Frequently Asked Questions

DPhil is the Oxford equivalent of a PhD. Both ‘PhD’ and ‘DPhil’ are abbreviations for ‘Doctor of Philosophy’.

Students receive a year of cohort specialist based training in the first year in a CDT, before they start their DPhil, so the duration is four years instead of three years.

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 

The above qualification should be achieved in one of the following subject areas of disciplines:

• Mathematics
• Statistics
• Engineering Science
• Computer Science; or
• A science subject which equips you with demonstrable quantitative skills.

A master's qualification (either in integrated master's degree or standalone) in one of the above subjects is preferred but not required.

Most students will choose a supervisor and research area at the end of their first year, after completing two research placements. However, we are able to offer some industry- and partner-linked studentships, which are linked to a specific research project and supervisor. If you would like to express your interest in any of these projects, you should quote the Project ID in the ‘Proposed field and title of research project’ section on the application form.

The CDT has forged partnerships with some of the colleges in the University, who very kindly reserve spaces for students in the programme. These include Reuben College, Kellogg College and Brasenose College, so you may like to consider listing one of these colleges on your application form.

As part of your graduate application you will be asked to register the contact details of three referees. For your application to be considered ready for assessment, you will need to have at least two references submitted in time for the deadline. You are still encouraged to obtain a third reference as early as possible, so that it can be taken into consideration when your application is assessed.

Your references should usually be academic, but including one professional reference (eg from industry) is also acceptable.

Applications to the programme will be evaluated in batches, to coincide with the University's application deadlines.

Applications received by the December deadline will be evaluated all together, shortly after the deadline, and considered for our first round of interviews. Applications received within the Open Field will be considered if places remain available.

Interviews are held as part of the HDS CDT admissions process, and these will normally occur online. For applications received before the December deadline, interviews will generally be held in January. Additional interviews may be considered later in the year if places remain available.

Interviews lasts for approximately 30 minutes and the panel will include members of the CDT Directorate. This will usually take place online.

If shortlisted for interview, you will be asked about yourself, your previous experience and your motivations for doctoral study and research at the interface between machine learning and data driven research in health and healthcare.

There will also be a series of technical to assess your readiness to study, specifically your foundational mathematical, statistical and computational skills. There will also be the opportunity for you to ask questions.

Offers are made throughout the year, typically a few weeks after each round of interviews.