DPhil in Public Policy

The DPhil specialises in discipline-based, policy-driven research, applying rigorous social science to analysing policy issues with the explicit goal of prescribing solutions for policymakers. You will concentrate on research that answers policy questions with rigorous conceptual design, theoretical insight, and empirical methods. As well as honing your research skills and developing your interdisciplinary understanding of policy challenges, you will also enhance your ability to communicate your research findings to the policy community in a way that ensures real-world impact. You will join a school which conducts groundbreaking academic research where international leaders will engage with you and your scholarly community on the most pressing issues of our time.

The DPhil in Public Policy is one of Oxford's most selective degree courses and recruits those who are highly academically and professionally capable. Your peer group will include economists, lawyers, political scientists, behavioural scientists, and philosophers with professional backgrounds at international organisations such as the World Bank and the World Economic Forum and senior levels of government.

You will be expected to focus your research on practical challenges facing a range of different governments and publicly-oriented agencies. As well as developing your academic expertise, you will learn how to communicate your findings and analysis effectively so as to have real impact on government and public policy development throughout the world.

You will be given ample opportunities to present your work in the department, and develop your research ideas and proposals with the advice and support of your peers.

Research Development Seminars (RDS) will give you the opportunity to meet and discuss your research with other students, and the Blavatnik School hosts regular seminars and events with leading public policy practitioners, affording further networking and socialising opportunities. There is an array of research seminars that run across the University and you will be encouraged to attend and, if appropriate, to present at events relevant to your areas of interest. Part-time as well as full- time students will normally be required to attend all twelve of the RDS during their first year. This is to help you to establish a clear line of thinking and maximise the opportunity to integrate with all first-year students.

Through the research training offered by the Social Sciences Division you can also take part in a range of skills development training sessions available across departments. Part-time students will be expected to identify, in consultation with their supervisors, their anticipated advanced research skills needs in their first year, and focus on acquiring these additional skills in their second, third and fourth years from the Social Science Division’s research methods and training programme and, as the DPhil in Public Policy is multi- and interdisciplinary in character, from relevant training opportunities in the wider University and nationally.

Attendance

The full-time programme is studied over three to four years. The part-time programme has the same requirements, but is studied over six to eight years.

If studying part-time, you will be required to commit approximately 20 hours per week to your studies. You will also be expected to be in Oxford for at least the first few weeks of the first term so that you can fully participate in the induction activities which are held at the beginning of Michaelmas term (October). 

Part-time students are expected to be active members of the Blavatnik School of Government Research Community even when not in Oxford.

Resources to support your study

The Blavatnik School does not have its own library because most reading material is made available electronically.

However, you will have access to the Social Science Library in addition to other University libraries and centrally-provided electronic resources. 

You will have the opportunity to attend a variety of student social events at the Blavatnik School including the annual induction programme. You will also have access to a student common room and kitchen facilities close to your workspace.

The Blavatnik School benefits from its own ICT team, which provides support and advice to students. Students are expected to bring their own laptop.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Blavatnik School of Government and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming students to work with a particular member of staff.

Your supervisors are carefully selected and will include a member of core member of faculty, together with other academics from the school or the University. You will usually have two supervisors during your DPhil research.

Your primary supervisor will establish a timetable of regular meetings for detailed discussion of your work and progress, normally a minimum of nine one-hour meetings (or equivalent) each year, although the frequency of meetings will vary depending on your stage of research.

Assessment

In your first year, you will be admitted to Probationer Research Student (PRS) status in the first instance. As a PRS, you will focus on the development and early work of your thesis.

Within a maximum of four terms as a full-time PRS student or eight as a part-time PRS student, you will be expected to apply for, and achieve, transfer of status from Probationer Research Student to DPhil status. This application is normally made by the third term for full-time students and by the sixth term for part-time students by submitting a research outline and a substantial piece of written work. These are assessed by two academics (at least one of whom will usually be a Blavatnik School faculty member), who will also interview you about your work. A similar exercise then takes place in your ninth term (fourteenth term if you are part-time) when you will apply for confirmation of DPhil status.

After three or at most four years (no later than eight years if you are part-time) you are expected to submit your final thesis. Your thesis will be read by two examiners who conduct an in-depth oral examination with the student, known as a viva voce. On the basis of their report, you will either be awarded the DPhil (which may be subject to major or minor corrections) or referred back to make revisions to the thesis.

Graduate destinations

Graduates of the DPhil in Public Policy will be professional social scientists working in the area of public policy. You will be prepared to lead on devising, implementing, and evaluating innovative policy solutions; and you will be expertly qualified to conduct research, whether as an academic, in a governmental role, or in other influential policy organisations, institutes, and think tanks.

The school’s alumni form a close-knit community providing social connections, professional guidance and a trusted source of advice. These connections also serve as powerful reminders for all of us of our shared commitment to public service and our desire to make a positive difference in the world. For more information, visit our Alumni pages.

At the Blavatnik School of Government you will develop the skills required to succeed in your career as well as benefit from a programme of career-focused events. Collaborating with your fellow students and faculty will help you discover career paths and opportunities in public service and academia. The Blavatnik School of Government also offers an outstanding programme of speaker events at which many visitors discuss their careers, and outside of the school there are many events organised by departments, centres, societies and colleges – all of these provide opportunities to meet with global specialists and develop your network of contacts.

In addition, students can receive expert one-to-one careers advice at the University's Careers Service, which is very close to the Blavatnik School, and attend careers fairs, talks, workshops and employer presentations.

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