MPhil in Development Studies

About the course

The course will provide you with a rigorous and critical introduction to development as a process of managed and unmanaged change in societies in the Global South. Students go on to careers in development policy or practice, or further study in the field.

Students will be introduced to development studies as an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary subject. It covers the intellectual history of development, the paradigm shifts and internal conflicts within the discipline and the contemporary relevance of research to development policy and practice.

Course structure

This section provides an overview of the course structure, while details of the individual course components are provided below.

The course comprises five elements: the core course, foundation courses, research methods, the thesis and two option courses.

You will spend the summer following your first year working on a thesis. You will choose the topic, with the guidance of your supervisor, and, in most cases, spend some of the summer doing research and gathering data.

In the second year, you will take your chosen option courses and continue work on your thesis.

Each course entails up to four hours of teaching per week, delivered through lectures, classes and workshops. Class sizes are small – between 5 and 30 students – encouraging active participation and enabling students to learn from each other. You prepare for sessions by reading a selection of recommended books, book chapters and articles.

As an MPhil student you will be able to attend the wide range of public seminars organised by the department and the individual research groups. Beyond the department, Oxford offers access to a large number of events including seminars and lectures by distinguished academics and policy-makers in related fields.

Core components

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You will take a core course and two foundation courses, undertake research methods training and submit a thesis.

Option modules

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You will choose two option courses taken in the second year of the degree.

Course details

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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.

Libraries

In addition to the world-class resources held by the main Bodleian Library, readers also benefit from access to the wider Bodleian Libraries group which includes the Social Sciences Library. This is nearby offering study spaces, discussion rooms, printing and IT facilities, and research support. It has considerable print and digital strengths in development studies and a specialist librarian on staff. As alumni of the University, students can sign up for continued access to a number of electronic resources as well as to online journals through JSTOR.

IT support

The department provides hot-desking areas with desktops and printing, as well as wireless internet access. Technical support is available through the department, your college and the University’s IT Services, which also offers training courses. Course materials are available online via Canvas, the University’s Virtual Learning Environment.

Department facilities

Teaching takes place in the department’s seminar rooms, and there is a common room area where students from all the department's courses can gather. Lunches in the cafeteria are available during term.

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. 31
Applications/year*	225

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

Entry requirements

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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 first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in a social science subject.

As one of the purposes of the course is to provide a basic education in the subject, in exceptional cases, students who have not specialised in a social science may be admitted to read for the MPhil in Development Studies. It should be recognised that for some students, the transition to a social studies approach to learning may be challenging.

Entrance to the course 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, selection of candidates also depends on other factors in your application and most successful applicants have GPA scores of 3.7 or higher.

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 required for application.

Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience

Research or working experience in developing countries is desirable but is not essential.
An ability to work both independently and in groups is essential.
Publications are not expected or required for admission, but any can be included in the relevant section of your application form.

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

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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 December 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 department's website.

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

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Before you apply

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Completing your application

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Contact details

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Fee status	Annual Course fees
Home	£30,920
Overseas	£39,320

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MPhil in Development Studies

Full time

Application deadlines

About the course

Course structure

Core components

Core course

Foundation courses

Research methods

Thesis

Option modules

Typical options

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

Referees (three overall, at least two must be academic)

Official transcript(s)

Statement of purpose (a minimum of 500 words to a maximum of 750 words)

Written work (two essays, a new piece of work 1,000-1,500 words, and an academic essay/writing sample a maximum of 2,000 words)

After you've submitted your application

Contact details

Course-related enquiries

Application process enquiries

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