Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation Doctoral study

DSPI students doctoral

Our DPhil in Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation attracts graduate students from across the world. As a doctoral research student, you will be a key member of our academic community, fully involved and immersed in the life of our department, one of the top-ranked in its field.

We welcome DPhil candidates who are interested in a wide range of areas of social intervention and policy evaluation research.

Topics related to the world-leading expertise of our supervisors may focus on:

  • Social problems, such as poverty, violence, mental health, substance misuse, educational disadvantage, health and economic inequality.
  • Research focused on marginalised and vulnerable groups
  • Research on interventions, programmes and policies to prevent or address social problems
  • Evaluation methodology, such as cross-cultural adaptation of interventions

If you are starting the DPhil following a 1-year MSc, you will usually finish after 3-4 years. The graphic below gives an impression of the usual DPhil trajectory. 
dphil ebsipe course diagram 

The DPhil programme is also available on a part-time basis. The part-time version of the degree has the same high standards and requirements as the full-time degree, but is spread over 6-8 years. If you are seeking the flexibility of part-time study, this degree is particularly well suited to you. Part-time study also provides an excellent opportunity if you are a professional looking to undertake rigorous long-term research that may be relevant to your working life. For more information, please contact admissions@spi.ox.ac.uk. 

Our approach to graduate study focuses on your ability to work independently to explore and develop your research under an academic supervisor (or two co-supervisors).

Each member of academic staff has expertise in particular areas of social policy and you will only be accepted for a DPhil if there is an appropriate supervisor available.

We encourage candidates to reach out to a supervisor before they apply. You can reach out to any of the supervisors in the list below and we suggest sending us your CV and a brief description of your research idea when you get in touch. We recommend reaching out in advance of the deadline. Candidates who get in touch with supervisors in January may not receive a reply before the deadline.

We also welcome candidates who apply without contacting supervisors. In this case, every effort is made to match your research interests with those of our supervisors and a prospective supervisor may get in touch with you to discuss your application.

As a doctoral student, you will be offered a graduate programme for doctoral researchers, tailored to your individual needs as agreed with your supervisor. In addition to individual supervision, we offer a wide range of seminars, workshops and advanced training opportunities to enhance your graduate research experience. Further training and exchange opportunities are provided by colleges and the University.

Colleges

DPhil students are also members of a college, providing opportunities for exchange with other students and fellows across disciplines. Oxford colleges offer a unique academic

community. Student college membership ranges across the University as the DSPI has an association with many colleges. Students can apply to be at any college.

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DPhil students are also members of a college, providing opportunities for exchange with other students and fellows across disciplines. Oxford colleges offer a unique academic community. Student college membership ranges across the University as the DSPI has an association with many colleges.

Many graduates of the DPhil programme in Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation go on to pursue academic careers in world-leading research universities. Other alumni hold influential positions in government, non-governmental and international organisations such as the World Bank, the World Health Organisation and the UN.

The DSPI, colleges and the University provide several scholarships for DPhil students. You can find out more here. At DSPI, we nominate students who apply in the January round for scholarships and there are very limited funding opportunities available for students who apply in the March round.

You can find full details about how to apply on the DPhil in Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation University Admissions page.