The DPhil in International Relations is a full-time, three-year course of doctoral study which is intended for students who would like to undertake detailed research in preparation for an academic career. You must be prepared to work on your own a good deal, and will need considerable personal motivation. You are required to have a good general knowledge of the field within which your research falls and of the methods appropriate to the study of this field. Candidates for the DPhil are normally admitted with Probationer Research Student (PRS) status. As a PRS, you will develop your research proposal and skills, and produce a draft section or sections of the thesis, in order to apply for the Transfer of Status that will end your probationary period as a research student. The department will prepare you for an academic career in the field, either in Oxford or elsewhere, but also celebrates the substantial number of MPhil graduates working in government, in diplomatic services, and in senior positions in the private sector.