Course summary

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2022). For complete and up-to-date information about this course, please visit the relevant University of Oxford course page via www.graduate.ox.ac.uk/ucas. The DPhil in Theoretical Physics is a research-based course of three to four years in duration. Students working towards their DPhil in Theoretical Physics can choose from topics ranging from astrophysics and plasma physics to condensed matter theory to particle theory and we collaborate with experimentalists in other sub-departments and worldwide. There are also theoretical projects available in other sub-departments. You will be assigned to a research group: work on your original research project will start immediately and continue for the duration of your DPhil. Your research project will be your main focus throughout your DPhil, but to increase your basic and specialist physics knowledge you will be required to attend lectures and courses in your first year. This includes courses from the MMathPhys programme, as well as the seminars and colloquia that are regularly held in the department. During your Dphil you are encouraged to attend conferences and summer schools inside or outside the UK and the department supports such attendance financially. Supervision The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Department of Physics 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 Physics. The frequency of student supervisor meetings varies depending on the nature of the project; students should expect to interact with supervisors regularly, eg weekly or, in some cases, monthly. You are welcome to contact potential supervisors for further information. Assessment At the end of the first year you are expected to submit a report on your research and to defend it in an interview with the Graduate Studies Panel and a specialist reader. The panel will determine whether you can transfer status from Probationer Research Student (PRS) status to DPhil student status. You will be expected to submit a substantial original thesis after three or, at most, four years from the date of admission. To be successfully awarded a DPhil you will need to defend your thesis orally (viva voce) in front of two appointed examiners.