be required to attend for at least 30 days per year and to meet their supervisors at least once per term.
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All students studying for a degree (including DPhil) become members of an Oxford college. There is a single application process to your DPhil programme within which you can specify a college choice. Your choice of college is up to you and does not affect the academic viability of your application to the DPhil itself.
Many Oxford colleges accept applications from part-time postgraduates, whereas others do not. Please consult the graduate prospectus or enquire with individual colleges. Even if you are accepted onto the degree, please note that you are not guaranteed a place at your first choice of college.
Students receive an Oxford University card, valid for one year at a time, which acts as a library card for the Departmental Library at Rewley House and provides access to the unrivalled facilities of the Bodleian Libraries, including the central Bodleian, major research libraries such as the Taylorian Institution Library and Bodleian Social Science Library, and faculty libraries such as English and History.
Students also have access to a wide range of electronic resources, including electronic journals, many of which can be accessed from home. Students on the course are entitled to use the Library at Rewley House for reference and private study and to borrow books. More information about the Library can be found on the Bodleian website.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS
After establishing a career as an architect in Cyprus, Andreas embarked on a DPhil in Sustainable Urban Development, which he pursued alongside professional practice. He…
After retiring from a career in the police, Paul enrolled on the online Advanced Diploma in Local History to pursue his secret passion for the…
The Clarendon Scholarship has made it possible for Deland Chan to further her research into emerging bottom-up, neighbourhood-based approaches to urban sustainability.
Having discovered that her MSc in Sustainable Urban Development research highlighted scope for further exploration, Aditi is now enrolled on the part-time DPhil programme.Â
During the second year of his DPhil in Sustainable Urban Development, Junior Mbangala worked at the United Nations in New York, highlighting the importance of…
After a 30-year career in London, Rachel returned to her passion of local and social history through Oxford Lifelong Learning – progressing from an online…
