The department is a lively community that is recognised internationally as one of the top centres for research and teaching in development studies.

Our courses offer excellent training for a career in international development or for advanced study, and attract students of the highest calibre from across the world.
“I had waited for 10 years before my dream to study in Oxford became a reality and the experience was truly beyond expectation”
Our students are taught to develop as critical and independent thinkers and when they leave us they are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to bring about real change.
“My time at Oxford strengthened my critical analysis and provided me with a unique interdisciplinary grounding in history, politics and economics that has equipped me well in dealing with public policy issues and program development strategy.”
Our courses offer excellent training for a career in international development or for advanced study, and attract students of the highest calibre from across the world.
“I had waited for 10 years before my dream to study in Oxford became a reality and the experience was truly beyond expectation”
Our courses offer excellent training for a career in international development or for advanced study, and attract students of the highest calibre from across the world.
“I had waited for 10 years before my dream to study in Oxford became a reality and the experience was truly beyond expectation”
Our students are taught to develop as critical and independent thinkers and when they leave us they are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to bring about real change.
“My time at Oxford strengthened my critical analysis and provided me with a unique interdisciplinary grounding in history, politics and economics that has equipped me well in dealing with public policy issues and program development strategy.”
Our students are taught to develop as critical and independent thinkers and when they leave us they are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to bring about real change.
“My time at Oxford strengthened my critical analysis and provided me with a unique interdisciplinary grounding in history, politics and economics that has equipped me well in dealing with public policy issues and program development strategy.”
We are delighted to announce that Professor Naohiko Omata has won a Teaching Excellence Award in the Early Career stream within the Social Sciences Division’s 2022 Divisional Teaching Excellence Awards.
Naohiko is an Associate Professor working mainly within the Refugee Economies Programme and teaching on the MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies.
The award committee noted the “innovative, excellent quality” of Nao’s teaching and supervision in the area of refugee studies, particularly in involving refugee scholars on the ‘Refugee Economies’ course, and further recognised his work in the development of the Refugee-Led Research Hub (based in Nairobi) which they stated “has created a vibrant and stimulating learning environment for students and colleagues in the department”.
The Social Sciences Division’s scheme formally recognise the outstanding contribution to teaching and learning and the academic development of students shown by colleagues across the Division. The scheme has two strands: Teaching Excellence Awards, recognising an exceptional contribution to education by colleagues at any career-stage, and Teaching Development and Enhancement Project (TDEP) grants for projects focused on enhancing the learning experience for students at all levels.
Find out more about the awards here.