Admissions criteria for DPhil in Education

Undertaking a DPhil at Oxford is an intense and intellectually demanding experience. The most academically able set of candidates are selected for the available places.

Applicants are normally expected to meet the following criteria:

• At least a 2(i) Honours degree from a UK university or the equivalent standard from an overseas university;

• A fluent spoken and written command of the English language;

• Indications of proven and potential academic excellence, for example, through highly positive references, academic transcripts, samples of written work, good performance at interview (where relevant);

• Provide sufficient evidence, in the view of the assessors, that they have the academic ability and commitment to pursue the programme to a successful conclusion within the required time limits.

It is important that applicants submit as much relevant information as possible with the application form in order that the Department can make a thorough evaluation of their suitability for the programme.

It should be noted that graduate supervision is within the responsibility of the Department as a whole and that it may not be possible for a graduate student to have their choice of a specific member of the academic staff as their supervisor.

It should also be noted that acceptance to the DPhil programme gives no guarantee of final success, and that all students are required to develop their learning and skills to new levels to successfully undertake the assessment hurdles of the DPhil programme.

Interviews

We endeavour to interview all applicants for the DPhil programme, either face to face or by telephone.

It is essential to note that well-qualified candidates may not be offered a place because:

• here are constraints on the availability of facilities, research funding and on supervision;

• There are limitations on the size of the Department's DPhil programme;

• Appropriate supervision may not be available for a particular area of academic interest;

• Other candidates have been judged to have greater academic ability;

• Secure funding has not been obtained by the candidate (places offered on a conditional basis cannot be confirmed without a financial guarantee).