Superconductivity: Enabling Transformative Technologies (EPSRC CDT)
About the course
The Superconductivity CDT is a four-year training and research course which is part of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) on Superconductivity designed to equip students with advanced skills to tackle the biggest challenges in superconductivity.
The aim of the Superconductivity CDT is to train you with the essential multidisciplinary skills required to support the growing UK superconductivity industry and develop the transformative technologies needed to engineer Net-Zero, improved healthcare, and quantum devices.
The CDT brings together graduate superconductivity training in the Universities of Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge across their Physics, Materials, and Chemistry departments.
The CDT has partnerships with several major companies which use superconducting technology as well as with international large-scale facilities. This new centre will form a nucleus for the entire UK superconductivity community, offering training and networking opportunities to those in the wider ecosystem.
The Superconductivity CDT will train a new generation of superconductivity scientists to make substantial contributions in the development of transformative technologies through six closely connected themes:
- Fundamentals of Superconductivity
- Modelling of Superconductors
- Physical Properties of Superconductors
- Synthesis and Processing of Superconductors
- Applications of Superconductors
- Superconducting Devices
In exceptional circumstances you may transfer to an MSc by Research degree, which is considered on a case-by-case basis.
Course structure
You will be assigned your research project and supervisor(s) at the beginning of the course. You will choose a project from those advertised on both the Superconductivity CDT website and the Oxford Superconductivity website.
During the first year you will take a series of well-structured, graduate-level lecture courses and you will dedicate significant time to the taught elements of the training programme. These courses will lead you through the many aspects of superconductivity research from the fundamental theory, via the science of material design, to the application.
There will be a range of taught modules and you will choose lecture courses and additional practical or computational courses that are most relevant to your degree progression. You are likely to spend around half your time doing research, with the remaining half dedicated to taught modules, partner placements, cohort and group activities.
After the first year you will focus mainly on your research project, although alongside this you will be involved in outreach activities, and participate in cohort activities focused on additional soft skills training to prepare you for your future career along with thesis writing.
The CDT training contains a partner placement or a mini project for up to six weeks which will be co-delivered with the CDT partners and could take place away from Oxford.
Further details about the structure of the CDT training modules and cohort activities can be found on the Superconductivity CDT website.
It is possible to study part-time. The full-time first year courses will be spread across the first two years of the part-time programme. The remainder (6 years) will be focused on the research component and writing up. There is flexibility in how the units will be divided up between the first two years depending on the individual circumstances and when the programme is started. The progression milestones will also be extended accordingly to account for the part-time arrangements.
Attendance
The course can be studied full-time or part-time with both modes requiring attendance in Oxford. Full-time students are subject to the University's Residence requirements. Part-time students are required to attend course-related activities in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year.
In some cases, you will be assigned joint projects that will require you to be based away from Oxford for certain periods of time.
Similarly, some of the projects may require you to undertake a portion of your research outside of the University, which may require travel to and attendance at a site that is not located in Oxford. In such cases the CDT will provide support towards associated costs.
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.
Training will be provided by superconductivity experts in world leading departments, together offering a comprehensive range of facilities for superconductivity research.
For more details on the facilities of each of the participating departments please refer to the 'Department' section of this course page as well as the Oxford Centre for Applied Superconductivity website.
Non-Academic Resources
There is a range of welfare and academic support available in the participating departments. Your supervisor, the Director of Graduate Studies, and Graduate Administrator are all available to offer support. There are also several support networks, all of which are available to our graduate students.
In addition to the resources available within the department, there is additional support available via the MPLS Division, Student Welfare and Support services, the Oxford University Student Union (OUSU), Careers Service, and your college.
OUSU’s Student Advice Service also provides a confidential and impartial listening and advice service, and the University has a professionally staffed confidential Student Counselling Service for assistance with personal, emotional, social and academic problems.
There is an extensive framework of support for graduates within each college. Your college will allocate to you a College Advisor from among its Senior Members, usually in a cognate subject, who will arrange to see you from time to time and whom you may contact for additional advice and support on academic and other matters. In college you may also approach the Tutor for Graduates and/or the Senior Tutor for advice. The Tutor for Graduates is a fellow of the college with particular responsibility for the interests and welfare of graduate students. In some colleges, the Senior Tutor will also have the role of Tutor for Graduates. Each college will also have other named individuals who can offer individual advice.
Supervision
For this course, the allocation of graduate supervision is the responsibility of the departments involved in the CDT (Departments of Physics, Materials and Chemistry) and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff.
Students on the Superconductivity CDT will be supervised by a University member of staff who acts as the academic supervisor. In many cases, students could be co-supervised by another scientist from one of the participating departments, or depending on the project, from a industry partner, if the project requires a co-supervisor from outside the University (see course page on the department website for details). In all these cases, your main University supervisor will be responsible for your progress and for ensuring that the project is of suitable content and level to satisfy the normal expectations of a DPhil at the University.
The frequency of student-supervisor meetings varies depending on the nature of your project but you should expect to interact with your supervisors weekly or, in some cases, monthly. Most supervisors run an extended research group, including several DPhil students and post-docs, who interact very frequently (often on a daily basis).
Assessment
All students will be initially admitted to the status of Probationer Research Student (PRS). Within a maximum of 6 terms as a PRS student (and normally by the fifth term) you will be expected to apply for the transfer of status from Probationer Research Student to DPhil status.
A successful transfer of status from PRS to DPhil status will require satisfactory attendance, the accumulation of the training credits and the submission of a report of up to 10,000 words. Students who are successful at transfer will also be expected to apply for and gain confirmation of DPhil status within ten terms of admission, to show that their work continues to be on track.
Both milestones normally involve an interview with two assessors (other than your supervisor) and therefore provide important experience for the final oral examination.
To be successfully awarded a DPhil in your respective area you will need to defend your thesis orally (viva voce) in front of two appointed examiners.
Graduate destinations
Experience has shown that the high-level research, problem solving, analytical and innovations skills our graduates will acquire will be of benefit to a wide range of employers particularly those involved in research and development. Graduates of the Superconductivity CDT will develop the research skills to be able to pursue careers in fundamental research both in academia and industry and as scientists at large scale national and international facilities. Many superconductivity CDT graduates will be skilled in very low temperature cryogenics, instrumentation, and precision measurement. Such skills are in demand in the design and manufacture of equipment for use in, for example, quantum computing applications.
Support for career development is provided via the University’s Careers Service.
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.
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.
Degree-level qualifications
As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:
- a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in one of the areas aligned to the Superconductivity CDT, for example: Physics, Chemistry, Materials, or Engineering.
For applicants with a bachelor's degree from the USA, the minimum overall GPA that is normally required to meet the undergraduate-level requirement is 3.5 out of 4.0.
If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.
GRE General Test scores
No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.
Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience
It is helpful to include details of any of the following applicable attributes, which may strengthen your application:
- Details of any publications. (Many candidates with no peer-reviewed publications receive offers each year).
- Research or professional experience in areas aligned with the proposed supervisors' research interests.
- Depending on the project, evidence of training in scientific computer programming or related numerical techniques.
- Previous experience in a scientific or technical research environment.
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, between January to April.
Candidates are shortlisted based on the complete details of their applications. You should expect to be asked about your undergraduate course and any previous relevant experience and training. You will be asked about the research area you have chosen and why you want to work in it, about your motivation and skills for the chosen project. You may need to prepare a presentation as a part of the interview process.
Interviews are held between the candidates and potential supervisors, as well as the Director of Graduate Studies and/or a specialist interview panel.
Overseas candidates are interviewed via video call; all other candidates are interviewed either in person or via video call.
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.
Evidence of ability to study for employed part-time applicants
If you are applying for part-time study and you are currently employed, you may be asked to provide evidence that your employment will not affect your ability to study and that you can commit sufficient time to fulfil all elements outlined in the course description. You may be asked to provide details about your pattern of employment and provide evidence to show how you will fulfil your commitment to make time available to study, to complete coursework, and attend course and University events and modules. You may also be asked to obtain a statement from your employer confirming their commitment to make time available for you to study, to complete coursework, and attend course and University events and modules.
Permission to use data obtained through your employment
If you are embarking on study with the support of your employer and intend to use data obtained through your employment, evidence should be provided of permission to use your employers’ data in your proposed research project.
Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)
Some postgraduate research students in science, engineering and technology subjects will need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate prior to applying for a Student visa (under the Student Route). For some courses, the requirement to apply for an ATAS certificate may depend on your research area.
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:
Department of Physics
As a graduate student at Oxford’s Department of Physics, you will work alongside world experts and have access to the department’s world-class facilities.
Graduate students also get to benefit from the close relations the department foster’s with other facilities in the UK and around the world. In the UK, these include the leading science and innovation campus at Harwell home to the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Diamond Light Source synchrotron among others. Internationally, it extends to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, T2K in Japan, DUNE in the USA and large telescopes around the world.
Each year, the department welcomes approximately 90 graduate research students to study for a 3 to 4-year DPhil research degree – which is equivalent to a PhD. A taught masters’ degree course is offered joined by the department and the Mathematical Institute and welcomes approximately 50 students annually.
The department’s research students have access to world-class facilities and resources, from the ultra-low vibration and ultra-low temperature labs in the state-of-the-art Beecroft Building, to the in-house specialist research facilities, mechanical and electronic workshops and technicians.
Research students can choose from a range of specialisms across the six sub-departments of astrophysics; atmospheric, oceanic and planetary physics; atomic and laser physics; condensed matter physics; particle physics; and theoretical physics. Each of these sub-departments is autonomous, although many of the research projects available are interdisciplinary.
Department of Chemistry
Oxford is one of the leading chemistry research departments in the world, with around 80 academic staff carrying out international level research and an annual research income of around £38 million.
In the most recent national assessment of research (REF 2021) 66% of our research output was judged world-leading, and 32% was judged internationally excellent. The department has a number of research themes, including:
- catalysis
- synthesis
- chemistry at the interface with biology and medicine
- sustainable energy chemistry
- kinetics, dynamics and mechanism
- advanced functional materials and interfaces
- innovative measurement and photon science
- theory and modelling of complex systems.
The facilities at Oxford for research and teaching are among the best available in the UK, with a wide range of the latest instrumentation and a huge computational resource networked throughout the University and beyond to national computing centres. Among the facilities available are the latest in automated X-ray diffractometers, electron microscopes, scanning tunnelling microscopes, mass spectrometers, high-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers and specialised instruments for the study of solids.
Department of Materials
As a student on one of Oxford's research degree programmes in materials, you will be part of one of the top-ranked materials departments in the world (QS World University Rankings 2024).
In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) assessment of research excellence in UK universities, research from the University's Department of Materials and Department of Engineering Science was jointly submitted to REF Unit of Assessment (UOA) 12 - Engineering (there is not a specific REF UOA for Materials). The results for this submission show that:
- 71% of the research activity of the two departments was judged to be in the highest category of excellence, Grade 4* ('World- leading');
- a further 26% of the research activity of the two departments was judged as Grade 3* ('Internationally Excellent'); and
- 90% of research impact was judged to be ‘World-leading’.
The department's high rating for research is evidence of its excellence in a wide range of materials research.
At the time of writing the department's vibrant materials research community consists of 31 academic staff, 10 Senior Fellows / Senior Research Staff, over 200 DPhil students, and 80 postdoctoral researchers. Research students are of many nationalities and come to the department from diverse scientific backgrounds; primarily materials science, physics, chemistry and engineering, but including too subjects such as mathematics, earth sciences and biology.
Leading-edge research is carried out across a wide range of materials science, ranging from atomic-scale characterization, through state-of-the-art materials modelling, to pilot industrial-scale processing.
Research students in the Department of Materials are also members of the University's MPLS Graduate School, which provides a wide range of support and training in addition to that offered by the department.
Funding
We expect that the majority of applicants who are offered a place on this course will also be offered a fully-funded scholarship specific to this course, covering course fees for the duration of their course and a living stipend.
For this course, we recommend that you visit our dedicated funding pages which include details of a range of external funding and loan schemes for postgraduate study. Some scholarships may also be available through our fees, funding and scholarship search tool. You should review the information carefully, including the eligibility criteria and application deadlines, noting that not all funding opportunities are available for postgraduate diploma and postgraduate certificate courses.
Details of college-specific funding opportunities can also be found on individual college websites:
Please refer to the College preference section of this page to identify which of the colleges listed above accept students for this course.
For the majority of college scholarships, it doesn’t matter which college, if any, you state a preference for in your application. If another college is able to offer you a scholarship, your application can be moved to that college if you accept the scholarship. Some college scholarships may require you to state a preference for that college when you apply, so check the eligibility requirements carefully.
Costs
Annual fees for entry in 2025-26
Full-time study
Fee status | Annual Course fees |
| Home | £10,070 |
| Overseas | £33,370 |
Part-time study
Fee status | Annual Course fees |
| Home | £5,035 |
| Overseas | £16,685 |
Information about 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.
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 below.
Continuation charges
Following the period of fee liability, you may also be required to pay a University continuation charge and a college continuation charge. The University and college continuation charges are shown on the Continuation charges page.
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
Full-time study
There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees and living costs. However, as part of your course requirements, you may choose a project with an industrial partner outside Oxford. Please note that, depending on your choice of project and the location of the industrial partner, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses. Funding contribution for travel will be offered if the project is based outside Oxford, and projects in Oxford will be available for any student who wishes to remain in Oxford.
Part-time study
Please note that you are required to attend in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year, and you may incur additional travel and accommodation expenses for this. Also, as part of your course requirements, you may choose a project with an industrial partner outside Oxford. Please note that, depending on your choice of project and the location of the industrial partner, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses. Funding contribution for travel will be offered if the project is based outside Oxford, and projects in Oxford will be available for any student who wishes to remain in Oxford.
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).
Living costs for part-time study
Your living costs may vary depending on your personal circumstances but you will still need to cover your cost of living on a full-time basis for the duration of your course, even if you will not be based in Oxford throughout your studies. While the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student living in Oxford is between £1,425 and £2,035 per month, living costs outside Oxford may be different.
Part-time students who are not based in Oxford will need to calculate travel and accommodation costs carefully. Depending on your circumstances and study plans, this may include the cost of a visitor visa to attend for short blocks of time (assuming that visitor 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.
Full-time study
The following colleges accept students for full-time study on this course:
Part-time study
The following colleges accept students for part-time study on this course:
Before you apply
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 January 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?
You should contact the academic(s) in your area of research to discuss potential research topics and the possibility of being offered supervision. You can approach academic staff via the contact details provided.
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
You should indicate your preferred Research Areas such as Condensed Matter Physics (Experimental or Theory), Materials Science, Inorganic Chemistry.
You should also choose at least one of the advertised projects on the CDT website.
Proposed supervisor
Under 'Proposed supervisor name' enter the name of the academic(s) whom you would like to supervise your research.
Referees:
Three overall, of which at least two must be academic
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.
If you are a current master's student or have completed a master's course, one of your referees should be your supervisor or course director from this course. If you do not provide a reference of this kind, the department will usually ask you to do so before completing the assessment of your application.
Your references will be assessed for:
- intellectual ability,
- academic achievement,
- your motivation and interest in the course and subject area,
- and your ability to work effectively both in a group and independently.
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.
More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.
Statement of purpose/research proposal:
A minimum of 300 words, up to a maximum of 1,000 words
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.
Statement of purpose
Your statement should be written in English and explain your motivation for applying for the course at Oxford, your relevant experience and education, and the specific areas that interest you and/or you intend to specialise in.
Your statement should focus on your academic achievements and interests, rather than personal achievements, interests and aspirations.
If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.
This will be assessed for:
- your reasons for applying
- your ability to present a coherent case in proficient English
- your commitment to the subject, beyond the requirements of the degree course
- your preliminary knowledge of the subject area and research techniques
- your reasoning ability
- your ability to absorb new ideas, often presented abstractly.
Research proposal
You do not need to provide a very detailed research proposal, only a brief indication of the area in which you wish to carry out your research and the relevant supervisor(s) and/or group(s).
This may be quite specific, but need not be if you have not yet decided on your preferred supervisor or project.
Please indicate if you do have a preference for specific projects and if you have previous experience in related areas.
This will be assessed for:
- your reasons for applying
- the fit of your research interests with those represented in the department
- evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study
- your ability to present a reasoned case in proficient English
- commitment to the subject beyond the requirements of the degree course
- your preliminary knowledge of research techniques
- you reasoning ability.
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 - Full Time Apply - Part Time Continue application
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.