Graduate Admissions
Research Courses
In Earth Sciences, we offer two postgraduate research programmes. These are the DPhil in Earth Sciences, our doctoral qualification which involves carrying out a significant piece of research and typically takes between three and four years to complete. The other is the Masters by Research in Earth Sciences, MSc(Res), which is typically completed over two to three years. We also host students funded by UKRI doctoral awards; these involve a period of programme specific training under the guidance of the relevant DTC programme prior to transfer to the Department where your DPhil research will be completed.
Further information on each programme is given via the links below.
If you are interested in doctoral-level study, we strongly encourage you to consider applying to the DPhil in Earth Sciences in addition to your Intelligent Earth/ILESLA DTC application (you will need to apply separately to each course).
More information about applying, including answers to frequently asked questions, can be found via the main University website.
Apply
General information on graduate admissions for the University of Oxford can be found on the main University website, and course-specific requirements can be found on the individual course pages linked below.
Please note, we do not offer a taught masters course.
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Projects and Supervisors
A list of projects proposed by supervisors can be found on our Projects page.
Applicants can also devise projects of their own in consultation with potential supervisors. You must identify at least one potential supervisor in Earth Sciences, and state their name in the ‘proposed supervisor’ field on your application form.
We strongly recommend that you contact the primary project supervisor or a potential supervisor to discuss your project prior to application. This is essential if you are not applying to a listed project. A list of faculty and their contact details can be found on our People pages.
For those applying for direct entry, via the DPhil in Earth Sciences or the Masters by Research, must identify a potential supervisor on their application or it will not be considered.
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Upcoming Events
Visit Us
Prospective graduate students are welcome to visit the Department prior to making their application, or after an offer has been received. We recommend arranging this with your intended supervisor if possible. You are also welcome to contact graduate.studies@earth.ox.ac.uk or outreach@earth.ox.ac.uk to discuss a suitable date to visit.
A virtual tour of the Department is available on the University of Oxford website.
The Department also hosts a number of Open Days each year. These are mainly targeted at prospective undergraduate students, but prospective graduate students are equally welcome. A number of postgraduate student ambassadors and faculty members are available during these days to discuss the various aspects of graduate study in the Earth sciences.
Funding
Funding for our postgraduate courses for both home and international students may come from a variety of sources, including UKRI scholarships, University scholarships, industry-funded scholarships and self-funding.
More information on funding, scholarships and bursaries, living costs and other financial considerations can be found on the relevant University of Oxford webpages. These give details on Oxford scholarship opportunities, College scholarships and external funding. We encourage you to explore all your options before making an application.
Please note that funding deadlines for scholarships and DTCs are sooner than the Department’s course deadlines. If you are looking to seek funding to support for your study please apply by the January deadline at the latest.
Applications to the DPhil in Earth Sciences and MSc by Research in Earth Sciences will automatically be considered for the majority of Oxford Scholarships, if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by the January application deadline.
If you are self-funded, or have funding from an external sponsor, you may be able to apply later, but please check the individual course pages regularly as deadlines and notifications of closure of application windows will be posted there.
Some projects have attached funding, often from an external party or existing grant; this will be noted on the individual project’s page, as will any project-specific admissions requirements.
Major Scholarships for Earth Scientists
This unique scheme offers around 130 new, fully-funded scholarships each year to academically outstanding graduate students across the University, as well as providing a lively and stimulating community of scholars. The Clarendon scholarships are open to all outstanding graduates, irrespective of nationality.
Further information about the Clarendon fund can be found on the University website.
The Oxford-Radcliffe Graduate Scholarships are unique to University College, and all eligible applicants will be considered for the scholarship, regardless of which college (if any) they state as a preference on the graduate application form. However, successful applicants will be transferred to University College in order to take up the scholarship. The Oxford-Radcliffe scholarship offered by Earth Sciences is typically only open to those eligible for home fees.
Further information about the Oxford-Radcliffe Graduate Scholarship can be found on the University website.
Academic Futures is a series of scholarship programmes that will address under-representation and help improve equality, diversity and inclusion in the University’s graduate student body.
Further information about the Academic Futures Scholarships can be found on the University website.
Other Information
FAQs
You may submit applications for multiple courses, and we recommend making a direct application to the Department alongside your application to ILESLA or Intelligent Earth, if appropriate. If you are unsure which course to apply for, it may be appropriate to apply to more than one. Please contact the Academic Office with any queries about multiple applications.
Full details on how to apply to one of our graduate courses can be found on the Applying to Oxford page on the University website.
If you wish to be considered for funding, most University administered scholarships require applicants to apply by the January deadline, but you should check the University’s Fees and Funding webpages to see if there is an earlier or later deadline for the funding you are applying for.
If you are self-funded or have funding from an external sponsor you may be able to apply later, but please check the individual course pages regularly as deadlines and notifications of closure of application windows will be posted there.
Each programme of study will have its own entry requirements and you should check the individual course pages on the University website for the programme to which you are applying.
See the application guide for results required.
Yes. You do not need to provide language test scores when you submit your application.
If you need to demonstrate your English language proficiency (according to the criteria in the application guide), you will have to provide evidence that you meet the English language requirement for your course if you are offered a place. Further details are in the application guide.
A transcript is a detailed record of higher education including programmes of study taken and standards achieved. Please submit all higher education transcripts as part of your application; if you are offered a place you will normally be required to submit an official transcript showing your final results before your offer can be confirmed and you are able to be enrolled.
More information about the transcript requirement is available in the application guide.
Completion of a previous degree (often to a specified standard) is a common condition of acceptance. Your educational institution should be able to provide an interim transcript which you can submit as part of your application.
As part of your application you will be asked to provide a research proposal which should be one to two pages in length. Your research proposal will be assessed for:
- the feasibility of successfully completing the project in the time available for the course (a maximum of four years)
- commitment to the subject, beyond the requirements of the degree course
- preliminary knowledge of research techniques
- capacity for sustained and intense work
- reasoning ability
- the ability to absorb new ideas, often presented abstractly, at a rapid pace.
Your research proposal should focus on your research interests and experience rather than personal achievements, interests and aspirations.
If you are applying for one of our advertised projects your proposal should outline how you would approach the project and carry out the research.
You may re-apply to a course you have applied to in a previous admissions year, but only once to any particular course in the same admissions year.
The only exception is that it may be possible to apply more than once to a research course (eg DPhil courses), if the applications involve significantly different research proposals and receive authorisation from the Department. Contact the Academic Administration Team at graduate.studies@earth.ox.ac.uk with your applicant number and second research proposal to request permission to submit a second application to the DPhil in Earth Sciences.
If the Department confirms that you can apply again, you must submit a separate application with all required supporting documents and references, and pay an application fee for the second application.
The University’s online application system does not permit an applicant to apply twice for the same course. Therefore, if the Department authorises a second application, it will inform Graduate Admissions and a link will be sent to you via email which enables you to create this new application.
If your application is unsuccessful in the current admissions cycle, you are welcome to apply again to the same course in the next admissions cycle (for study in the following academic year).
Please contact the Academic Administration Team at graduate.studies@earth.ox.ac.uk.
