Start date

18 September 2023

15 January 2024

15 April 2024

1 July 2024

Duration

The maximum duration for a PhD is 3 years (36 months) full-time or 6 years (72 months) part-time with an optional submission pending (writing-up) period of 12 months.

Sometimes it may be possible to mix periods of both full-time and part-time study.

If studying on a part-time basis, you must establish close links with the University and spend normally not less than an average of 10 working days per year in the university, excluding participation in activities associated with enrolment, re-registration and progression monitoring. You are also expected to dedicate 17.5 hours per week to the research.

Application deadlines

 

For July 2023

24 April 2023 for Home, International and Scholarship students. The July 2023 intake is for full-time PhD students only

For October 2023 

09 June 2023 for International and Scholarship students 

30 June 2023 for Home students 

For January 2024 

20 October 2023 for International and Scholarship students

17 November 2023 for Home students 

For April 2024 

26 January 2024 for International and Scholarship students 

23 February 2024 for Home students

 

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About the research degree

Reasons to study

1. Develop a high level of transferrable skills which will be invaluable in your future career.
2. The Graduate School offers the training and resources required to become a successful researcher.
3. Access tools and skills to improve employability through the Researcher Skills Development Programme.

A PhD is the highest academic award for which a student can be registered. A PhD thesis makes an original contribution to knowledge. You will identify a research project and your thesis will be a substantial and unique piece of work. Your programme of work will include participating in conferences and seminars. You will attend relevant aspects of postgraduate courses and may engage in guided reading or a combination of study methods.

You will be supervised by a team of up to 3 members including a main supervisor who will advise and support you throughout your project. At the end of a 3-year full-time or six year part-time period of research and writing, you will submit a thesis which will be up to 80,000 words long. You will have developed a range of personal and professional transferrable skills which will be invaluable in your future career.

Completing a PhD can give you a great sense of personal achievement and help you develop a high level of transferable skills which will be useful in your subsequent career, as well as contributing to the development of knowledge in your chosen field.

Entry requirements

The normal level of attainment required for entry is:

• Master's degree or an Honours degree (2:1 or above) or an equivalent professional qualification, normally with a classification of merit or distinction, in a discipline appropriate to the proposed programme to be followed, or
• appropriate research or professional experience at postgraduate level, which has resulted in published work, written reports or other appropriate evidence of accomplishment.

As a PhD applicant you will need to submit an online application direct to the University and this should contain a provisional research proposal of between 1500-2000 words (plus bibliography). This should include key criteria that will enable the selector to evaluate the scope and importance of your project and to assist with identifying academic supervision with the necessary expertise and knowledge to supervise you and guide you through your research degree.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.5 overall with no element lower than 6.0, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our Where are you from information pages.