DPhil in Inflammatory and Musculoskeletal Disease
About the course
This programme provides research-based doctoral training for current medical students, offering a choice of interdisciplinary, cutting-edge research projects in an environment that encourages the student’s originality and creativity in their research.
Please be advised that this course only accepts applications from UK-based medical students. Students will need to have successfully completed the Pre-clinical Course (First BM) in order to apply (see Entry requirements for further details).
In the programme, students will receive a world-leading research training experience in musculoskeletal and inflammatory diseases. Students participating in the scheme will be offered:
- a choice of interdisciplinary cutting-edge research projects;
- the opportunity to gain a working in-depth knowledge of the fundamentals of inflammatory and musculoskeletal diseases and patient care through advanced level seminars;
- a world-renowned research environment that encourages the student’s originality and creativity in their research;
- opportunities to develop skills in making and testing hypotheses, in developing new theories, and in planning and conducting experiments; and
- an environment in which to develop skills in written work, oral presentation and publishing the results of their research in high-profile scientific journals, through constructive feedback of written work and oral presentations.
At the end of their DPhil course, students should:
- have a thorough knowledge of the basic principles of research into inflammatory disorders, including the relevant literature and a comprehensive understanding of scientific methods and techniques applicable to their research;
- be able to demonstrate originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in their field;
- have developed the ability to critically evaluate current research and research techniques and methodologies;
- be able to act autonomously in the planning and implementation of research; and
- have the grounding for an influential researcher of inflammatory diseases in the future.
Research themes are:
- Basic mechanisms of inflammation
- Inflammatory and rheumatic disease
- Pain
- Clinical trials
- Epidemiology, computational and data science
- Tissue engineering and remodelling.
The course provides research-based doctoral training for University of Oxford medical students. Students will receive a world-leading research training experience that integrates an education initiative spanning patient care, research impact, on- and post-programme mentorship, as well as a specialised, fundamental, subject-specific training tailored to individual research needs.
Additional lectures on a variety of topics will be provided in the first term and return to clinical practice teaching in the final year.
Attendance
The course is full-time and requires attendance in Oxford. Full-time students are subject to the University's Residence requirements.
Provision exists for students on some courses to undertake their research in a ‘well-founded laboratory’ outside of the University. This may require travel to and attendance at a site that is not located in Oxford. Where known, existing collaborations will be outlined on this page. Please read the course information carefully, including the additional information about course fees and costs.
Resources to support your study
As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of world-class resources including libraries, museums, galleries, digital resources and IT services.
The Bodleian Libraries is the largest library system in the UK. It includes the main Bodleian Library and libraries across Oxford, including major research libraries and faculty, department and institute libraries. Together, the Libraries hold more than 13 million printed items, provide access to e-journals, and contain outstanding special collections including rare books and manuscripts, classical papyri, maps, music, art and printed ephemera.
The University's IT Services is available to all students to support with core university IT systems and tools, as well as many other services and facilities. IT Services also offers a range of IT learning courses for students, to support with learning and research.
All the resources of the Medical Sciences Doctoral Training Centre will be available to students and they will be offered training in transfer of status and thesis writing, in addition to a variety transferable skills including presentation.
Supervision
The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Medical Sciences Doctoral Training Centre and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. A supervisor may be found outside the Medical Sciences Doctoral Training Centre. You will be allocated at least two supervisors, one of which will be a clinical academic. Students typically have the opportunity to meet their primary supervisor weekly or fortnightly in the early stages of their project.
Assessment
Students will be admitted to the course as a Probationer Research Student (PRS) and by the end of the fourth term will transfer to the status of DPhil Student upon successful completion of their Transfer of Status milestone. By the end of the ninth term, students will be assessed for their Confirmation of Status milestone with the doctoral work culminating in a thesis of no more than 50,000 words that will be defended in an oral examination (viva voce). The thesis should be submitted after three, or at most four, years from the date of admission to the programme.
Graduate destinations
All graduates are expected to return to their ongoing training in undergraduate clinical medicine upon completion of the course. Graduates may be anticipated to follow a clinical academic career path after graduating in clinical medicine.
Changes to this course and your supervision
The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made if a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency occurs. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.
Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.
For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.
Entry requirements for entry in 2025-26
Proven and potential academic excellence
The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our interactive tool to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.
We know that factors such as socio-economic circumstances and school performance can make it difficult for students to demonstrate their full potential. This course is taking part in an initiative to use contextual data to help us to better understand your achievements in the context of your individual background. For further details, please refer to the information about improving access to graduate study in the How to apply section of this page.
Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying. Contextual data may also be used in the assessment of studentships.
Degree-level qualifications
As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:
Medical students currently at Oxford
Medical students currently at Oxford should have successfully completed the Pre-clinical Course (First BM) and hold or be predicted to achieve:
- a first class or strong upper second-class BA Honours in Medical Sciences.
Medical students who are currently undertaking a primary medical qualification within the UK (MBBS, MBChB or equivalent)
At entry (with the exception of Medical students currently at Oxford, see above), applicants should provide evidence of successful completion of at least the first two years of a primary medical qualification and should hold or be predicted to achieve the equivalent of the following UK qualifications:
- a first class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with Honours in a relevant discipline such as biology, biochemistry, or medicine.
Entrance is expected to be very competitive and it is anticipated that most successful applicants have a first-class degree or the equivalent.
A previous master's degree is not required.
GRE General Test scores
No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.
Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience
- Evidence of a prior experience in the area of research proposed is likely to advantage your application.
- Prior publications are not required but may be considered an advantage in applying.
- It would be expected that graduate applicants would be familiar with the recent published work of their proposed supervisor and have an understanding of the background to their proposed area of study.
Further guidance
English language proficiency
This course requires proficiency in English at the University's standard level. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's standard level are detailed in the table below.
| Test | Minimum overall score | Minimum score per component |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic (Institution code: 0713) | 7.0 | 6.5 |
TOEFL iBT, including the 'Home Edition' (Institution code: 0490) | 100 | Listening: 22 Reading: 24 Speaking: 25 Writing: 24 |
| C1 Advanced* | 185 | 176 |
| C2 Proficiency† | 185 | 176 |
*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)
†Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)
Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides further information about the English language test requirement.
Declaring extenuating circumstances
If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.
References
You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.
Supporting documents
You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.
Performance at interview
Interviews are normally held as part of the admissions process.
Candidates who are shortlisted are interviewed as part of the admissions process. Shortlisting will be based solely on the criteria given above. Normally the interview will consist of a five-minute presentation of previous research project work by the applicant, followed by 15-25 minutes of questioning from the panel.
Offer conditions for successful applications
If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our 'After you apply' pages provide more information about offers and conditions.
In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:
Financial Declaration
If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a Financial Declaration in order to meet your financial condition of admission.
Disclosure of criminal convictions
In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any relevant, unspent criminal convictions before you can take up a place at Oxford.
Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)
This course may require you to obtain an ATAS certificate before you can apply for a visa/immigration permission. If you are offered a place, the academic department will confirm whether an ATAS certificate is required. If so, they will also send you the information you need to apply for one. You can apply for ATAS whilst your offer is conditional and before the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is issued. Further information about ATAS is available on the student visa webpages.
Other factors governing whether places can be offered
The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:
- the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the About section of this page;
- the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
- minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.
Departments offering this course
This course is offered jointly by the following departments:
Medical Sciences Doctoral Training Centre
The Medical Sciences Doctoral Training Centre (MSDTC) accommodates the interdisciplinary, cross-departmental DPhil programmes in medical sciences.
Several are structured DPhil programmes, which provide students with the opportunity to undertake two or three 'rotation' projects and relevant course work in their first year of each four-year structured programme. The main doctoral project starts in the second year of such programmes. Other programmes are wholly research based, allowing students to take a research project from the initial proposal through to submitting their thesis. Most of our programmes receive external core-funding, for example from Cancer Research UK and EPSRC.
The MSDTC also accommodates the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars’ Programme, the DPhil in Cancer Science programme funded by CRUK which welcomes applications from clinicians, basic scientists, and medical undergraduates, and the DPhil in Inflammatory and Musculoskeletal Disease which is funded by the Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research and is open to medical students wishing to undertake DPhils in the fields of musculoskeletal disease, inflammation and immunology.
Each programme has a distinctive intellectual flavour, designed to nurture independent and creative scientists. Students are supported in their development through:
- supervision and mentoring by world-class academics training in a wide range of research techniques;
- a nurturing research culture with development of student resilience and maintenance of mental health and wellbeing from the start and throughout each programme; and
- being part of a supportive community within individual programmes and across the multi-disciplinary MSDTC.
Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences
The Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) is a vibrant multi-disciplinary department focusing on musculoskeletal and immunological diseases, from bench to bedside.
The Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS) is a large multi- disciplinary department, with a broad range of sciences related to medicine. Research spans the translational research spectrum, from basic biological research through to clinical and epidemiological research.
NDORMS is the largest European academic department in its field and runs a globally competitive programme of research and teaching. Committed to training the next generation of scientists in biological and clinical sciences, NDORMS has over 400 staff, approximately 120 postgraduate research students and a grant portfolio in excess of £150 million.
NDORMS has state-of-the-art research facilities across the spectrum of our research expertise.
NDORMS has two institutes, the Botnar Research Centre (led by Professor Jonathan Rees) on the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (NOC) site, and the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology (led by Professor Fiona Powrie) on the Old Road Campus. It also has a number of world-renowned units, including the Centre for Statistics in Medicine (led by Professor Gary Collins), the Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit and the Kadoorie Centre for Critical Care Research (led by Professor Matt Costa) and Education (based in the John Radcliffe Hospital).
The Botnar Research Institute provides a unique setting for basic science researchers, statisticians and clinical trials experts to interact with clinician scientists, and to translate new experimental medicines and surgical designs into successful treatments. The Botnar Research Centre is strongly connected to the internationally renowned NOC, providing crucial access to patients' samples and an overall capacity for clinical and surgical trials.
The Kennedy Institute carries out basic and clinical research in chronic inflammatory and degenerative diseases including arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. The Kennedy Institute is famous for its development of anti-TNF therapy to treat rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic debilitating disease. This treatment has improved the lives of millions of patients around the world.
Funding
All applicants who are offered a place on this course will be offered a fully-funded scholarship, covering all course fees for the duration of their course and a living stipend.
Further information about funding for this course can be found on the department's website.
Costs
Annual fees for entry in 2025-26
Fee status | Annual Course fees |
| Home | £10,070 |
| Overseas | £33,370 |
How long do I need to pay course fees?
Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges.
What do course fees cover?
Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information section below.
Where can I find further information about fees?
The Fees and Funding section of this website provides further information about course fees, including information about fee status and eligibility and your length of fee liability.
Additional information
There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees (or, after fee liability ends, continuation charges) and living costs. However, please note that, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.
Living costs
In addition to your course fees and any additional course-specific costs, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.
Living costs for full-time study
For the 2025-26 academic year, the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student is between £1,425 and £2,035 for each month spent in Oxford. We provide the cost per month so you can multiply up by the number of months you expect to live in Oxford. Depending on your circumstances, you may also need to budget for the costs of a student visa and immigration health surcharge and/or living costs for family members or other dependants that you plan to bring with you to Oxford (assuming that dependant visa eligibility criteria are met).
Further information about living costs
The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. For study in Oxford beyond the 2025-26 academic year, it is suggested that you budget for potential increases in living expenses of around 4% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. For further information, please consult our more detailed information about living costs, which includes a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs.
College preference
Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs).
If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief introduction to the college system at Oxford and our advice about expressing a college preference.
If you are a current Oxford student and you would like to remain at your current Oxford college, you should check whether it is listed below. If it is, you should indicate this preference when you apply. If not, you should contact your college office to ask whether they would be willing to make an exception. Further information about staying at your current college can be found in our Application Guide.
If you'd like to remain at your current Oxford college, you should check the list below to see whether it accepts applications for the course to which you are applying. If it does, you can indicate this preference when you apply. If it does not, please refer to the instructions in our application guide under the heading 'Can I stay at my current Oxford college?'.
The following colleges accept students on the DPhil in Inflammatory and Musculoskeletal Disease:
Before you apply
Before you begin an application, we recommend that you consult the Medical Sciences Graduate School's website to identify the most suitable course for your intended area of research.
Our guide to getting started provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. You can use our interactive tool to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.
If it is important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under the December deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance. Check the deadlines on this page and the information about deadlines and when to apply in our Application Guide.
Application fee waivers
An application fee of £20 is payable for each application to this course. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:
- applicants from low-income countries;
- refugees and displaced persons;
- UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and
- applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.
You are encouraged to check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver before you apply.
Readmission for current Oxford graduate taught students
If you're currently studying for an Oxford graduate taught course and apply to this course with no break in your studies, you may be eligible to apply to this course as a readmission applicant. The application fee will be waived for an eligible application of this type. Check whether you're eligible to apply for readmission.
Application fee waivers for eligible associated courses
If you apply to this course and up to two eligible courses during the same application cycle, you can request an application fee waiver so that you only need to pay one application fee. We recommend that you use your application fee waiver to apply only for eligible courses that are closely related in research area to this one.
To be considered eligible for an application fee waiver, each additional course must be:
- doctoral level eg a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) or Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) course; and
- offered by one of the departments in the MPLS Division or one of the departments in the Medical Sciences Division.
If this is the first eligible course that you are applying to, you can request an application fee waiver for an additional course after you have submitted your application for this course. If you have already applied to another course that the meets the eligibility criteria shown above, you should request an application fee waiver before starting an application to this course.
Remember to state clearly in your request which course(s) you intend to apply to. If your request is successful, you will receive an application fee waiver code that is valid for this admission cycle (ie for entry in the 2025-26 academic year). Our Application Guide provides instructions for entering your application fee waiver code.
Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?
Before you apply, you should identify an academic member of staff who is willing to supervise you and has the resources to support your proposed research project. You should do this by contacting them directly. Details of academic staff, including their research interests and contact details, can be found on the department's website.
You will need to identify up to three projects that you would like to work on from the list of available projects.
Student-generated projects in the fields of inflammation and musculoskeletal diseases will also be considered. You will first need to identify project supervisors and contact them to confirm that they would be willing to supervise your project if your application is successful.
Improving access to graduate study
This course is taking part in initiatives to improve the selection procedure for graduate applications, to ensure that all candidates are evaluated fairly.
Socio-economic data (where it has been provided in the application form) will be used as part of an initiative to contextualise applications at the different stages of the selection process.
Completing your application
You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents.
For this course, the application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé. You should not upload a separate document. If a separate CV/résumé is uploaded, it will be removed from your application.
If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.
Proposed field and title of research project
Under 'Field and title of research project', you should enter the the project (s) you have chosen to be considered for, making sure you identify them by number, eg #OxKEN-2022/1, #OxKEN-2022/2, etc.
To enter a student-generated project, please enter 'Stu-Gen' followed by the name of the supervisor.
Proposed supervisor
It is not necessary for you to identify a potential supervisor in your application.
Referees:
Three overall, academic and/or professional
Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.
Your references will be assessed for your intellectual ability, academic achievement, motivation and interest in the course and subject area, and ability to work both in a group and independently.
Official transcript(s):
A letter of permission from the medical school is also required.
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.
More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.
Applicants must be able to provide a letter from the medical school confirming permission to intercalate for the duration of the DPhil programme. You will need to upload this in the transcript section of the application form.
Statement of purpose/personal statement:
A maximum of 500 words
You should provide a statement of your research interests, in English, describing how your background and research interests relate to the programme. If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.
It will be normal for students’ ideas and goals to change in some ways as they undertake their studies, but your personal statement will enable you to demonstrate your current interests and aspirations.
The statement should focus on academic or research-related achievements and interests rather than personal achievements and interests.
This will be assessed for:
- your reasons for applying;
- evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study;
- the ability to present a reasoned case in English;
- capacity for sustained and focused work; and
- understanding of problems in the area and ability to construct and defend an argument.
Start or continue your application
You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please refer to the requirements above and consult our Application Guide for advice.
Apply Continue applicationClosed
After you've submitted your application
Your application (including the supporting documents outlined above) will be assessed against the entry requirements detailed on this course page. Whether or not you have secured funding will not be taken into consideration when your application is assessed. You can find out more about our shortlisting and selection process in our detailed guide to what happens next.
Find out how to manage your application after submission, using our Applicant Self-Service tool.
ADMISSION STATUS
Closed to applications for entry in 2025-26
Register to be notified via email when the next application cycle opens (for entry in 2026-27)
Deadlines
12:00 midday UK time on:
Tuesday 3 December 2024
Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships
Final application deadline for entry in 2025-26
| Full Time Only | |
|---|---|
| Course code | R29_1 |
| Expected length | 3-4 years |
| Places in 2025-26 | c. 4 |
| Applications/year* | 5 |
| Expected start* | 1 September 2025 |
| English language | Standard level required |
Three-year average (applications for entry in 2022-23 to 2024-25)
Further information and enquiries
This course is offered by the Medical Sciences Doctoral Training Centre, in partnership with the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS)
- Course page on the Medical Sciences website
- Course page and available projects on NDORMS website
- Funding information from NDORMS
- Divisional research
- Medical Sciences Graduate School
- Residence requirements for full-time courses
- Postgraduate applicant privacy policy
Course-related enquiries
Advice about contacting the department can be found in the How to apply section of this page
✉ enquiries@msdtc.ox.ac.uk
☎ +44 (0)1865 289548