find your perfect postgrad program
Search our Database of 30,000 Courses
University of Oxford: International Relations
| Institution | University of Oxford |
|---|---|
| Department | Politics and International Relations |
| Web | http://www.ox.ac.uk/study |
| graduate.admissions@admin.ox.ac.uk | |
| Telephone | +44 (0)1865 270059 |
DPhil
Summary
The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2024). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas.
The DPhil in International Relations a programme of doctoral research in the academic study of International Relations.
Doctoral students spend the first year of full-time study, or the first two years of part-time study, in the development of, and early work on, the thesis topic; in improving knowledge of research methods; in attendance at relevant lectures, seminars and classes; and in preparing to transfer from Probationer Research Student (PRS - the status with which you will normally be admitted - see Assessment) to full DPhil status.
An academic supervisor will advise and guide you as you progress through the different stages of your doctoral research. In the first year, you will take the Research Design and Methods (RDM) in International Relations course, and you are also recommended to complete one other methods course (either a statistics course in Michaelmas term or one of the courses in Hilary term). You are expected to attend the International Relations DPhil Research Seminar throughout the year and eventually to present your work there. For part-time students, these obligations are distributed across six terms.
Subsequent years are largely devoted to the development of the thesis project.
Doctoral theses will normally require substantial original research, often involving archives, fieldwork, interviewing or other forms of data generation and collection. For the doctoral degree the most crucial requirement is that the thesis makes a ‘significant and substantial contribution to the field of knowledge within which it falls’. There are many ways of achieving this.
The department is committed to the rigorous use of a plurality of approaches and methods. There are many different ways of conducting research for a thesis. Any or all may be valid in a given case, depending on the subject of the research and the questions addressed. Some theses may involve an analytical-descriptive attempt at understanding different events, perspectives and traditions of thought. Others may have a strong historiographical element - exploring, for example, the relation between events and ideas, or involving an original and expert use of sources.
Others may involve advancing a hypothesis about a subject and then testing it with a range of qualitative and/or quantitative approaches. Apart from meeting the highest scholarly standards, there is no set template. There is also a strong and successful tradition of normative and critical work. The Oxford International Relations Network seeks to combine the best of North American political science with deep engagement with the international relations of different parts of the world and with the history of different traditions of thought on the subject.
As a DPhil student you will be a member of a distinguished academic community that is renowned for its cutting-edge research and its intensive and individualised teaching and supervision. The programme has received the highest level of recognition in UK national and global assessment exercises. It is a community from which you will draw support and guidance but which will also learn from your own contribution to its work.
You will have rich opportunities for connecting with fellow-students, postdoctoral fellows, and temporary and permanent academic staff involved in disciplinary and cross-disciplinary research programmes. The department attracts many of the world’s leading figures in International Relations (IR) - as visiting scholars, speakers in the regular IR Colloquium, and participants in research conferences and workshops.
For the full description and for further information on part-time study, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas
| Study type | Research |
|---|---|
| Level | RQF Level 8 |
| Entry requirements | For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas |
| Location | University of Oxford University Offices Wellington Square Oxford OX1 2JD |
Summary
The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2024). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas.
The DPhil in International Relations a programme of doctoral research in the academic study of International Relations.
Doctoral students spend the first year of full-time study, or the first two years of part-time study, in the development of, and early work on, the thesis topic; in improving knowledge of research methods; in attendance at relevant lectures, seminars and classes; and in preparing to transfer from Probationer Research Student (PRS - the status with which you will normally be admitted - see Assessment) to full DPhil status.
An academic supervisor will advise and guide you as you progress through the different stages of your doctoral research. In the first year, you will take the Research Design and Methods (RDM) in International Relations course, and you are also recommended to complete one other methods course (either a statistics course in Michaelmas term or one of the courses in Hilary term). You are expected to attend the International Relations DPhil Research Seminar throughout the year and eventually to present your work there. For part-time students, these obligations are distributed across six terms.
Subsequent years are largely devoted to the development of the thesis project.
Doctoral theses will normally require substantial original research, often involving archives, fieldwork, interviewing or other forms of data generation and collection. For the doctoral degree the most crucial requirement is that the thesis makes a ‘significant and substantial contribution to the field of knowledge within which it falls’. There are many ways of achieving this.
The department is committed to the rigorous use of a plurality of approaches and methods. There are many different ways of conducting research for a thesis. Any or all may be valid in a given case, depending on the subject of the research and the questions addressed. Some theses may involve an analytical-descriptive attempt at understanding different events, perspectives and traditions of thought. Others may have a strong historiographical element - exploring, for example, the relation between events and ideas, or involving an original and expert use of sources.
Others may involve advancing a hypothesis about a subject and then testing it with a range of qualitative and/or quantitative approaches. Apart from meeting the highest scholarly standards, there is no set template. There is also a strong and successful tradition of normative and critical work. The Oxford International Relations Network seeks to combine the best of North American political science with deep engagement with the international relations of different parts of the world and with the history of different traditions of thought on the subject.
As a DPhil student you will be a member of a distinguished academic community that is renowned for its cutting-edge research and its intensive and individualised teaching and supervision. The programme has received the highest level of recognition in UK national and global assessment exercises. It is a community from which you will draw support and guidance but which will also learn from your own contribution to its work.
You will have rich opportunities for connecting with fellow-students, postdoctoral fellows, and temporary and permanent academic staff involved in disciplinary and cross-disciplinary research programmes. The department attracts many of the world’s leading figures in International Relations (IR) - as visiting scholars, speakers in the regular IR Colloquium, and participants in research conferences and workshops.
For the full description and for further information on part-time study, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas
| Study type | Research |
|---|---|
| Level | RQF Level 8 |
| Entry requirements | For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas |
| Location | University University Oxford OX1 4BH |
Master of Philosophy - MPhil
Summary
The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2024). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas.
The MPhil in International Relations combines intellectually rigorous training in theoretical and conceptual approaches to international relations with the study of the recent history of world politics, as well as providing methodological training and personalised guidance for the production of high-quality original research.
The MPhil International Relations will equip you with the knowledge and skills you require to pursue further research and study at an advanced level and also to undertake many forms of professional work in the field. This MPhil is a very popular course, attracting students from the world’s leading institutions. Entry is very competitive and students come from a wide range of backgrounds and nationalities.
The course provides an excellent foundation for doctoral work in terms of substantive knowledge of the field, methods training, and the experience of conducting original research and thesis-writing. Those continuing on to the DPhil in Oxford can incorporate their MPhil thesis into the doctorate and progress as full doctoral students. Progression to the DPhil depends on meeting defined criteria. In most years a good percentage of the class moves on to the doctoral degree.
The Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) works with a range of research centres and programmes, such as the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict (ELAC), the Centre for the Resolution of Intractable Conflict (CRIC), and the Changing Character of War Centre (CCW).
Research centres actively seek to develop collaborative research activity via conferences, workshops and other academic events. They provide opportunities for you to present your own work in research seminar series. The research centres have an established and popular visitors’ programme which has allowed many scholars of international repute to participate in the DPIR’s research activities.
| Study type | Taught |
|---|---|
| Level | RQF Level 7 |
| Entry requirements | For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas |
| Location | University of Oxford University Offices Wellington Square Oxford OX1 2JD |
Not what you are looking for?
Browse other courses in Social sciences, Politics or International relations, or search our comprehensive database of postgrad programs.Postgraduate Bursary Opportunity with Postgrad.com
Are you studying as a PG student at the moment or have you recently been accepted on a postgraduate program? Apply now for one of our £2000 PGS bursaries.
Click here