DPhil in Philosophy

About the course

The primary aim of the faculty’s DPhil in Philosophy is to prepare you for an academic career in philosophy.

As a DPhil student, you will research, summarise, present and defend an argument with some of the best scholars in their subject, under the direction of one or more experienced researchers, and you will extend your skills and experiences.

To learn more about the research topics you’ll have the opportunity to explore, please refer to the Research areas section of this page.

During the DPhil you will learn new or hone existing intellectual, practical and transferable skills, as follows:

analyse and clarify an abstract question, grasp and critically compare different approaches to answering it, and develop an approach of your own
put complex arguments together for and against a position and take them apart
interpret difficult historical texts produced within a historical context
construct extensive pieces of writing that provide a clear overview of a subject and a sustained independent argument about it, presented in a lucid, objective and scholarly manner
demonstrate excellent oral presentation
have effective time organisation (since you must produce extensive pieces of written work at regular intervals and to tight deadlines)
sustain intensive work to a deadline over an extended period
make effective use of libraries, information technology and other sources of information

Each year, the Faculty of Philosophy welcomes students from a range of courses who have already completed substantial graduate work in philosophy. Typically, students who are successfully admitted to the DPhil course have already completed a master's-level degree in philosophy (for example, the University of Oxford’s BPhil in Philosophy).

Students often progress from a more specialised master's course, for example the MSt in Philosophy of Physics, the MSt in Ancient Philosophy, the MSt in Practical Ethics or a comparable master's degree from another institution.

As part of your doctoral research you will produce a substantial 75,000-word thesis. Students proceeding to the DPhil programme via the BPhil will normally write a DPhil thesis which is an expansion of their BPhil thesis and may be able to incorporate the full contents of their 30,000-word BPhil thesis into the 75,000-word DPhil thesis. However, this is not a formal requirement; sometimes the BPhil thesis topic is not suitable for expansion into a DPhil thesis, or you may wish to write your DPhil thesis on a different topic.

Each term, many graduate classes and research seminars are organised by faculty members in which graduate students are full and important participants.

Graduates are also encouraged to organise their own seminars and reading groups, and they also run two societies: one invites distinguished speakers from the UK and around the world, while the other gives graduates the opportunity to present papers to a graduate audience.

The faculty runs a teaching scheme, lecturing scheme and a Graduate Teaching Register with the aim of providing teaching experience for those DPhil students who intend to pursue an academic career. In the case of the teaching scheme and Graduate Teaching Register, you will do a certain amount of teaching and marking under the guidance of a college fellow. If you are accepted into the lecturing scheme, you will be allowed to give an undergraduate lecture course of your own choice and design, consisting of four one-hour lectures.

Research areas

Expand all

You will have the opportunity to undertake research within the specialised themes of this course.

Course details

Expand all

As a graduate student, you will have access to the University's wide range of 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, as well as guidance on what technology to bring with you as a new student at Oxford.

The Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities

The Faculty of Philosophy is based in the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, a brand-new building at the University of Oxford, which accommodates seven faculties, two institutes, a new library, a large number of well-equipped teaching and seminar rooms, and performance and arts venues. Each faculty has its own centre and social hub within a building which will also facilitate interdisciplinary and collaborative work. At the heart of the building is a large atrium – called the Great Hall – bringing light into the building, and serving as a space for informal work, relaxation, meeting with friends, taking breaks, having refreshments – and much more.

The library, part of the Bodleian Libraries, is open to all students, and houses lending collections for Philosophy. There are 340 general reader seats, and around 80 graduate study seats – with a further 320 formal and informal study seats throughout the building outside the library.

Open-shelf lending collections are complemented by access to electronic resources, scan on demand, and material requested from the Bodleian’s Collections Storage Facility. As well as the Library’s extensive staffed hours, there is a 24/7 study space, including smart lockers for self-collect of borrowable items out of hours. Subject support is provided by a team of subject librarians.

You will initially be enrolled as a Probationary Research Student (PRS), unless you have previously completed the BPhil course at Oxford (see below). Normally in the third term after enrolment onto the DPhil as a PRS student, you are required to complete a transfer of status from PRS to full DPhil student status. Two appointed examiners will interview you on:

your thesis outline, which explains the intended line of argument or contribution to the subject;
a piece of written work in the area and philosophical style of the proposed thesis which is typically, though not necessarily, a draft chapter of the thesis.

Attendance at graduate classes and submission of a 5,000-word essay on a different area of philosophy from your doctoral research will normally be required; dispensation from this requirement will be considered on a case by case basis by the Graduate Studies Committee, taking into consideration your prior experience and education.

If you progressed from the MSt in Philosophy of Physics course, you are required to write a 20,000-word thesis during your year as a PRS, as your MSt does not have a thesis element.

Normally at the end of the second year after you enrolled, you will be required to apply for confirmation of your DPhil student status. This application will involve an interview by one or two appointed examiners on:

your thesis outline, comprising both a reasoned statement of the nature of, and some detail on, the proposed thesis together with a provisional table of contents; and
a piece of written work intended as a part of the thesis, in final or near-final draft.

If you progress from the BPhil, you will normally enter the DPhil without being required to pass a year as a PRS and as a result you will normally apply for confirmation of DPhil status in the third term after enrolment onto the DPhil.

The doctoral work culminates in a 75,000-word thesis that is defended orally in front of two appointed examiners (viva voce).

The number of places and average number of applicants for this course are shown below. For a breakdown of admission statistics by department, please refer to our published graduate admissions statistics.

Places in 2027-28	c. 15
Applications/year*	217

*Three-year average (applications for entry in 2024-25 to 2026-27)

Entry requirements

Expand all

For entry in 2027-28

The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our guidance to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.

Some contextual data provided through the application form may be considered during the assessment and selection process to better understand the context of your achievements.

Please be aware that any studentships or funded projects that are related 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 distinction or near-distinction grade in a master’s-level degree in philosophy (eg the University of Oxford’s BPhil in Philosophy), or a closely-related master’s-level qualification which involved substantial engagement with philosophy; and
a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in philosophy or a closely-related degree which involved substantial engagement with philosophy.

However, entrance is very competitive and most successful applicants have a first-class degree or the equivalent.

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 3.6 out of 4.0. However, most successful applicants have a GPA of 3.7 or above.

If your degree is not from the UK, we recommend that you 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

Applicants proposing to carry out research within the subfields of Ancient Greek and/or Roman Philosophy should demonstrate in their application that they have (or will have by the start of their DPhil studies) basic linguistic competence in Ancient Greek and/or Latin (as the case may be). Offers may be conditional upon the completion of relevant language courses.

You are not required to have any publications but these may be an advantage.

Further guidance

Applicants should not apply with more than one distinct research proposal.

English language proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's higher 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 higher level are detailed in the table below.

Minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level requirement
Test	Minimum overall score	Minimum score per component
IELTS Academic (Institution code: 0713)	7.5	7.0
TOEFL iBT* including the 'Home Edition' (Institution code: 0490)	110	Listening: 22 Reading: 24 Speaking: 25 Writing: 24
C1 Advanced^†	191	185
C2 Proficiency^‡	191	185
Oxford Test of English Advanced	165	155

*Changes to the TOEFL iBT test are being introduced on 21 January 2026. The University will not accept TOEFL tests taken from that date to meet the English language condition until a review of the revised test has been completed. Our Application Guide provides full details of the tests we accept.

^†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.

Funding and costs

Expand all

For entry in the 2027-28 academic year, the collegiate University expects to offer over 1,200 full or partial graduate scholarships across a wide range of graduate courses.

If you apply by this course's January deadline and receive a course offer, your application will then be considered for Oxford scholarships. For the majority of Oxford scholarships, your application will automatically be assessed against the eligibility criteria, without needing to make a separate application. There are further Oxford scholarships available which have additional eligibility criteria and where you are required to submit a separate application. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential.

To ensure that you are considered for Oxford scholarships that require a separate application, for which you may be eligible, use our fees, funding and scholarship search tool to identify these opportunities and find out how to apply. Alongside Oxford scholarships, you should also consider other opportunities for which you may be eligible including a range of external funding, loan schemes for postgraduate study and any other scholarships which may also still be available after the January deadline as listed on our fees, funding and scholarship search tool.

Details of college-specific funding opportunities can also be found on many individual college websites. To access this information, first select a college from the list of colleges that accept students for this course. Next, navigate to the Contact details section of the college page, where a direct link to the college's funding information will usually be provided.

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.

Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the faculty's website.

Fees for the 2027-28 academic year at the University of Oxford

The fees for this course are charged on an annual basis.

Fee status	Annual Course fees
Home	£15,030
Overseas	£39,300

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 course costs 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 costs information below.

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 fees will usually increase annually, as explained in the University’s Terms and Conditions.

Graduate students who have reached the end of their standard period of fee liability will be required to pay a University continuation charge and/or a college continuation charge.

The University continuation charge, per term for entry in 2027-28 is £680, please be aware that this will increase annually. For part-time students, the termly charge will be half of the termly rate payable by full-time students.

If a college continuation charge applies (not applicable for non-matriculated courses) it will be between £100 and £600, as explained in our information about continuation charges. Please contact your college for more details, including information about whether your college's continuation charge is applied at a different rate for part-time study.

Where can I find more information about fees?

Our fees and other charges pages provide further information, including details about:

Information about how much fees and other costs will usually increase each academic year is set out in the University's Terms and Conditions.

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 2027-28 academic year, the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student is between £1,475 and £2,175 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 (if dependant visa eligibility criteria are met).

Further information about living costs

The current economic climate and periods of high national inflation in recent years make it harder to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. For study in Oxford beyond the 2027-28 academic year, it is suggested that you budget for potential increases in living expenses of around 3% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation.

A breakdown of likely living costs for one month during the 2027-28 academic year are shown below. These costs are based on a single, full-time graduate student, with no dependants, living in Oxford.

Likely living costs for one month in Oxford during the 2027-28 academic year
Expense	Lower range	Upper range
Food	£325	£560
Accommodation	£880	£1,025
Personal items	£165	£320
Social activities	£50	£135
Study costs	£35	£95
Other	£20	£40
Total	£1,475	£2,175

For information about how these figures have been calculated as well as tables showing the likely living costs for nine and twelve months, please refer to the living costs page of our website.

College preference

Expand all

Before you apply

Expand all

Completing your application

Expand all

Your 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

You should also submit a statement of purpose explaining your motivation for applying for graduate study at Oxford. Your statement should focus on philosophy, rather than personal, extra-curricular achievements and interests. In your statement, you may wish to consider the following questions:

why are you applying to this particular programme of study?
what relevant academic and/or research experience do you have?
which areas of study within the subject interest you?
why would you be an excellent candidate for this course?
how does this course fit in with your future career plans?

Your statement should be written in English and be a maximum of 500 words.

If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.

Your statement will be assessed for evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study.

Research proposal

Your research proposal should comprise a detailed outline of your proposed research, covering areas such as the background to the research, methodology, expected results and the contribution to the field of learning. You may wish to make reference to your academic achievements, interests and aspirations and the relevance of the course to your future career development plans.

Your research proposal should be written in English and be a maximum of 2,000 words. The word count does not need to include any bibliography or brief footnotes.

If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.

It will be normal for your ideas subsequently to change in some ways as you investigate the evidence and develop your project, but you should nevertheless make the best effort you can to demonstrate the extent of your research question, sources and method at the time of your application.

Your research proposal will be assessed for:

coherence
originality
evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study
ability to present a reasoned case in English
feasibility of successfully completing the project in the time available for the course (normally three years and a maximum of four years)
commitment to the subject
knowledge of research techniques
capacity for sustained and intense work
reasoning ability
ability to absorb new ideas, often presented abstractly, at a rapid pace.

Contact details

Expand all

DPhil in Philosophy

Full time

Application deadlines

About the course

Research areas

Course details

Official course title

Award

Course code

The Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities

Entry requirements

Degree-level qualifications

GRE General Test scores

Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience

Further guidance

English language proficiency

Declaring extenuating circumstances

Financial Declaration

Disclosure of criminal convictions

Funding and costs

Fees for the 2027-28 academic year at the University of Oxford

Fee status

Annual Course fees

What do course fees cover?

How long do I need to pay course fees?

Where can I find more information about fees?

Living costs for full-time study

Further information about living costs

College preference

Before you apply

Readmission for current Oxford graduate taught students

Completing your application

Statement of purpose

Research proposal

Contact details

Was this page helpful?

Search Oxford

DPhil in Philosophy

Full time

Application deadlines

About the course

Research areas

Themes

Further information about research

Course details

Course title and award

Attendance

Resources to support your study

Supervision

Assessment

Graduate destinations

Information about the department offering this course

Number of places and applications

Changes to this course

Entry requirements

Proven and potential academic excellence

References

Supporting documents

Performance at interview

Offer conditions for successful applications

Other factors governing whether places can be offered

Funding and costs

Funding

Annual course fees

Additional course costs

Living costs

College preference

Your college preference

Colleges accepting applications for this course

Before you apply

Getting started

Application fee waivers

Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?

How to start or continue an application

Completing your application

Instructions for completing the application form

Proposed field and title of research project

Proposed supervisor

Referees (three overall, academic preferred)

Official transcript(s)

CV/résumé

Statement of purpose and research proposal (statement of a maximum of 500 words and a proposal of a maximum of 2,000 words)

Written work (one essay of 4,000 to a maximum of 5,000 words)

After you've submitted your application

Contact details

Course-related enquiries

Application process enquiries

Was this page helpful?