Defence Studies Research PhD

Overview

The Defence Studies Departments unique position as an academic department based at the UKs Defence Academy in Oxfordshire heavily influences its research. Sitting at the heart of security and defence education in the United Kingdom, it can draw on the experiences and knowledge of not only UK military officers and civil servants, but officers from a wide range of allied nations. The Departments research is therefore able to benefit from and influence defence thinking and policymaking not just in the UK, but across the world.

Research in the Department is reflective of the diverse interests of our staff members and postgraduate community. It covers military, naval, diplomatic and imperial history, international relations, defence and regional security studies, strategic studies, and the ethics of conflict. This wide range of topics is united by their relation and relevance to contemporary security and defence issues. Researchers from the Department have played an important role in past UK security and defence reviews and continue to influence future reviews. Staff members are regularly consulted by national and international media on contemporary and past events, and they are actively engaged in public engagement with the heritage sector. Research projects in the Department have been supported by a variety of funding bodies, including the Leverhulme Trust, the British Academy, the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC), the MacArthur Foundation, the British Council, the European Commission, the US Army War College, the UK Ministry of Defence, and the US Department of Defense.

Since 2011, the Department has run its own postgraduate research programme. We attract studentships from a variety of sources, including the ESRC and the AHRC. Nearly 120 students are currently undertaking doctoral research in the Department. Every year, approximately 30 students join our MPhil/PhD programme.

The Department is especially interested in receiving applications from students planning research projects in fields that enhance the strength of the Departments research groups and centres. Details of these can be found on the Defence Studies website, as well as a full list of staff and their research interests. The Department assumes that research students will normally be attached to one or more of these groups and centres, which in all cases will enhance research culture and be consistent with Defence Studies research strategy.

Course Detail

Defence Studies Research MPhil/PhD candidates join a thriving interdisciplinary research community, connecting with world-leading scholars and practitioners. Postgraduate students will work with at least one supervisor from within the Defence Studies Department and at least one other supervisor either from the Department or elsewhere in the College. The Department has a close relationship with the Department of War Studies, often working closely in MPhil/PhD supervision. For a full staff list and their research interests please access the Department of War Studies website.

During the first year of study, it is College policy that both full and part time students will have their progress reviewed within 3 months of initial registration and again after a period of nine months registration. Thereafter, the progress of all students will be reviewed at every six months.

Master's degree with high merit, and a 2:1 honours degree at the bachelor's level. It is highly desirable (but not essential) to have taken courses in this field at postgraduate level before undertaking research work in the Defence Studies Department. Extensive practical experience in a relevant field (eg military, diplomatic, humanitarian or developmental) may be taken into account when evaluating an application.