DPhil in Superconductivity (EPSRC CDT)
About the course
This four-year course is part of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) on Superconductivity: Enabling Transformative Technologies and is designed to equip students with advanced skills to tackle the biggest challenges in superconductivity.
The aim of the Superconductivity CDT is to train you with the essential multidisciplinary skills required to support the growing UK superconductivity industry and develop the transformative technologies needed to engineer Net-Zero, improved healthcare, and quantum devices.
The CDT brings together graduate superconductivity training at the Universities of Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge across their Physics, Materials, Engineering and Chemistry departments.
The CDT has partnerships with several major companies which use superconducting technology as well as with international large-scale facilities. This new centre will form a nucleus for the entire UK superconductivity community, offering training and networking opportunities to those in the wider ecosystem.
The Superconductivity CDT will train a new generation of superconductivity scientists to make substantial contributions in the development of transformative technologies through six closely connected themes.
Course structure
During the first year (or first two years if studying part-time) you will take a series of eight well-structured, graduate-level lecture courses, which will lead you through the many aspects of superconductivity research from the fundamental theory, via the science of material design, to the application.
There will be a range of taught modules and you will choose eight lecture courses, comprising five lectures per course, and additional practical or computational courses that are most relevant to your degree progression. You are likely to spend around half your time doing research, with the remaining half dedicated to taught modules, partner placements, cohort and group activities.
After the first year you will focus mainly on your research project, although alongside this you will be involved in outreach activities, and participate in cohort activities focused on additional soft skills training to prepare you for your future career along with thesis writing.
The CDT training contains a partner placement or a mini project for up to six weeks which will be co-delivered with the CDT partners and could take place away from Oxford.
To learn more about the research topics you’ll have the opportunity to explore, please refer to the Research areas section on this page.
Attendance
The course can be studied full-time or part-time with both modes requiring attendance in Oxford. Full-time students are subject to the University's Residence requirements. Part-time students are required to attend course-related activities in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year.
The full-time first year courses will be spread across the first two years of the part-time programme. The remainder (6 years) will be focused on the research component and writing up. There is flexibility in how the units will be divided up between the first two years depending on the individual circumstances and when the programme is started. The progression milestones will also be extended accordingly to account for the part-time arrangements.
In some cases, you will be assigned joint projects that will require you to be based away from Oxford for certain periods of time.
Similarly, some of the projects may require you to undertake a portion of your research outside of the University, which may require travel to and attendance at a site that is not located in Oxford. In such cases the CDT will provide support towards associated costs.
Provision exists for students on some courses to undertake their research in a ‘well-founded laboratory’ outside of the University. This may require travel to and attendance at a site that is not located in Oxford. Where known, existing collaborations will be outlined on this page. Please read the course information carefully, including the additional information about course fees and costs.
Resources to support your study
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.
Training will be provided by superconductivity experts in world leading departments, together offering a comprehensive range of facilities for superconductivity research.
There is a range of welfare and academic support available in the participating departments. Your supervisor, the Director of Graduate Studies, and Graduate Administrator are all available to offer support. There are also several support networks, all of which are available to our graduate students.
Supervision
For this course, the allocation of graduate supervision is the responsibility of the departments involved in the CDT (Departments of Physics, Materials and Chemistry) and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff.
Students on the Superconductivity CDT will be supervised by a University member of staff who acts as the academic supervisor. In many cases, students could be co-supervised by another scientist from one of the participating departments, or depending on the project, from a industry partner, if the project requires a co-supervisor from outside the University (see course page on the department website for details). In all these cases, your main University supervisor will be responsible for your progress and for ensuring that the project is of suitable content and level to satisfy the normal expectations of a DPhil at the University.
The frequency of student-supervisor meetings varies depending on the nature of your project but you should expect to interact with your supervisors weekly or, in some cases, monthly. Most supervisors run an extended research group, including several DPhil students and post-docs, who interact very frequently (often on a daily basis).
Assessment
All students will be initially admitted to the status of Probationer Research Student (PRS). Within a maximum of 6 terms as a PRS student (and normally by the fifth term) you will be expected to apply for the transfer of status from Probationer Research Student to DPhil status.
A successful transfer of status from PRS to DPhil status will require satisfactory attendance, the accumulation of the training credits and the submission of a report of up to 10,000 words. Students who are successful at transfer will also be expected to apply for and gain confirmation of DPhil status within ten terms of admission, to show that their work continues to be on track.
Both milestones normally involve an interview with two assessors (other than your supervisor) and therefore provide important experience for the final oral examination. In exceptional circumstances students may transfer to an MSc by Research degree, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
To be successfully awarded a DPhil in your respective area you will need to defend your thesis orally (viva voce) in front of two appointed examiners.
Graduate destinations
Experience has shown that the high-level research, problem solving, analytical and innovations skills our graduates will acquire will be of benefit to a wide range of employers particularly those involved in research and development. Graduates of the Superconductivity CDT will develop the research skills to be able to pursue careers in fundamental research both in academia and industry and as scientists at large scale national and international facilities. Many superconductivity CDT graduates will be skilled in very low temperature cryogenics, instrumentation, and precision measurement. Such skills are in demand in the design and manufacture of equipment for use in, for example, quantum computing applications.
Support for career development is provided via the University’s Careers Service.
Changes to this course
The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made if a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency occurs. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.
Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.
For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.
Course components
Compulsory study
Practical Techniques
This unit will introduce many of the practical techniques used in superconductivity research. This will give you first hand experience in using these techniques so you can see how they are applied in practice, which will help you understand and critically appraise data from others in the literature. The modules will cover basic experimental techniques such as those needed to perform low noise electrical measurements, use of advanced instruments such as a SQUID magnetometer, x-ray diffractometer, electron and focussed ion beam microscopes and elemental analysis, sample synthesis and thin film device fabrication. There are also practical modules on numerical techniques and high-performance computing.
Group Project and Colloquia
This unit will introduce you to the most up-to-date scientific literature in the field of superconductivity. You will learn about which topics are currently at the forefront of research, how to critically evaluate papers and assimilate knowledge from different papers and perspectives and solve problems as a group. Presentation of materials will allow you to gain presentation skills.
Partner Placement Project
This unit will give you the opportunity to see applications of superconductivity research in a non-academic environment and give you experience of a different research field to your main DPhil topic. In most cases the project will be done away from the home institution, so that you will engage with the environment in an industrial or research facility setting.
Research Project
A research project is the central task of a DPhil programme of study. This unit will encompass the first year of work on this project, giving you the background knowledge and research skills you will need to succeed in your DPhil.
Options
Course Lectures
During the first year of full-time study (or first two years if studying part-time) you will be required to complete eight lecture courses, comprising up to six lectures per course, chosen out of a list of around 13 options. Completion of the eight lecture courses is compulsory.
Previous options have included:
- Fundamental Physics of Conventional Superconductivity. Electromagnetic and thermodynamic properties. BCS theory and strong coupling.
- Fundamental Physics of Unconventional Superconductivity. High temperature cuprates / iron based, heavy fermions, spin fluctuation pairing and alternatives.
- Materials design for large scale applications. Materials selection, manufacturing, control of microstructure in technological superconductors, joints, wires/tapes and bulks, key properties and future prospects for commercial products and engineering sectors.
- High field magnet applications of superconductors. Magnet design considerations including quench protection, cable design etc, magnets for fusion, MRI/NMR; accelerators / high energy Physics, high field research magnets, proton therapy.
- Energy, power, and transport applications of superconductors. AC loss, transmission cables, motors and generators for applications including wind turbines, electric aircraft, ship propulsion.
- Superconducting devices and sensors. SQUIDS and superconducting Qubits, single photon detectors, filters for communications, materials, fabrication.
- Electronic and thermal transport. Boltzmann theory and electronic transport in high magnetic fields, interpretation of experimental transport data including theoretical model.
- Strongly correlated metals. Fermi liquid theory, electron-phonon effects, non-Fermi liquid effects, quantum phase transitions.
- Introduction to many-body theory. Second Quantization, Greens functions, self-energy, linear response, Feynman diagrams, connection to Fermi liquid theory, Hubbard model.
- Materials modelling. Density functional theory, choice of functional, mixed methods (DMFT), tight binding, surfaces and defects, structure searches and machine learning, phonons.
- Material synthesis. Principles of materials design and crystal synthesis, bulk crystal growth from melt and solution
- Probes of matter. Determination of atomic and magnetic structure by diffraction of x-rays, neutrons and electrons, inelastic scattering, principles of scanning probe microscopy (STM, AFM, SEM), electronic structure determination using ARPES and quantum oscillations.
- Enabling technologies for superconducting applications. Cryogenics and cooling technologies, materials properties and design of cryogenic systems, vacuum technologies
Options may vary from year to year and there is no guarantee that the examples listed above will be offered in the future.
Research areas
You’ll have the opportunity to undertake research within the specialised themes of this course, which include:
- Fundamentals of Superconductivity
- Modelling of Superconductors
- Physical Properties of Superconductors
- Synthesis and Processing of Superconductors
- Applications of Superconductors
- Superconducting Devices.
The CDT training contains a partner placement or a mini project for up to six weeks which will be co-delivered with the CDT partners and could take place away from Oxford.
After the first year you will focus mainly on your research project. You will be assigned your project and supervisor(s) at the beginning of the course.
Further information
As part of your application, you will choose a project from those advertised on both the Superconductivity CDT website and the Oxford Superconductivity website. Information about academic and research staff can be found on the Superconductivity CDT website.
Entry requirements for entry in 2026-27
Proven and potential academic excellence
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.
Please be aware that any studentships that are linked 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 one of the areas aligned to the Superconductivity CDT, for example: Physics, Chemistry, Materials, or Engineering.
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 3.5 out of 4.0.
If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, 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
It is helpful to include details of any of the following applicable attributes, which may strengthen your application:
- Details of any publications. (Many candidates with no peer-reviewed publications receive offers each year).
- Research or professional experience in areas aligned with the proposed supervisors' research interests.
- Depending on the project, evidence of training in scientific computer programming or related numerical techniques.
- Previous experience in a scientific or technical research environment.
English language proficiency
This course requires proficiency in English at the University's standard 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 standard level are detailed in the table below.
| Test | Minimum overall score | Minimum score per component |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic (Institution code: 0713) | 7.0 | 6.5 |
| TOEFL iBT* including the 'Home Edition' (Institution code: 0490) | 100 | Listening: 22 Reading: 24 Speaking: 25 Writing: 24 |
| C1 Advanced† | 185 | 176 |
| C2 Proficiency‡ | 185 | 176 |
| Oxford Test of English Advanced | 155 | 145 |
*Changes to the TOEFL iBT test are being introduced on 21 January 2026. If you are taking a TOEFL test after this date, please note that these changes may affect whether the University is able to accept this test.
†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.
References
You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.
Supporting documents
You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.
Performance at interview
Interviews are normally held as part of the admissions process, between January to April.
Candidates are shortlisted based on the complete details of their applications. You should expect to be asked about your undergraduate course and any previous relevant experience and training. You will be asked about the research area you have chosen and why you want to work in it, about your motivation and skills for the chosen project. You may need to prepare a presentation as a part of the interview process.
Interviews are held between the candidates and potential supervisors, as well as the Director of Graduate Studies and/or a specialist interview panel.
Overseas candidates are interviewed via video call; all other candidates are interviewed either in person or online.
Offer conditions for successful applications
If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our 'After you apply' pages provide more information about offers and conditions.
In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:
Financial Declaration
If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a Financial Declaration in order to meet your financial condition of admission.
Disclosure of criminal convictions
In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any relevant, unspent criminal convictions before you can take up a place at Oxford.
Evidence of ability to study for employed part-time applicants
If you are applying for part-time study and you are currently employed, you may be asked to provide evidence that your employment will not affect your ability to study and that you can commit sufficient time to fulfil all elements outlined in the course description. You may be asked to provide details about your pattern of employment and provide evidence to show how you will fulfil your commitment to make time available to study, to complete coursework, and attend course and University events and modules. You may also be asked to obtain a statement from your employer confirming their commitment to make time available for you to study, eg to complete coursework, and attend course and University events and modules.
Permission to use data obtained through your employment
If you are embarking on study with the support of your employer and intend to use data obtained through your employment, evidence should be provided of permission to use your employers’ data in your proposed research project.
Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)
This course may require you to obtain an ATAS certificate before you can apply for a visa/immigration permission. If you are offered a place, the academic department will confirm whether an ATAS certificate is required. If so, they will also send you the information you need to apply for one. You can apply for ATAS whilst your offer is conditional and before the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is issued. Further information about ATAS is available on the student visa webpages.
Other factors governing whether places can be offered
The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:
- the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the About section of this page;
- the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
- minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.
Funding
We expect that the majority of applicants who are offered a place on this course will also be offered a fully-funded scholarship specific to this course, covering course fees for the duration of their course and a living stipend.
For this course, we recommend that you visit our dedicated funding pages which include details of a range of external funding and loan schemes for postgraduate study. Some scholarships may also be available through our fees, funding and scholarship search tool. You should review the information carefully, including the eligibility criteria and application deadlines, noting that not all funding opportunities are available for postgraduate diploma and postgraduate certificate courses.
Details of college-specific funding opportunities can also be found on individual college websites:
Please refer to the College preference section of this page to identify which of the colleges listed above accept students for this course.
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.
Costs
Annual course fees for the 2026-27 academic year at the University of Oxford
The fees for this course are charged on an annual basis.
Full-time study
Fee status | Annual Course fees |
| Home | £10,470 |
| Overseas | £34,700 |
Part-time study
Fee status | Annual Course fees |
| Home | £5,235 |
| Overseas | £17,350 |
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 information 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 2026-27 is £656, 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 £150 and £500, 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:
- course fees and fee liability;
- how your fee status is determined;
- changes to fees and other charges; and
- continuation charges.
Information about how much fees and other costs will usually increase each academic year is set out in the University's Terms and Conditions.
Additional costs
Full-time study
There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees and living costs. However, as part of your course requirements, you may choose a project with an industrial partner outside Oxford. Please note that, depending on your choice of project and the location of the industrial partner, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses. Funding contribution for travel will be offered if the project is based outside Oxford, and projects in Oxford will be available for any student who wishes to remain in Oxford.
Part-time study
Please note that you are required to attend in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year, and you may incur additional travel and accommodation expenses for this. Also, as part of your course requirements, you may choose a project with an industrial partner outside Oxford. Please note that, depending on your choice of project and the location of the industrial partner, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses. Funding contribution for travel will be offered if the project is based outside Oxford, and projects in Oxford will be available for any student who wishes to remain in Oxford.
Living costs
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 2026-27 academic year, the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student is between £1,405 and £2,105 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).
Living costs for part-time study
Your living costs may vary depending on your personal circumstances but you will still need to cover your cost of living on a full-time basis for the duration of your course, even if you will not be based in Oxford throughout your studies. While the range of likely living costs for a single, full-time student living in Oxford in the 2026-27 academic year is between £1,405 and £2,105 per month, living costs outside Oxford may be different.
Part-time students who are not based in Oxford will need to calculate travel and accommodation costs carefully. Depending on your circumstances and study plans, this may include the cost of a visitor visa to attend for short blocks of time (if visitor 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 2026-27 academic year, it is suggested that you budget for potential increases in living expenses of around 4% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation.
A breakdown of likely living costs for one month during the 2026-27 academic year are shown below. These costs are based on a single, full-time graduate student, with no dependants, living in Oxford.
| Lower range | Upper range | |
|---|---|---|
| Food | £315 | £545 |
| Accommodation | £825 | £990 |
| Personal items | £160 | £310 |
| Social activities | £50 | £130 |
| Study costs | £35 | £90 |
| Other | £20 | £40 |
| Total | £1,405 | £2,105 |
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
Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs).
If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief introduction to the college system at Oxford and our advice about expressing a college preference.
If you are a current Oxford student and you would like to remain at your current Oxford college, you should check whether it is listed below. If it is, you should indicate this preference when you apply. If not, you should contact your college office to ask whether they would be willing to make an exception. Further information about staying at your current college can be found in our Application Guide.
Full-time study
The following colleges accept students for full-time study on this course:
Part-time study
The following colleges accept students for part-time study on this course:
Before you apply
Our guide to getting started provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application, including advice to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.
If it is important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under the January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance. Check the deadlines on this page and the information about deadlines and when to apply in our Application Guide.
Application fee waivers
An application fee of £20 is payable for each application to this course. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:
- applicants from low-income countries;
- refugees and displaced persons;
- UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and
- applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.
You are encouraged to check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver before you apply.
Readmission for current Oxford graduate taught students
If you're currently studying for an Oxford graduate taught course and apply to this course with no break in your studies, you may be eligible to apply to this course as a readmission applicant. The application fee will be waived for an eligible application of this type. Check whether you're eligible to apply for readmission.
Application fee waivers for eligible associated courses
If you apply to this course and up to two eligible courses during the same application cycle, you can request an application fee waiver so that you only need to pay one application fee. We recommend that you use your application fee waiver to apply only for eligible courses that are closely related in research area to this one.
To be considered eligible for an application fee waiver, each additional course must be:
- doctoral level eg a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) or Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) course; and
- offered by one of the departments in the MPLS Division or one of the departments in the Medical Sciences Division.
If this is the first eligible course that you are applying to, you can request an application fee waiver for an additional course after you have submitted your application for this course. If you have already applied to another course that the meets the eligibility criteria shown above, you should request an application fee waiver before starting an application to this course.
Remember to state clearly in your request which course(s) you intend to apply to. If your request is successful, you will receive an application fee waiver code that is valid for this admission cycle (ie for entry in the 2026-27 academic year). Our Application Guide provides instructions for entering your application fee waiver code.
Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?
Informal enquiries should be made to the department's administrator in the first instance.
You should contact the academic(s) in your area of research to discuss potential research topics and the possibility of being offered supervision. You can approach academic staff via the contact details provided.
Completing your application
You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents.
For this course, the application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé. You should not upload a separate document. If a separate CV/résumé is uploaded, it will be removed from your application.
If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.
Proposed field and title of research project
You should indicate your preferred field from the list provided under Research areas.
You should also choose at least one of the projects advertised on both the Superconductivity CDT website and the Oxford Superconductivity website.
Proposed supervisor
Under 'Proposed supervisor name' enter the name of the academic(s) whom you would like to supervise your research.
Referees:
Three overall, of which at least two must be academic
Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.
If you are a current master's student or have completed a master's course, one of your referees should be your supervisor or course director from this course. If you do not provide a reference of this kind, the department will usually ask you to do so before completing the assessment of your application.
Your references will be assessed for:
- intellectual ability,
- academic achievement,
- your motivation and interest in the course and subject area,
- and your ability to work effectively both in a group and independently.
Official transcript(s)
Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.
More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.
Statement of purpose/research proposal:
A minimum of 300 words, up to a maximum of 1,000 words
Your statement of purpose/personal 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
Your statement should be written in English and explain your motivation for applying for the course at Oxford, your relevant experience and education, and the specific areas that interest you and/or you intend to specialise in.
Your statement should focus on your academic achievements and interests, rather than personal achievements, interests and aspirations.
If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.
This will be assessed for:
- your reasons for applying
- your ability to present a coherent case in proficient English
- your commitment to the subject, beyond the requirements of the degree course
- your preliminary knowledge of the subject area and research techniques
- your reasoning ability
- your ability to absorb new ideas, often presented abstractly.
Research proposal
You do not need to provide a very detailed research proposal, only a brief indication of the area in which you wish to carry out your research and the relevant supervisor(s) and/or group(s).
This may be quite specific, but need not be if you have not yet decided on your preferred supervisor or project.
Please indicate if you do have a preference for specific projects and if you have previous experience in related areas.
This will be assessed for:
- your reasons for applying
- the fit of your research interests with those represented in the department
- evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study
- your ability to present a reasoned case in proficient English
- commitment to the subject beyond the requirements of the degree course
- your preliminary knowledge of research techniques
- you reasoning ability.
Start or continue your application
You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please refer to the requirements above and consult our Application Guide for advice.
Apply - Full Time Apply - Part Time Continue application
After you've submitted your application
Your application (including the supporting documents outlined above) will be assessed against the entry requirements detailed on this course page. Whether or not you have secured funding will not be taken into consideration when your application is assessed. You can find out more about our shortlisting and selection process in our detailed guide to what happens next.
Find out how to manage your application after submission, using our Applicant Self-Service tool.