Course summary

The information provided on this page was correct at the time of publication (November 2023). 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 Population Health is a doctoral research programme intended to provide you with training in research, an in-depth knowledge and understanding of your doctoral research topic and will prepare you for a career in academia. Research training will primarily be through day-to-day involvement in a research project and working with a research team. Research projects that students have worked on include ‘Can routinely collected data be used to accurately and completely follow-up participants in large randomised trials?’ and ‘Biological Ageing: Statistical analysis of physical and biochemical biomarkers in UK Biobank’. A typical day of a DPhil student varies through the course but will include literature reviews, data analysis, discussion with the research group and writing-up the research thesis. Your supervisors will be the main source of your research training; you will also be encouraged to strengthen your research skills by taking relevant training courses. Research training will be within a multidisciplinary research environment which includes epidemiology, statistics, ethics, health economics, health promotion, health services research, and big data. You will be encouraged to make use of the range of skills training offered by the Medical Sciences Division and the department throughout your study at the Nuffield Department of Population Health (NDPH). All students will be asked to complete a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) in the first term of your studies, which will be used to help students to assess their skill level and identify training required. There is no set period of time that should be used for training – students will be able to pursue the training they need. This training includes statistics, epidemiology, data management, research ethics, writing academic papers and presentation skills. You are also expected to identify additional relevant external courses that will support your research training. Further information about part-time study A small number of part-time students may be admitted to the DPhil in Population Health. Candidates applying for admission to this part-time course are required to show that their DPhil research topic is suited to part-time study and the supervisors agree with the part-time schedule. The in-residence attendance requirement will be a minimum of 30 days University-based work per year. This will be spread across the academic year with a minimum of ten days based in the department each term. However, attendance is likely to be higher and will be determined by the demands of the individual DPhil research project. As a part-time student you will be required to attend supervision meetings and other obligations in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year. There will be limited flexibility in the dates of attendance, which will be determined by mutual agreement with your supervisor. You will have the opportunity to tailor your part-time study in liaison with your supervisor and agree your pattern of attendance.