About the course

The DPhil in Computer Science is an advanced research degree, awarded for significant (new) contribution to the existing body of knowledge in the field of computer science. You will work with world-class experts in their field. The DPhil normally takes three to four years of full-time study to complete.

The DPhil in Computer Science will introduce you to cutting edge research whilst studying in a beautiful, historic setting that is both student- and family-friendly. Supervision is available via the department's research themes together with cross-disciplinary research in areas such as linguistics, biology, medicine, quantum foundations and quantum computation.

The course combines individual supervision with a selection of lecture courses, transferable skills training and opportunities to participate in leading-edge research activities. The department recruits students from Oxford’s high-quality undergraduate and masters’ degrees, as well as nationally and internationally.

During your study at Oxford, the department hopes to share with you some of the excitement about the topics the department investigates, and of the understanding the department has gained from research into basic theory and by industrial collaboration. You will also be offered transferable skills training and are required to give presentations to your research groups.

Assessment

During your first year you are expected to complete three pieces of assessed work. One piece comes from attendance at a taught course and taking the examination. A further piece of assessed work has to be a paper written during the course of one term, which may be publishable. The final piece can be from another taught course or a specially designed reading course, or you are also able to take three skills training courses and the three of these will count as one piece of assessed work.

The work is assessed either by the supervisor or the examiner for a taught course. You are also expected to complete a literature review which should survey the state of the art in your chosen area. It should explain the background of the proposed research, the results that have been obtained by other researchers, and the conclusions that may be drawn. You are expected to give a clear and coherent account, demonstrating competence in organising ideas and presenting them in a scholarly manner.

Graduate destinations

A good proportion of our DPhil students pursue a career in academia moving on to becoming post-doctoral researchers, and subsequently to university lecturers and professors. Many others join industry or build startups.