Information for Student Applicants - Criminology

Thinking about a doctorate (DPhil) in the Centre for Criminology

DPhil in Criminology Admissions Site

The Centre is keen to attract high quality candidates from all over the world to study for a doctorate in criminology.

Studying for a doctorate is a big commitment, not to be taken lightly. In deciding where to apply to study, several factors are in play: the city where you will live, the institutional environment in which you will be studying, and the supervisor with whom you will work. All these factors matter, but finding a supervisor with the research expertise to support your work is crucial.

For this reason, the Centre welcomes informal enquires from interested students prior to application to our DPhil programme. The person you contact will not be able to assist you with the proposal, but they will be able to advise you on whether they are, in principle, able to supervise your proposed project

Below you will find a list of Centre staff and an indication of the fields and topics on which they are able, or are keen, to offer supervision.

Mary Bosworth supervises students in the fields of border criminology and punishment and society. She is particularly interested in working with students who wish to conduct research on immigration detention and deportation, or on the criminalisation of asylum and to work with those interested in using creative research methodologies.

Rachel Condry  supervises students working on topics broadly within the fields of crime, justice and the family, and youth justice. She is particularly keen to work with students who wish to conduct research on families of prisoners and the impact of punishment on families, filial violence and parricide, motherhood, and state responses to young people in conflict with the law. She would especially welcome applications from those interested in using critical theories, creative methodologies, and in global contexts. 

Carolyn Hoyle supervises students in the fields of capital punishment, victims and victimisation, and wrongful convictions. She is particularly interested in work with students who wish to conduct empirical and/or theoretical research on the death penalty––its retention, administration and effects––in any country, though with a particular interest in Africa and Asia.

Ian Loader supervises students in the sociology of policing (broadly understood). He is particularly keen to work with students who wish to conduct research on every day in/securities, the politics of crime and justice, and criminology and (the harms of) automobility.

Katrin Mueller-Johnson supervises students in the intersection of psychology, criminology and the law;  victimology, vicarious trauma, legal decision-making, and sexual offences, as well as evidence-based policing. She is particularly interested in working with students who wish to study cyber-victimological topics, such as sextortion, image-based sexual abuse, cyber-bullying or financial fraud targeted at vulnerable populations.

Leila Ullrich works at the crossroads of international criminal justice, transitional justice, victimology, border criminology and counter-terrorism. She is particularly interested in working with students who wish to conduct research on international criminal justice, transitional justice, victimology and counter-terrorism, and especially with those who use critical theories, epistemologies and methodologies as they relate to gender, race, capitalism and/or coloniality.

Lucia Zedner’s research interests lie primarily in the fields of criminal law and criminal justice, penal theory, security, counter-terroism, immigration control, and citizenship. She is happy to supervise students working in all these areas.  

Please note: there are several important topics in criminology in which the Centre does not have the research expertise to offer supervision. These include: corporate and white-collar crime, cyber-crime and security, desistance, and organized crime.

• Partial Needs Based Funding information can be found on the Law Faculty Graduate Scholarships page.
• For general information about funding opportunities, please see the University’s Fees and Funding pages.

Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership (ESRC)

A small number of applicants can be nominated by the Centre for Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership studentships, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). These studentships cover both fees and maintenance.

DTP awards are open to both full or part-time, UK resident and international students, although only 30% of the awards may be given to international students. As a result, the Centre is very restricted in the nominations it can make for international students.

In order to be considered for nomination for a studentship, applicants must select ‘ESRC Grand Union DTP Studentships’ in the scholarships section of the application form. They must also complete a DTP Application Form and upload it, together with the graduate application form, by the funding deadline for the course.

Applicants should note that DTP studentship applications are assessed according to four criteria, namely academic record (as indicated on the University’s application form), proposal (as indicated on both application forms), personal statement, and impact. All carry equal weight in the process.

Further DTP studentships are offered which you maybe eligible for, the details can be found on this website ESRC Grand Union DTP Studentships.

MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Admissions Site

MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice information and 2024-25 Handbook 

The Centre is committed to increasing the portfolio of studentships available to all students to attract the best, irrespective of background or ability to pay. As part of this initiative, for entry in 2025-26, we are offering a limited number of needs-based Scholarships for applicants to the MSc. As with all applications to the programme, these will be assessed on the basis of academic merit, however their purpose is to address financial need.

• 1 x Full-or Part-time MSc OxCrim Home Scholarship to cover course fees (FT £20,230 / PT £10,115) and living costs (£17,000) for applicants with UK resident status (i.e. British students or EU nationals with ‘Settled status’ in the UK).
• 1 x Full-time MSc OxCrim International Scholarship to cover course fees only (£32,200) for international applicants.
• 1x Full-time Lincoln College-Kingsgate Scholarship for applicants with UK resident status (i.e. British students or EU nationals with ‘Settled status’ in the UK), to cover course fees plus some living costs.  Valued at £24,000 for 2025-2026.
• 1 x partial Full- or Part-time Wadham College-Kalisher Scholarship for applicants with UK resident status (i.e. British students or EU nationals with ‘Settled status’ in the UK), to partially cover course fees for those who plan to pursue a career at the criminal bar in the UK. Valued at £13,000 for 2025-2026.

To apply for the Lincoln College-Kingsgate or the Wadham College-Kalisher Scholarships, at the time of application to the University, applicants are required to submit to the Graduate Studies Administrator at the Centre an additional statement asking to be considered for the scholarship and explaining why they believe they meet the selection criteria. Statements should be no more than 800 words.

All applicants who are offered a place will be asked to complete a form setting out their financial means. The scholarships will be offered after this process has been completed.

In addition to the scholarships above, the Centre for Criminology can nominate one application each year for a 1+3.5 Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership studentships, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). These studentships cover both fees and maintenance for the MSc plus 3.5 years of funding for a DPhil, if the candidate is accepted onto the DPhil programme.

DTP awards are open to both full and part-time, UK resident and international students, although only 30% of the awards may be given to international students. As a result, the Centre is very restricted in the nominations it can make for international students.

In order to be considered for nomination for a studentship, applicants must select ‘ESRC Grand Union DTP Studentships’ in the scholarships section of the application form. They must also complete a DTP Application Form and upload it, together with the graduate application form, by the funding deadline for the course.

Applicants should note that DTP studentship applications are assessed according to four criteria, namely academic record (as indicated on the University’s application form), proposal (as indicated on both application forms), personal statement, and impact. All carry equal weight in the process.

Further funding opportunities can be found on University’s Fees and Funding page and the Law Faculty Graduate Scholarships page. 

Please note: applications for all the scholarships are due the same date as the course application deadline - 29th January 2025. If you have any queries, please contact the Criminology Graduate Student Administrator, Abbie O'Regan.