Environmental Research (NERC Doctoral Training Partnership)
About the course
The NERC-Oxford DTP in Environmental Research is a four-year DPhil programme which offers a novel training environment across three broad science streams.
Researchers in the DTP work across disciplines and at the cutting edge of environmental research, to advance knowledge and find solutions to pressing environmental challenges in collaboration with outside partners. You will carry out your research project in one of eight departments after an initial training period. The three streams of the NERC-Oxford DTP are as follows:
Biodiversity, ecology and evolutionary processes
Research in this theme in Oxford spans pure to applied science, linked by an overarching aim to understand the generation, maintenance and loss of biological diversity from the gene to the species, and the structure, function and dynamics of ecosystems at a variety of spatial and temporal scales.
Pure aspects of research include unravelling biotic and abiotic interactions between the atmosphere and biosphere, and their role in the Earth System; the effect of the environment on evolutionary processes at all levels from genes and genomes to populations; the use of experimental, macroecological and phylogenetic approaches to understand the biology and distribution of species; the quantification of evolutionary patterns and the assembly of modern biodiversity by integrating fossil and genetic datasets; and understanding carbon and other biogeochemical cycles.
Information generated by research in these areas provides the critical foundation to address many of the global challenges facing humanity today from climate change and biodiversity loss, to food security, to pest and pathogen outbreaks.
Physical climate system
Oxford researchers are advancing the understanding of the climate system behaviour across the full breadth of atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere and biosphere. This includes atmospheric dynamics from weather to seasonal prediction to climate; atmospheric composition, clouds and aerosols; the physics and biogeochemical coupling of the oceans; and studies of past climates and the effects of biosphere change on climate.
Oxford has new strengths in cryosphere and Arctic research and our researchers are established in such areas as the effects of anthropogenic climate change on the physical climate system and biogeochemical processes, while also leading the way in innovative citizen science, from climateprediction.net which uses a distributed network of volunteer computers to provide very large ensembles of climate model simulations, to rapid disaster response.
Dynamic Earth, surface processes and natural hazards
Within this stream investigators are developing new analytical, theoretical and experimental approaches to image, simulate and understand Earth’s internal structure; and advancing understanding of the fundamental processes that underpin the behaviour of earthquakes, volcanoes and their impacts on timescales from the human, to the geological.
The DTP is developing new approaches in the field of climate adaptation, the management of climate-related risks to infrastructure, and redefining relationships between Earth surface processes and climate in desert and wider dryland regions. Oxford researchers continue to develop and apply new ways to investigate deep Earth and Earth-surface processes from the formation of the Earth to human history through experiment, analysis and theory.
During the first two terms, you will have access to a training programme during which you will have the opportunity to develop your research skills and acquire an understanding of how researchers in other disciplines operate, while also writing your own research proposal in collaboration with your supervisor(s) and in many cases an external partner. You will be recruited to a research stream, and in some cases to a pre-determined project (eg with an industrial CASE partner). You will begin your course based with the DTP.
You will be offered training in 'hard' skills such as scientific computing, statistics and numerical modelling, as well as being offered a broad-brush understanding of the Earth system across all disciplines of the DTP. There will also be course modules in softer transferable skills such as project design, proposal writing, communication and problem solving to underpin the exploration of research methodologies.
Elective training will continue throughout the degree and you will be able to select from a portfolio of advanced training courses to create your own tailored training programme. Later in the course, modules will include thesis writing and paper writing. You will remain a member of the DTP even after transferring out to a department in term three.
Supervision
The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Doctoral Training Partnership 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 Doctoral Training Partnership. The DTP requires students to have at least two supervisors to ensure a good level of support both pastorally and academically.
For some projects it may be beneficial to seek supervision across two or more departments to support different aspects of the project.
Departments have differing guidelines on how often students meet with their supervisors (this will probably vary through the project, and may also depend on the area of research), and we recommend that students establish a routine at an early stage in their project development.
Assessment
Your work will be informally assessed on the training modules throughout your degree and you will need to attain a certain number of attendance and submission credits before you begin your research project, and each year thereafter.
You will carry out your DPhil project in one of our departments and will gain your DPhil from the department in which you carry out your research project. You will follow the same milestones and assessments as a standard DPhil, so you will have Probationer Research Student (PRS) status until you confirm your status as a DPhil student by term six. By term nine you will confirm status and you will submit your thesis for assessment by the end of term 12. The eight departments of the DTP are as follows:
- Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art
- Department of Physics (sub-department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics)
- Department of Earth Sciences
- School of Geography and the Environment
- Department of Biology
- Mathematical Institute
- Department of Chemistry
- Department of Engineering Science.
Graduate destinations
You should be equipped with a wide range of skills that you will need whether you wish to pursue a career in research, government or the private sector.
Changes to this course and your supervision
The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made in circumstances of a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.
Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.
For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.
Entry requirements for entry in 2024-25
Proven and potential academic excellence
The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our interactive tool to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.
Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying.
Degree-level qualifications
As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:
- a first-class or upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours.
The qualification above should be achieved in one of the following subject areas or disciplines:
- archaeology
- biology
- botany
- chemistry
- computing
- earth sciences
- ecology
- environment sciences
- engineering
- geography
- geology
- geophysics
- mathematics
- meteorology
- oceanography
- physics
- statistics; or
- zoology.
Although it is not required to have a master’s degree, in practice most applicants with a ‘physical science’ background will have completed a four-year integrated master's course.
For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.5 out of 4.0.
If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.
GRE General Test scores
No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.
Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience
- Professional experience, especially research experience, is valuable and will be taken into consideration as a substitute for an academic qualification.
- Publications are not expected, but should be included if present.
English language proficiency
This course requires proficiency in English at the University's higher level. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are detailed in the table below.
| Test | Minimum overall score | Minimum score per component |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic (Institution code: 0713) | 7.5 | 7.0 |
TOEFL iBT, including the 'Home Edition' (Institution code: 0490) | 110 | Listening: 22 Reading: 24 Speaking: 25 Writing: 24 |
| C1 Advanced* | 191 | 185 |
| C2 Proficiency† | 191 | 185 |
*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE)
†Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)
Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides further information about the English language test requirement.
Declaring extenuating circumstances
If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.
References
You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.
Supporting documents
You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The How to apply section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.
Performance at interview
Interviews are normally held as part of the admissions process.
Interviews are usually held remotely and are between 20 and 30 minutes in length. The interview takes the form of a conversation, no presentation or test will form part of the interview but it is likely to include discussions of your research interests and a quantitative question. The DTP are able to interview a maximum of three candidates per place, and candidates are short-listed as follows: each application is assessed by three separate assessors, scored against agreed criteria, and then banded. Factors such as socio-economic data are taken into account when banding applications. The top banded applications are compiled into a short-list by the DTP management committee. Interviews are normally held approximately one month after the final application deadline. Candidates invited for interview will be offered a pre-interview briefing session with guidance and the opportunity to ask questions.
How your application is assessed
Your application will be assessed purely on your proven and potential academic excellence and other entry requirements described under that heading.
References and supporting documents submitted as part of your application, and your performance at interview (if interviews are held) will be considered as part of the assessment process. Whether or not you have secured funding will not be taken into consideration when your application is assessed.
An overview of the shortlisting and selection process is provided below. Our 'After you apply' pages provide more information about how applications are assessed.
Shortlisting and selection
Students are considered for shortlisting and selected for admission without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, sexual orientation, as well as other relevant circumstances including parental or caring responsibilities or social background. However, please note the following:
- socio-economic information may be taken into account in the selection of applicants and award of scholarships for courses that are part of the University’s pilot selection procedure and for scholarships aimed at under-represented groups;
- country of ordinary residence may be taken into account in the awarding of certain scholarships; and
- protected characteristics may be taken into account during shortlisting for interview or the award of scholarships where the University has approved a positive action case under the Equality Act 2010.
Initiatives to improve access to graduate study
This course is taking part in a continuing pilot programme to improve the selection procedure for graduate applications, in order to ensure that all candidates are evaluated fairly.
For this course, socio-economic data (where it has been provided in the application form) will be used to contextualise applications at the different stages of the selection process. Further information about how we use your socio-economic data can be found in our page about initiatives to improve access to graduate study.
If you wish, you may submit an additional contextual statement (using the instructions in the How to apply section of this page) to provide further information on your socio-economic background or personal circumstances in support of your application. Further information about how your contextual statement will be used can be found in our page about initiatives to improve access to graduate study.
Once submitted, applications will be anonymised to minimise conscious and unconscious bias. Please carefully read the instructions for completing your application in the How to apply section of this page. Further information about why we are anonymising applications can be found in our page about initiatives to improve access to graduate study.
Information on ethnicity will be used subsequent to academic shortlisting. Candidates who identify as Black British will be shortlisted for interview, provided that they meet the eligibility criteria shown in our page about initiatives to improve access to graduate study.
This is also one of the courses participating in the Academic Futures programme, including the Black Academic Futures programme. Applicants who are offered a place on this course and meet the eligibility criteria will subsequently be considered for funding through the Academic Futures programme.
Processing your data for shortlisting and selection
Information about processing special category data for the purposes of positive action and using your data to assess your eligibility for funding, can be found in our Postgraduate Applicant Privacy Policy.
Admissions panels and assessors
All recommendations to admit a student involve the judgement of at least two members of the academic staff with relevant experience and expertise, and must also be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies or Admissions Committee (or equivalent within the department).
Admissions panels or committees will always include at least one member of academic staff who has undertaken appropriate training.
Other factors governing whether places can be offered
The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:
- the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the About section of this page;
- the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
- minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.
Offer conditions for successful applications
If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our 'After you apply' pages provide more information about offers and conditions.
In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:
Financial Declaration
If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a Financial Declaration in order to meet your financial condition of admission.
Disclosure of criminal convictions
In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any relevant, unspent criminal convictions before you can take up a place at Oxford.
Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)
Some postgraduate research students in science, engineering and technology subjects will need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate prior to applying for a Student visa (under the Student Route). For some courses, the requirement to apply for an ATAS certificate may depend on your research area.
Resources
During the initial training period, you will be trained as a cohort, with training streamed where appropriate to ability. Training may take place in a number of locations across the university, or remotely where social distancing limits our ability to deliver face-to-face training, and students will often work together on problem sets, or in groups, with the support of student demonstrators. If the training offered by the DTP to the whole cohort is not suitable for you, you will be able to source alternative training more suited to your needs. Where needed, students will have access to a DTP laptop for the first year of the course and thereafter computing requirements are met by the department.
When you move out to your department you will also have access to the facilities provided by that department. You will remain a member of the DTP and be able to return to the DTP headquarters, based within the Doctoral Training Centre, on Keble Road, to use the facilities there.
You will have access to seminars in all eight departments as well as across the wider university. In addition to the training modules offered by the DTP, you will be able to sign up for training courses and modules offered by departments across the university via the University's Researcher Training Tool.
MPLS Doctoral Training Centre
The MPLS Doctoral Training Centre hosts a number of interdisciplinary centres for doctoral training, established with funding from the following UK Research Councils: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).
Doctoral training programmes are four year courses providing structured training and research experience in the first year, and a research project leading to a DPhil in subsequent years. The programmes are supported through links with industrial and other partners, and personal and professional development is provided within a cohort. Funding covering fees and living costs is available for the following programmes below. Applications are welcome from prospective graduate students from all over the world.
All candidates are strongly advised to contact the department in which they wish to study before applying, and to check the department’s admissions webpages for studentship application deadlines.
Funding
The University expects to be able to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across the collegiate University in 2024-25. You will be automatically considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships, if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by the relevant December or January deadline. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential.
For further details about searching for funding as a graduate student visit our dedicated Funding pages, which contain information about how to apply for Oxford scholarships requiring an additional application, details of external funding, loan schemes and other funding sources.
Please ensure that you visit individual college websites for details of any college-specific funding opportunities using the links provided on our college pages or below:
Please note that not all the colleges listed above may accept students on this course. For details of those which do, please refer to the College preference section of this page.
Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the department's website.
Costs
Annual fees for entry in 2024-25
Fee status | Annual Course fees |
| Home | £9,500 |
| Overseas | £31,480 |
Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.
Information about course fees
Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges.
Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.
Continuation charges
Following the period of fee liability, you may also be required to pay a University continuation charge and a college continuation charge. The University and college continuation charges are shown on the Continuation charges page.
Where can I find further information about fees?
The Fees and Funding section of this website provides further information about course fees, including information about fee status and eligibility and your length of fee liability.
Additional information
NERC studentships come with an additional research training support grant (RTSG) to cover costs of associated fieldwork, laboratory and equipment. Individual research projects come with variable research costs and students will need to discuss these with their supervisor and plan a budget for their project. In some cases students may need to apply for additional funding, either from the RTSG or from college or other sources. Students should always involve their supervisor with such funding requests.
Living costs
In addition to your course fees, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.
For the 2024-25 academic year, the range of likely living costs for full-time study is between c. £1,345 and £1,955 for each month spent in Oxford. Full information, including a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs, is available on our living costs page. The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. When planning your finances for any future years of study in Oxford beyond 2024-25, it is suggested that you allow for potential increases in living expenses of around 5% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. UK inflationary increases will be kept under review and this page updated.
College preference
Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs).
If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief introduction to the college system at Oxford and our advice about expressing a college preference. For some courses, the department may have provided some additional advice below to help you decide.
The following colleges accept students on the Environmental Research Doctoral Training Programme:
Before you apply
Our guide to getting started provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. You can use our interactive tool to help you evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive.
If it's important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under a December or January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance. Check the deadlines on this page and the information about deadlines in our Application Guide.
Application fee waivers
An application fee of £75 is payable per course application. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:
- applicants from low-income countries;
- refugees and displaced persons;
- UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and
- applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.
You are encouraged to check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver before you apply.
Readmission for current Oxford graduate taught students
If you're currently studying for an Oxford graduate taught course and apply to this course with no break in your studies, you may be eligible to apply to this course as a readmission applicant. The application fee will be waived for an eligible application of this type. Check whether you're eligible to apply for readmission.
Application fee waivers for eligible associated courses
If you apply to this course and up to two eligible associated courses from our predefined list during the same cycle, you can request an application fee waiver so that you only need to pay one application fee.
The list of eligible associated courses may be updated as new courses are opened. Please check the list regularly, especially if you are applying to a course that has recently opened to accept applications.
Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?
Prior to applying, you are encouraged to communicate with academics working in your area of interest to discuss potential research topics and the possibility of being offered supervision. Profiles of academics with whom you might wish to study can be found on the DTP website.
If applying to a CASE project, please be sure to include this information on your application form along with the name of the supervisor. In either case, it can be highly beneficial to have contacted potential supervisors to discuss your interests and experience before you submit your application.
Completing your application
You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents.
For this course, the application form will include questions that collect information that would usually be included in a CV/résumé. You should not upload a separate document. If a separate CV/résumé is uploaded, it will be removed from your application.
If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.
Proposed field and title of research project
If applying for a CASE project please enter the project title in the 'Proposed field and title of research project' field.
If you are not applying for a CASE project, you do not have to specify a research project at this stage. Instead you should indicate your preferred Research Stream under 'Proposed field and title of research project'. If there are pre-defined projects or topic areas of interest to you, you can indicate this in your personal statement. You retain the right to change your research stream up to the point where you submit your research proposal in the second term, so this selection is not binding at application stage.
Proposed supervisor
Referees:
Three overall, academic preferred. Referees should anonymise their references.
Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.
One professional reference can be accepted if you have relevant work experience, but academic references are preferred.
Your references will support proven and potential academic excellence in terms of intellectual ability, academic achievement, motivation, communication skills and ability to work in a group.
We are requesting that referees anonymise their references with respect to name, ethnicity and gender as one of the actions we are taking as part of a pilot aimed at minimising conscious and unconscious bias in the admissions procedure for graduate students. Please ensure any referees you approach are aware of this requirement.
Official transcript(s)
Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.
More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.
Contextual statement
If you wish to provide a contextual statement with your application, you may also submit an additional statement to provide contextual information on your socio-economic background or personal circumstances in support of your application.
It is not necessary to anonymise this document, as we recognise that it may be necessary for you to disclose certain information in your statement. This statement will not be used as part of the initial academic assessment of applications at shortlisting, but may be used in combination with socio-economic data to provide contextual information during decision-making processes.
Please note, this statement is in addition to completing the 'Extenuating circumstances’ section of the standard application form.
You can find more information about the contextual statement on our page that provides details of the continuing pilot programme to improve the assessment procedure for graduate applications.
Statement of purpose
A maximum of 500 words
Please provide a statement of purpose, in English, describing how your background and research interests relate to the programme, following the template below. The statement should focus primarily on academic, research or employment-related achievements and interests rather than personal interests.
Please ensure your statement of purpose is anonymised with respect to your name, ethnicity and gender. Anonymisation of application forms is one of the actions we are taking as part of a pilot aimed at minimising conscious and unconscious bias in the admissions procedure for graduate students.
If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.
Briefly explain your motivation for undertaking doctoral study, including at least one specific example of how you have prepared yourself for doctoral study that illustrates your commitment and motivation.
Summarise your previous achievements and experience, including information on any research you have conducted, relevant employment or work experience (if any), and any activities or experience that illustrate your communication skills, team skills or personal strengths.
If you are applying for entry to the Environmental Research DTP without a pre-defined research project and supervisory team, you should describe your current research interests and identify any potential supervisors or groups you are particularly interested in working with, explaining which aspects of their work most interest you.
If you are applying to undertake a specific project advertised by the Environmental Research DTP with a named supervisory team, please explain your motivation for applying to undertake this project.
Explain your motivation for applying to this doctoral programme and why you are a suitable candidate for the programme (and where relevant the specific project you are applying to).
Please tell us about any obstacles you have overcome during your education and career to date, for example, if you have had caring responsibilities, have had to work your way through your undergraduate degree, or other factors which may have limited or removed your ability to take up research or volunteering opportunities.
Your statement of purpose will be assessed for:
- your reasons for applying
- evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study
- the ability to present a reasoned case in English
- preliminary knowledge of research techniques
- understanding of problems in the area and ability to construct and defend an argument.
Start or continue your application
You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please refer to the requirements above and consult our Application Guide for advice. You'll find the answers to most common queries in our FAQs.