To apply to study for an MPhil or PhD, you will need to provide a research proposal, a personal statement and an initial analysis of your training needs.
The first step is to decide on a research topic, narrowing down from what might be a broad area of interest to a focused, specific project proposal. You can access our previous students' theses and learn about their research topics. This will give you some inspiration, and an idea of the scale and scope of a research degree in your discipline area.
If you apply for a funded studentship, the application process will differ from that detailed below.
Funded studentships
We offer MPhil and PhD supervision across a range of disciplines and all of our academic Schools. Use our research portal to find out more about our research interests and find a supervisor to approach. You can search the portal by keyword or browse our research centres.
When you have identified a potential supervisor, you should contact them by email. Our supervisors welcome approaches from prospective students, and we hope that you will feel comfortable and confident in approaching them.
We strongly recommend that you include a short document (no longer than one page) providing an outline of your research topic and explaining why you feel that your chosen supervisor is well placed to supervise your research, for example based on their research interests and experience. This will help your prospective supervisor to determine whether they are able to supervise your PhD.
You can apply online for a research degree at any time. Our enrolment dates for new research degree students are March, May, October and December.
To apply for a research degree you will need to:
Please note that although you may express a preference to commence studies at a particular entry point, your date of entry will not be confirmed until you receive an unconditional offer to study with us. The next available entry point may be later than your preference.
Your research proposal is a key element of your application. It will give us an indication of your ability to undertake postgraduate research study and help us to assess the potential of your project. Importantly, we will use your proposal to identify whether we have sufficient expertise to provide supervision. Your proposal will also be helpful for further developing your research ideas.
A template is provided for your proposal. This is broken down into the most important aspects of a research project. You must complete the research proposal template and upload it to your online application form.
You will also need to upload details of any experience you have of research training and a personal statement about why you want to do a research degree.
In addition, you will need to upload any other supplementary documents such as English test results, references or funding confirmation letters.
Guidance on completing these documents can be found below.
Applications will not be accepted if the templates are not used.
The diagram below sets out the steps in our applicant journey, from the submission and assessment of your application to enrolling with us as a student.