About the course

The DPhil (doctoral) programme in Information, Communication and the Social Sciences provides an opportunity for highly-qualified students to undertake innovative Internet-related research.

The Oxford Internet Institute's (OII) students work on multidisciplinary research across the social sciences. Many projects fit within the following broad themes.

• digital knowledge and culture
• digital politics and government
• education, wellbeing and digital life
• ethics and philosophy of information
• information geography and inequality
• digital policy and online security
• economics of information and the Internet
• online platforms and social networks.

Over the course of this three- to four-year programme (six to eight years for the part-time programme), students produce an important and original piece of scholarship that will make a significant contribution to the dynamic area of Internet research. OII DPhil graduates have the qualities and transferable skills necessary to excel in teaching, research, policymaking or business.

Doctoral students at the OII address research questions from across a spectrum of disciplines. OII DPhil students anchor their research in disciplinary questions (in, for instance, politics or sociology), while also situating their research in broader social science theories and methods. OII faculty are international leaders in their research fields, and their teaching and supervision reflect their innovative research. The diverse cohorts of doctoral students complement the strength of the programme by providing a multidisciplinary peer network for students to engage in ideas, discussion and debate.

Assessment

All students will be initially admitted to the status of Probationer Research Student (PRS). Within a maximum of six terms as a full-time PRS student or eight terms as a part-time PRS student, you will be expected to apply for transfer of status from Probationer Research Student to DPhil status. This application is normally made by the fourth term for full-time students and by the sixth term for part-time students.

A successful transfer of status from PRS to DPhil status will require satisfactory completion of such lectures, seminars and classes (with a mark of 50 or higher) as the Graduate Studies Committee of the OII shall determine. Following successful transfer, students will need to apply for and gain confirmation of DPhil status to show that the work continues to be on track. This will need to be completed within nine terms of admission for full-time students and twelve terms of admission for part-time students.

Both milestones involve an interview with two assessors (other than your supervisor).

Graduate destinations

Employers recognise the value of a degree from the University of Oxford, and the OII's doctoral students regularly go on to secure excellent positions in academia, industry, government, and NGOs.

Alumni who have pursued academic careers have taken up research and teaching positions at the University of Oxford, Cornell University, University of Hong Kong, Imperial College London, Durham University, University of New South Wales, Coventry University, University of Leicester, University of Ottawa, and Michigan State University. OII DPhil alumni also work in wide-range of organizations including The World Bank, Oxfam, Cisco, McKinsey and Google.