Psychiatry

The DPhil in Psychiatry is designed to allow you to develop the skills required to become an independent researcher, as well as acquiring expertise within a particular research area. You will have a supervisor from within the department and may have a co-supervisor/advisor from within the department or from elsewhere, such as the Departments of Experimental Psychology, Clinical Neuroscience and Pharmacology and/or the Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain (fMRIB).

Working on a project of your own under the guidance of a supervisor provides you with a primary learning experience. You are encouraged to take advantage of the comprehensive, flexible training programme offered by the Medical Sciences Graduate School which includes general and specific research skills and more advanced academic courses.

You may also be required to undertake one or more training courses related to your area of research. In addition to this, the department organises opportunities for students to meet together and to present their research to their peers, enabling you to benefit from feedback and to begin networking with students in other research areas.

The range of research topics available to you is extensive and includes core areas of neurobiology, psychological treatments, developmental psychiatry and social psychiatry. You will be based in Oxford for the three to four years of your DPhil but you can be based elsewhere in the world during the data collection phase of your research.

Examination of a DPhil involves submission of a thesis which is examined by viva. In addition to this, there are two interim assessments of progress that you must pass. The first, transfer of status, involves the submission of a short report of progress to date and future plans for the research which is examined by viva. For the second, confirmation of status, you are required to make a brief presentation of your work including a timetable for completion of your thesis.

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Department of Psychiatry and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the Department of Psychiatry.

The destinations of students completing a DPhil in the department are very varied and dependent on the research area covered by the research degree. For example, some continue in academic research in postdoctoral positions, others go on to start or complete training to be psychiatrists or clinical psychologists while others go into employment.

Changes to this course and your supervision

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. 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 sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information, please see our page on changes to courses.

Other courses you may wish to consider

Applicants are strongly advised to visit the Medical Sciences Graduate School website to help them identify the most suitable course and supervisors.

If you're thinking about applying for this course, you may also wish to consider the courses listed below. These courses may have been suggested due to their similarity with this course, or because they are offered by the same department or faculty.

All graduate courses offered by the Department of Psychiatry

Clinical and Therapeutic Neuroscience MSc

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy MSt

Psychiatry DPhil

Psychiatry MSc by Research

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Entry requirements