phd public policy uk

DPhil in Public Policy

• Entry requirements
• Funding and Costs

College preference

• How to Apply

About the course

The DPhil in Public Policy provides academically outstanding students who are committed to public service an unrivalled opportunity to study for a rigorous research degree that prepares them to have substantial impact on future policymaking processes.

The course can be taken full time in three years or part time over six to eight years. Part-time students are required to spend a minimum of 30 days on study-related business in Oxford each year and to commit approximately 20 hours per week to their studies. Part-time students are also expected to be in Oxford for the first few weeks of the first term so that they can fully participate in induction activities which are held at the beginning of Michaelmas term (October). Part time DPhils are expected to be active members of the Blavatnik School of Government Research Community even when not in Oxford. 

The DPhil specialises in discipline-based, policy-driven research, applying rigorous social science to analysing policy issues with the explicit goal of prescribing solutions for policymakers. You will concentrate on research that answers policy questions with rigorous conceptual design, theoretical insight, and empirical methods. As well as honing your research skills and developing your interdisciplinary understanding of policy challenges, you will also enhance your ability to communicate your research findings to the policy community in a way that ensures real-world impact. You will join a school which conducts groundbreaking academic research where international leaders will engage with you and your scholarly community on the most pressing issues of our time.

The DPhil in Public Policy is one of Oxford's most selective degree courses and recruits those who are highly academically and professionally capable. Your peer group will include economists, lawyers, political scientists, behavioural scientists, and philosophers with professional backgrounds at international organisations such as the World Bank and the World Economic Forum and senior levels of government.

You will be expected to focus your research on practical challenges facing a range of different governments and publicly-oriented agencies. As well as developing your academic expertise, you will learn how to communicate your findings and analysis effectively so as to have real impact on government and public policy development throughout the world.

You will benefit from the DPhil Research Development seminar series and will be given ample opportunities to present your work in the department, and develop your research ideas and proposals with the advice and support of your peers.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Blavatnik School of Government and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming students to work with a particular member of staff.

Your supervisors are carefully selected and will include a member of core member of faculty, together with other academics from the school or the University. You will usually have two supervisors during your DPhil research.

Your primary supervisor will establish a timetable of regular meetings for detailed discussion of your work and progress, normally a minimum of nine one-hour meetings (or equivalent) each year, although the frequency of meetings will vary depending on your stage of research.

In your first year, you will be admitted to Probationer Research Student (PRS) status in the first instance. As a PRS, you will focus on the development and early work of your thesis.

Within a maximum of four terms as a full-time PRS student or eight as a part-time PRS student, you will be expected to apply for, and achieve, transfer of status from Probationer Research Student to DPhil status. This application is normally made by the third term for full-time students and by the sixth term for part-time students by submitting a research outline and a substantial piece of written work. These are assessed by two academics (at least one of whom will usually be a Blavatnik School faculty member), who will also interview you about your work. A similar exercise then takes place in your ninth term (fourteenth term if you are part-time) when you will apply for confirmation of DPhil status.

After three or at most four years (no later than eight years if you are part-time) you are expected to submit your final thesis. Your thesis will be read by two examiners who conduct an in-depth oral examination with the student, known as a viva voce. On the basis of their report, you will either be awarded the DPhil (which may be subject to major or minor corrections) or referred back to make revisions to the thesis.

Graduate destinations

Graduates of the DPhil in Public Policy will be professional social scientists working in the area of public policy. You will be prepared to lead on devising, implementing, and evaluating innovative policy solutions; and you will be expertly qualified to conduct research, whether as an academic, in a governmental role, or in other influential policy organisations, institutes, and think tanks.

The school’s alumni form a close-knit community providing social connections, professional guidance and a trusted source of advice. These connections also serve as powerful reminders for all of us of our shared commitment to public service and our desire to make a positive difference in the world. For more information, visit our Alumni pages .

At the Blavatnik School of Government you will develop the skills required to succeed in your career as well as benefit from a programme of career-focused events. Collaborating with your fellow students and faculty will help you discover career paths and opportunities in public service and academia. The Blavatnik School of Government also offers an outstanding programme of speaker events at which many visitors discuss their careers, and outside of the school there are many events organised by departments, centres, societies and colleges – all of these provide opportunities to meet with global specialists and develop your network of contacts.

In addition, students can receive expert one-to-one careers advice at the University's Careers Service, which is very close to the Blavatnik School, and attend careers fairs, talks, workshops and employer presentations.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made in circumstances of a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.

Entry requirements for entry in 2024-25

Proven and potential academic excellence.

The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying. 

Degree-level qualifications

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:

• a master's degree with a mark of at least 70%  (or an equivalent level of distinction for both the thesis and overall degree) in a relevant subject;  and
• a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in any subject.

Entrance is very competitive and most successful applicants have a first-class degree or equivalent.

Applicants should hold a master's degree with training in research methods and design or be able to demonstrate significant knowledge and experience of research methods appropriate to their intended area of doctoral study. The master's course must be completed and a final transcript available prior to the start of the DPhil.

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is usually 3.8 out of 4.0.

If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.

GRE General Test scores

You are not required to submit scores from standardised tests such as the GRE, GMAT or LSAT but you can submit them if available.

Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience

In addition to academic excellence, the assessors will look for evidence that:

• your research interests focus on policy-relevant challenges facing governments and/or publicly-oriented agencies around the world;
• you show an interest and ability to make real world change happen through your research and/or your employment or voluntary work. 

The Blavatnik School of Government does not expect applicants to have published. However, if you have published scholarly research, you should mention it in your application.

Part-time applicants will also be expected to show evidence of the ability to commit time to study and, if applicable, an employer's commitment to make time available to study, to complete coursework, and to attend course and University events and modules.

Where appropriate, evidence should also be provided of permission to use employers’ data in the proposed research project.

English language proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's  higher level . If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are detailed in the table below.

*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) † Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides  further information about the English language test requirement .

Declaring extenuating circumstances

If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.

You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Supporting documents

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Performance at interview

Interviews are normally held as part of the admissions process.

Applicants who are successful in the initial round of assessment may be invited to interview (usually in early March). The interview will be held online (with or without video) and there will be a minimum of two interviewers.

The interviewers may ask questions about the application submitted for the DPhil and about the research proposal but no advance preparation is required. Applicants will also be given the opportunity to raise any questions they have about the programme.

Any offer of a place is dependent on the University's ability to provide the appropriate supervision for your chosen area of work. Please refer to the ‘About’ section of this page for more information about the provision of supervision for this course.

How your application is assessed

Your application will be assessed on academic merit and potential, according to the published entry requirements for the course, and evidence relating to commitment to public service and leadership and impact. The  After you apply  section of this website provides  further information about the academic assessment of your application , including the potential outcomes. Please note that any offer of a place may be subject to academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions may vary depending upon your individual academic circumstances.

Students are considered for shortlisting and selected for admission without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, sexual orientation, as well as other relevant circumstances including parental or caring responsibilities or social background. However, please note the following:

• Socio-economic information may be taken into account in the selection of applicants and award of scholarships for courses that are part of the University’s pilot on selection procedures and for scholarships aimed at under-represented groups ;
• Country of ordinary residence may be taken into account in the awarding of certain scholarships; and
• Protected characteristics may be taken into account during shortlisting for interview or the award of scholarships where the University has approved a positive action case under the Equality Act 2010.

Further information about processing special category data for the purposes of positive action and information about using your data to assess your eligibility for funding , can be found in our Postgraduate Applicant Privacy Policy.

Admissions panels and assessors

All recommendations to admit a student involve the judgement of at least two members of the academic staff with relevant experience and expertise, and must also be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies or Admissions Committee (or equivalent within the department).

Admissions panels or committees will always include at least one member of academic staff who has undertaken appropriate training.

After an offer is made

If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer letter will give full details of your offer and any academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course.  In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will be required to meet the following requirements:

Financial Declaration

If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a Financial Declaration  in order to meet your financial condition of admission.

Disclosure of criminal convictions

In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any relevant, unspent criminal convictions before you can take up a place at Oxford.

The Blavatnik School of Government is a global school pursuing a vision of a world better led, better served and better governed. We offer a distinctively global approach to public policy and are committed to excellence in leadership and public policy education.

The Blavatnik School is located in a purpose-built, iconic building in the University's Radcliffe Observatory Quarter near the centre of Oxford. 

Students at the Blavatnik School are able to use the  Social Science Library in addition to other University libraries and centrally-provided electronic resources.

Research Development Seminars (RDS) will give you the opportunity to meet and discuss your research with other students, and the Blavatnik School hosts regular seminars and events with leading public policy practitioners, affording further networking and socialising opportunities. There is an array of research seminars that run across the University and you will be encouraged to attend and, if appropriate, to present at events relevant to your areas of interest. Part-time as well as full-time students will normally be required to attend all twelve of the RDS during their first year. This is to help you to establish a clear line of thinking and maximise the opportunity to integrate with all first-year students.  

Through the research training offered by the Social Sciences Division you can also take part in a range of skills development training sessions available across departments. Part-time students will be expected to identify, in consultation with their supervisors, their anticipated advanced research skills needs in their first year, and focus on acquiring these additional skills in their second, third and fourth years from the Social Science Division’s research methods and training programme and, as the DPhil in Public Policy is multi- and interdisciplinary in character, from relevant training opportunities in the wider University and nationally.

You will have the opportunity to attend a variety of student social events at the Blavatnik School including the annual induction programme. You will also have access to a student common room and kitchen facilities close to your workspace.

Blavatnik School of Government

The Blavatnik School of Government is a global school committed to excellence in leadership and public policy education and to pursuing a vision of a world better led, better served and better governed.

Founded in 2010, the Blavatnik School is one of the newest and most vibrant departments of the University of Oxford and it has already developed an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching and research.

It fosters a dynamic programme of policy-relevant and academically excellent research that has the potential for positive, real-world impact. Through innovative graduate courses, it brings the latest research and practice right into the classroom so that you can be a part of discovering and advancing knowledge on the cutting edge of public policy challenges. 

The Master of Public Policy (MPP) is an intensive one-year graduate degree, taking a broad view of how public policy is made, implemented and evaluated at local, regional and global levels. The Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in Public Policy offers an opportunity to pursue academically rigorous research on a policy-relevant topic and can be taken full time over three years or part time over six to eight years. The MSc in Public Policy Research is a one-year graduate degree, offering training in the applied research skills needed to produce impactful research and inform public policy decisions. The Public Policy 1+1 programme combines, first the Master of Public Policy (MPP) and second, the MSc in Public Policy Research. Candidates will receive individual awards for each of the two programmes. 

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The University expects to be able to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across the collegiate University in 2024-25. You will be automatically considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships , if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by the relevant December or January deadline. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential. 

For further details about searching for funding as a graduate student visit our dedicated Funding pages, which contain information about how to apply for Oxford scholarships requiring an additional application, details of external funding, loan schemes and other funding sources.

Please ensure that you visit individual college websites for details of any college-specific funding opportunities using the links provided on our college pages or below:

Please note that not all the colleges listed above may accept students on this course. For details of those which do, please refer to the College preference section of this page.

Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the school's website.

Annual fees for entry in 2024-25

Full-time study.

Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.

Part-time study

Information about course fees

Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges .

Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.

Continuation charges

Following the period of fee liability , you may also be required to pay a University continuation charge and a college continuation charge. The University and college continuation charges are shown on the Continuation charges page.

Where can I find further information about fees?

The Fees and Funding  section of this website provides further information about course fees , including information about fee status and eligibility  and your length of fee liability .

Additional information

There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees (or, after fee liability ends, continuation charges) and living costs. However, please note that, should you and your supervisor(s) agree on placements or research trips, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs. The Blavatnik School of Government has limited funding for doctoral students, to which you can apply for help to attend conferences or to defray fieldwork expenses, and you may be able to apply for small grants from your college to help you cover some of these expenses.

Please note that you are required to attend in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year, and you may incur additional travel and accommodation expenses for this. Also, please note that, should you and your supervisor(s) agree on placements or research trips, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs. The Blavatnik School of Government has limited funding for doctoral students, to which you can apply for help to attend conferences or to defray fieldwork expenses, and you may be able to apply for small grants from your college to help you cover some of these expenses.

Living costs

In addition to your course fees, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

For the 2024-25 academic year, the range of likely living costs for full-time study is between c. £1,345 and £1,955 for each month spent in Oxford. Full information, including a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs, is available on our living costs page. The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. When planning your finances for any future years of study in Oxford beyond 2024-25, it is suggested that you allow for potential increases in living expenses of around 5% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. UK inflationary increases will be kept under review and this page updated.

If you are studying part-time your living costs may vary depending on your personal circumstances but you must still ensure that you will have sufficient funding to meet these costs for the duration of your course.

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs). 

If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief  introduction to the college system at Oxford  and our  advice about expressing a college preference . For some courses, the department may have provided some additional advice below to help you decide.

The following colleges accept students for full-time study on this course:

• Balliol College
• Blackfriars
• Brasenose College
• Campion Hall
• Christ Church
• Corpus Christi College
• Exeter College
• Green Templeton College
• Harris Manchester College
• Hertford College
• Jesus College
• Kellogg College
• Lady Margaret Hall
• Linacre College
• Lincoln College
• Magdalen College
• Nuffield College
• Regent's Park College
• Reuben College
• St Anne's College
• St Antony's College
• St Catherine's College
• St Cross College
• St Hilda's College
• St Hugh's College
• St John's College
• St Peter's College
• University College
• Wadham College
• Wolfson College
• Wycliffe Hall

The following colleges accept students for part-time study on this course:

Before you apply

Our  guide to getting started  provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

If it's important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under a December or January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance . Check the deadlines on this page and the  information about deadlines and when to apply  in our Application Guide.

Application fee waivers

An application fee of £75 is payable per course application. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:

• applicants from low-income countries;
• refugees and displaced persons; 
• UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and 
• applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.

You are encouraged to  check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver  before you apply.

Readmission for current Oxford graduate taught students

If you're currently studying for an Oxford graduate taught course and apply to this course with no break in your studies, you may be eligible to apply to this course as a readmission applicant. The application fee will be waived for an eligible application of this type. Check whether you're eligible to apply for readmission .

Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?

If you have any questions about the course, please consult the  Blavatnik School of Government website . If you have any questions that are not answered by the Blavatnik School website, please contact the admissions team via the email address provided on this page under 'Further information'.

Please note that academics at the Blavatnik School are unable to comment on your suitability for the course or offer advice on the admissions process. Please do not contact faculty directly, instead contact the admissions team with any queries you may have. The Blavatnik School will appoint a supervisor in the event that your application is successful. 

Completing your application

You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents . 

If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.

Proposed field and title of research project

Under the 'Field and title of research project' please enter your proposed field or area of research if this is known. If the department has advertised a specific research project that you would like to be considered for, please enter the project title here instead.

You should not use this field to type out a full research proposal. You will be able to upload your research supporting materials separately if they are required (as described below).

Proposed supervisor

Referees: three overall, academic preferred.

Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.

At least one reference must be from your current or most recent academic institution.

Current master’s students, or those who have completed a master’s degree, are required to submit a reference from their supervisor or course director on the master’s programme. 

If you have been out of university education for an extended period one professional reference may be submitted, but please be aware that any such reference should still comment on your academic suitability for the DPhil in Public Policy, and that an academic reference is preferred.

If you do not provide academic references that meet the criteria listed above, you may be asked to do so before the assessment of your application can be completed.

Your references should attest to your intellectual ability, academic achievement, academic writing ability and career motivation.

Official transcript(s)

Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.

More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.

A CV/résumé is compulsory for this course. Most applicants choose to submit a document of one to two pages highlighting their academic achievements and any relevant professional experience.

Statement of purpose and research proposal: Statement of a maximum of 1,000 words and proposal of a maximum of 2,500 words

Your statement of purpose/personal statement and research proposal should be submitted as a single, combined document with clear subheadings. Please ensure that the word counts for each section are clearly visible in the document.

Statement of purpose

Your statement of purpose should briefly describe your reasons for choosing the Blavatnik School of Government as well as outlining your interest in public policy and public service, your capacity for sustained and focused work, and what your previous experience and future career plans are. You should make clear who you would ideally like to be supervised by, together with a rationale for your preference. 

Your statement of purpose should be written in English and should be a maximum of 1,000 words. The word count does not include any bibliography or brief footnotes.

If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.

Research proposal

Your research proposal should outline the policy question you wish to address, indicate why this is significant and make clear how you plan to research and answer this question.

The proposal must include the following:

• the policy-focused research question that you wish to research and an explanation of its significance
• the analytical framework you propose to employ
• the research methods that you will use and your level of expertise in using them
• the data sources upon which you will draw (in the case of archives or databases, you should note whether or not they are publicly available, their locations and any permissions that may be required)
• a provisional timetable
• a list of the most important existing scholarly publications on the subject.

Your research proposal should be written in English and should be a maximum of 2,500 words. The word count does not include any bibliography or brief footnotes.

Your research proposal will be assessed for:

• your reasons for applying
• the coherence of the proposal
• the significance and policy-relevance of the project
• evidence of competency in research methods needed to carry out the proposed research
• evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study
• the ability to present a reasoned case in English
• the feasibility of successfully completing the project in the time available for the course (a maximum of three years if full time)
• commitment to the subject
• knowledge of research techniques needed for the proposed thesis
• reasoning ability.

It will be normal for your ideas subsequently to change in some ways as you investigate the evidence and develop your project. You should nevertheless make the best effort you can to demonstrate the extent of your research question, sources and method when submitting your application.

Written work: One essay of a maximum of 2,000 words

You are required to submit a sample of work, which must be entirely your own and in English. You may not submit a co-authored piece. An extract from a longer piece may be submitted but should be prefaced by a note that puts it in context.

The word count should be adhered to should exclude any footnotes, annotations or bibliography used. Written work which exceeds the word count will not be read.

This will be assessed for:

• comprehensive understanding of the subject area
• understanding of problems in the area
• ability to construct and defend an argument
• powers of analysis
• powers of expression
• familiarity with the literature on the subject
• evidence of a keen interest and understanding of policy analysis.

The written work does not need to relate closely to the proposed area of study but should permit the Blavatnik School of Government Admissions Committee to assess your analytic ability as described above.

Detection of plagiarism

Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement. All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this definition. Plagiarism may be intentional or reckless, or unintentional. The test for determining if plagiarism has taken place is quite simple: has material been included in this piece of work without adequate referencing? If the answer to this is ‘yes’, then plagiarism has occurred. Therefore, when taking information from a source it is important that the source is fully acknowledged.

Plagiarism and collusion are serious offences and in order to protect the credibility of the application process applicants are required to submit an electronic copy of their work. All applications are put through plagiarism detection software to identify applicants submitting an application that is not their own original work.  More information about plagiarism  can be found on our plagiarism page. 

Start or continue your application

You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please  refer to the requirements above  and  consult our Application Guide for advice . You'll find the answers to most common queries in our FAQs.

Application Guide   Apply - Full time   Apply - Part time

ADMISSION STATUS

Closed to applications for entry in 2024-25

Register to be notified via email when the next application cycle opens (for entry in 2025-26)

12:00 midday UK time on:

Friday 5 January 2024 Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships Final application deadline for entry in 2024-25

*Three-year average (applications for entry in 2021-22 to 2023-24)

Further information and enquiries

This course is offered by the Blavatnik School of Government

• Course page on the school's website
• Funding information from the school
• Academic and research staff
• Current students and alumni
• Research  at the school
• Social Sciences Division
• Residence requirements for full-time courses
• Postgraduate applicant privacy policy

Course-related enquiries

Advice about contacting the department can be found in the How to apply section of this page

✉ [email protected] ☎ +44 (0)1865 614343

Application-process enquiries

See the application guide

Visa eligibility for part-time study

We are unable to sponsor student visas for part-time study on this course. Part-time students may be able to attend on a visitor visa for short blocks of time only (and leave after each visit) and will need to remain based outside the UK.

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• DPhil in Public Policy
• DPhil in detail
• How to apply to the DPhil
• DPhil fees and funding

Do you want to help improve governments by providing them with research-based evidence? Are you motivated to carry out in-depth academic research that can make a positive contribution to public policy?

Our Doctorate in Public Policy or DPhil (as a PhD is known at the University of Oxford) in Public Policy is structured as a full-time course over three years (there is a part-time option for candidates in exceptional circumstances). The course has an emphasis on solving pressing public problems and provides robust training for understanding particular policy challenges and for evaluating, devising or implementing policy solutions.

At the Blavatnik School we focus on question-driven research: this means that the focus is on analysing and finding solutions to policy issues and challenges that governments face around the world. As a DPhil student, you will concentrate on research that answers policy questions, drawing on rigorous concepts, theory and methods from multiple disciplines, rather than developing new theories or methods in a particular discipline.

At the end of your studies, you will be expertly qualified to conduct research, whether as an academic, in a governmental role, or in other influential policy organisations, institutes and think tanks.

The DPhil in Public Policy aims to:

• Hone your research skills in ways that are relevant to policy-focused research.
• Develop your interdisciplinary understanding of policy challenges.
• Equip you to be able to design and undertake original research which makes a real contribution to the development and/or analysis of public policy.
• Enhance your ability to communicate your research findings to the policy community in a way that ensures real world impact.
• Enable you to present a lucid and scholarly thesis for examination.

You will have the opportunity to attend an impressive set of seminars within the Blavatnik School and across the University of Oxford, where you will learn in a multidisciplinary environment and present your research proposals to relevant audiences. You will also benefit from being part of an extraordinary network of peers to share ideas and advice, while meeting and interacting with prominent public policy practitioners who will help you root your research into practical issues.

Our DPhil alumni have gone on to build successful careers in various sectors – from  working on critical EU negotiations  at the European Commission to  establishing a leading law firm  in Colombia. With its emphasis on the real-world application of policy knowledge, our DPhil specifically prepares you for a high-level career in public service, government and non-governmental organisations, as well as academia and the private sector.

Oxford graduates are highly sought-after by employers across the world and the career prospects for you after completing your DPhil in Public Policy are excellent. At the Blavatnik School you will develop the skills required to succeed in your career as well as benefit from a programme of career-focused events. Collaborating with your fellow students and faculty will help you discover career paths and opportunities in public service and academia. We also offer an outstanding programme of speaker events at which many visitors discuss their careers, and outside of the School there are many events organised by departments, centres, societies and colleges – all of these provide opportunities to meet with global specialists and develop your network of contacts.

You will be interacting and sharing opinions with fellow DPhil students and other Blavatnik School students – forging relationships that will last well beyond the time you will spend at the School. As your career develops, being part of this community will mean you have a shared learning experience with like-minded peers throughout the world.

The Blavatnik School’s alumni form a close-knit community providing them with social connections, professional guidance and a trusted source of advice. These connections also serve as powerful reminders for all of us of our shared commitment to public service and our desire to make a positive, real difference in the world.

Learn more about the course details, the fees, funding options and how to join our community.

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PhD Public Administration and Policy

By distance learning.

For 2024-25 £4,778 FT (UK) £21,360 FT (International Students) More Fees and funding details.

• Request a prospectus
• Course details
• Entry Requirements
• Teaching and assessment
• Employability

The Department of Public Administration and Policy works closely with the world of practice in local government, the voluntary sector and other public service agencies

We have a vibrant and close-knit international research community of early-career and established researchers. Our engaged scholarship is theoretically-driven, and demonstrates a commitment to methodological pluralism, with particular strengths in qualitative, collaborative and participative approaches.

Our distance learning PhD in Public Administration and Policy offers those who are unable to live and work on campus on a regular basis the opportunity to conduct original research under the guidance of academic supervisors. You will take a number of research training modules in your first year and may attend further courses offered by the Department or the University that enhance your personal discipline-specific and transferable skills.

Distance learning does present challenges and applicants need to have a high capacity to work independently and in a disciplined fashion to pursue their research goals. However, supervisory teams are there to support students in acquiring the skills and knowledge to complete a thesis. In addition, you will be able to participate in an active research environment through a range of online and hybrid events.

Distance learning students are usually expected to attend one-week visit to the University (it is possible to request an exemption due to extenuating circumstances such as work commitments of caring responsibilities, for example). This visit will take place at the start of your studies during the College’s induction week (which usually takes place in the last week of September). This is a fantastic opportunity to attend a range of training sessions and networking events and meet your peers and supervisory team in person. The College of Social Sciences will make a generous contribution to your accommodation and travel. Your School will write to you to confirm the arrangements of your visit once you have confirmed your offer. Distance Learning students are not required to attend the University for the remainder of their studies but are welcome to visit at their own expense.

The Institute of Local Government Studies (INLOGOV) is incorporated within the Department of Public Administration and Policy (DPAP) and is one of the leading UK and international centres for governance, politics, international development, and public management. 

The School of Government offers much more than a degree. As a doctoral student here, you have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of research events with staff and other doctoral students, including a PGR Colloquium and departmental speaker series. In addition, an individual training plan is drawn up to meet the needs of each student, covering coursework and skills development. As such, completing this research degree will cultivate specialist knowledge in your field and professional skills for a range of career settings. 

We are particularly interested in receiving applications on the following themes:

• Governance, institutional design and leadership
• Co-production, democratic and social innovation, and inclusion
• Policy-making, implementation and service delivery
• Smart, sustainable and creative approaches to policy challenges

Applications to study for a research degree on either a full- or part-time basis are welcomed. 

Further information

• Doctoral research
• Guidance on preparing a research proposal
• Doctoral Research Scholarships and funding

Tricia Thomas Doctoral Research Student Administration Tel: +44 (0)121 414 3497, Email:  [email protected]

PhD by Distance Learning 2024-2025

Uk students.

• £4,778

International students (Band D)

• £21,360

Learn more about fees .

Scholarships and studentships

INLOGOV offers occasional teaching assistantships for those enrolled on a full-time research degree. These provide bursaries to cover living costs, payment of the fee and the opportunity to gain additional income through a limited amount of tutorial work.

International students can often gain funding through overseas research scholarships, Commonwealth scholarships or their home government. Explore our  postgraduate funding database

Postgraduate research loans

Eligible Doctoral students can now apply for a  government loan  of up to £28,673 (for 2023/2024 entry) to contribute to overall costs. 

For further information contact the School directly or visit  studenthelp.bham.ac.uk .

How To Apply

When clicking on the Apply Now button you will be directed to an application specifically designed for the programme you wish to apply for where you will create an account with the University application system and submit your application and supporting documents online. Further information regarding how to apply online can be found on the How to apply pages

Our Standard Requirements

Applicants for the distance learning PhD must provide evidence of prior research experience and/or training suitable for their intended programme of study. When they apply, they are expected to consult with their supervisor who can assess their skills, background and capacity to undertake independent study at a distance. 

Besides formal qualifications, a key factor determining whether the Department decides to accept a candidate for either degree is the quality of his or her research proposal and its relevance to our own interests. Successful completion of a research thesis demands a high level of self-discipline, motivation and commitment to the subject of research. Great importance is placed on work experience, when relevant. Please contact the Department for more details.

International Requirements

Holders of a Licence, Diplome, Diplome d'Etudes Superieures, Diplome d'Ingenieur or a Diplome d'Architecte from a recognised university in Algeria will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of one of these qualifications will normally be expected to have achieved a score of 15/20 for 2:1 equivalency or 13/20 for 2:2 equivalency.  

Holders of the Licenciado or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Argentinian university, with a promedio of at least 7.5, may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Applicants for PhD degrees will normally have a Maestria or equivalent

A Bachelors (Honours) degree from an accredited Australian higher education institution may be considered for admission to a Masters degree.   Applicants with 3 year Bachelors with distinction from a recognised university, can be considered for admission to a Masters degree.

Holders of a Diplom, a Diplomstudium/Magister or a three-year Bachelors degree from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 2.5 for 2:1 equivalency or 3.0 for 2:2 equivalency, or a high-scoring Fachhochschuldiplom (FH) from a recognised Austrian Fachhochschule, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes. 

Students with a good 5-year Specialist Diploma or 4-year Bachelor degree from a recognised higher education institution in Azerbaijan, with a minimum GPA of 4/5 or 80% will be considered for entry to postgraduate taught programmes at the University of Birmingham.

For postgraduate research programmes applicants should have a good 5-year Specialist Diploma (completed after 1991), with a minimum grade point average of 4/5 or 80%, from a recognised higher education institution or a Masters or “Magistr Diplomu” or “Kandidat Nauk” from a recognised higher education institution in Azerbaijan.

 Holders of a bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in Bahrain will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4, 3.75/5 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8/4, 3.5/5 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.  

Holders of a Bachelors (Honours) degree of three years duration, followed by a Masters degree of one or two years duration from a recognised university in Bangladesh will be considered for postgraduate taught study. Students with a Bachelors degree of at least four years duration may also be considered for postgraduate study. Degrees must be from a recognised institution in Bangladesh.

Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0-3.3/4.0 or 65% or above for 2:1 equivalency, or a GPA of 2.6-3.1/4.0 or 60% or above for 2:2 equivalency depending on the awarding institution.  

Students who hold a Masters degree from the University of Botswana with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 (70%/B/'very good') will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Please note 4-year bachelor degrees from the University of Botswana are considered equivalent to a Diploma of Higher Education. 5-year bachelor degrees from the University of Botswana are considered equivalent to a British Bachelor (Ordinary) degree.

Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

A Licenciatura or Bacharelado degree from a recognised Brazilian university:

• A grade of 7.5/10 for entry to programmes with a 2:1 requirement
• A grade of 6.5/10for entry to programmes with a 2:2 requirement

Holders of a good Bachelors degree with honours (4 to 6 years) from a recognised university with a upper second class grade or higher will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.  Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Diploma za Zavarsheno Visshe Obrazovanie (‘Diploma of Completed Higher Education’), a pre-2001 Masters degree or a post-2001 Bachelors degree from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 5 out of 6, mnogo dobur/’very good’ for 2:1 equivalence; or 4 out of 6, dobur/’good’ for 2:2 equivalence; will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students with a minimum average of 14 out of 20 (or 70%) on a 4-year Licence, Bachelor degree or Diplôme d'Etudes Superieures de Commerce (DESC) or Diplôme d'Ingénieur or a Maîtrise will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Holders of a bachelor degree with honours from a recognised Canadian university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. A GPA of 3.0/4, 7.0/9 or 75% is usually equivalent to a UK 2.1.

Holders of the Licenciado or equivalent Professional Title from a recognised Chilean university will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Applicants for PhD study will preferably hold a Magister degree or equivalent.

Students with a bachelor’s degree (4 years minimum) may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. However please note that we will only consider students who meet the entry guidance below.  Please note: for the subject areas below we use the Shanghai Ranking 2022 (full table)  ,  Shanghai Ranking 2023 (full table) , and Shanghai Ranking of Chinese Art Universities 2023 .

需要具备学士学位（4年制）的申请人可申请研究生课程。请根据所申请的课程查看相应的入学要求。 请注意，中国院校名单参考 软科中国大学排名2022（总榜） ，  软科中国大学排名2023（总榜） ，以及 软科中国艺术类高校名单2023 。  

Business School    - MSc programmes (excluding MBA)  

商学院硕士课程（MBA除外）入学要求

School of Computer Science – all MSc programmes 计算机学院硕士课程入学要求

College of Social Sciences – courses listed below 社会科学 学院部分硕士课程入学要求 MA Education  (including all pathways) MSc TESOL Education MSc Public Management MA Global Public Policy MA Social Policy MA Sociology Department of Political Science and International Studies  全部硕士课程 International Development Department  全部硕士课程

  All other programmes (including MBA)   所有其他 硕士课程（包括 MBA）入学要求

Please note:

• Borderline cases: We may consider students with lower average score (within 5%) on a case-by-case basis if you have a relevant degree and very excellent grades in relevant subjects and/or relevant work experience. 如申请人均分低于相应录取要求（5%以内），但具有出色学术背景，优异的专业成绩，以及（或）相关的工作经验，部分课程将有可能单独酌情考虑。
• Please contact the China Recruitment Team for any questions on the above entry requirements. 如果您对录取要求有疑问，请联系伯明翰大学中国办公室   [email protected]

Holders of the Licenciado/Professional Title from a recognised Colombian university will be considered for our Postgraduate Diploma and Masters degrees. Applicants for PhD degrees will normally have a Maestria or equivalent.

Holders of a good bachelor degree with honours (4 to 6 years) from a recognised university with a upper second class grade or higher will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.  Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised university will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good Diploma Visoko Obrazovanje (Advanced Diploma of Education) or Bacclaureus (Bachelors) from a recognised Croatian higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 4.0 out of 5.0, vrlo dobar ‘very good’, for 2:1 equivalence or 3.0 out of 5.0, dobar ‘good’, for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.  Holders of a good Bacclaureus (Bachelors) from a recognised Croatian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 4.0 out of 5.0, vrlo dobar ‘very good’, or a Masters degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree(from the University of the West Indies or the University of Technology) may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. A Class II Upper Division degree is usually equivalent to a UK 2.1. For further details on particular institutions please refer to the list below.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Masters degree or Mphil from the University of the West Indies.

Holders of a good four-year government-accredited Bachelors degree from a recognised Higher Education college with a minimum overall GPA of 3 out of 4 for 2:1 equivalency, or a GPA of 2.75 out of 4 for 2:2 equivalency; or a good four-year Bachelors degree (Ptychio) from a recognised University, with a minimum overall grade of 6.5 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalency, or 5.5 for 2:2 equivalency; will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a good Bakalár, or a good pre-2002 Magistr, from a recognised Czech Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 1.5, B, velmi dobre ‘very good’ (post-2004) or 2, velmi dobre ‘good’ (pre-2004), for 2:1 equivalence, or 2.5, C, dobre ‘good’ (post-2004) or 3, dobre ‘pass’ (pre-2004) for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes. 

Holders of a good Bachelors degree/Candidatus Philosophiae, Professionbachelor or Eksamensbevis from a recognised Danish university, with a minimum overall grade of 7-10 out of 12 (or 8 out of 13) or higher for 2:1 equivalence, or 4-7 out of 12 (or 7 out of 13) for 2:2 equivalence depending on the awarding institution will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of the Licenciado or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Ecuadorian university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Grades of 70% or higher can be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Magister/Masterado or equivalent qualification, but holders of the Licenciado with excellent grades can be considered.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Egypt will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4 for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8 for 2:2 equivalency. Applicants holding a Bachelors degree with alternative grading systems, will normally be expected to have achieved a 75% (Very Good) for 2:1 equivalency or 65% (Good) for 2:2 equivalency. For applicants with a grading system different to those mentioned here, please contact [email protected] for advice on what the requirements will be for you.

Holders of a good Bakalaurusekraad from a recognised university or Applied Higher Education Institution with a minimum overall grade of 4/5 or B for 2:1 equivalency or 3/5 or C for 2:2 equivalency, or a good Rakenduskõrgharidusõppe Diplom (Professional Higher Education Diploma), will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree with very good grades (grade B, 3.5/4 GPA or 85%) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. 

Holders of a good Ammattikorkeakoulututkinto (AMK) (new system), an Yrkeshögskoleexamen (YHS) (new system), a Kandidaatti / Kandidat (new system), an Oikeustieteen Notaari or a Rättsnotarie, a good Kandidaatti / Kandidat (old system), a professional title such as Ekonomi, Diplomi-insinööri, Arkkitehti, Lisensiaatti (in Medicine, Dentistry and Vetinary Medicine), or a Maisteri / Magister (new system), Lisensiaatti / Licenciat, Oikeustieteen Kandidaatti / Juris Kandidat (new system) or Proviisori / Provisor from a recognised Finnish Higher Education institution, with a minimum overall grade of 2/3 or 3-4/5 for 2:1 equivalence or 1-2/3 or 2.5-3/5 for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes. 

Holders of a good three-year Licence, License Professionnelle, Diplôme d'Ingénieur/Architecte Diplômé d'État, Diplôme from an Ecole Superieure de Commerce / Gestion / Politique, or Diplome d'Etat Maitrise of three years duration or a Maîtrise from a recognised French university or Grande École will be considered for postgraduate taught study.

Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a minimum overall grade of 13 out of 20, bien, for 2:1 equivalency, or 11 out of 20, assez bien, for 2:2 equivalency depending on the awarding institution.  

Holders of a good three-year Bachelor degree, a Magister Artium, a Diplom or an Erstes Staatsexamen from a recognised university, or a good Fachhochschuldiplom from a Fachhochschule (university of applied sciences), with a minimum overall grade of 2.5 for 2:1 equivalency, or 3.0 for 2:2 equivalency, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students from Germany who have completed three years of the Erstes Staatsexamen qualification with a grade point average (GPA) of 10 from the first six semesters of study within the Juristische Universitätsprüfung programme would be considered for entry onto LLM programmes.  Students from Germany who have completed the five year Erstes Staatsexamen qualification with a grade point average (GPA) of 6.5 would be considered for entry onto LLM programmes. 

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good four-year Ptychio (Bachelor degree) from a recognised Greek university (AEI) with a minimum overall grade of 6.5 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalency, or 5.5 out of 10 for 2:2 equivalency, or a good four-year Ptychio from a recognised Technical Higher Education institution (TEI) with a minimum overall grade of 7.5 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalency, or 6.5 out of 10 for 2:2 equivalency, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

4-year Licenciado is deemed equivalent to a UK bachelors degree. A score of 75 or higher from Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) can be considered comparable to a UK 2.1, 60 is comparable to a UK 2.2.  Private universities have a higher pass mark, so 80 or higher should be considered comparable to a UK 2.1, 70 is comparable to a UK 2.2

The Hong Kong Bachelor degree is considered comparable to British Bachelor degree standard. Students with bachelor degrees awarded by universities in Hong Kong may be considered for entry to one of our postgraduate degree programmes.

Students with Masters degrees may be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Alapfokozat / Alapképzés (Bachelors degree) or Egyetemi Oklevel (university diploma) from a recognised Hungarian university, or a Foiskola Oklevel (college diploma) from a recognised college of Higher Education, with a minimum overall grade of 3.5 for 2:1 equivalency, or 3 for 2:2 equivalency, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes. 

Holders of a Bachelors degree of three or four years in duration from a recognised university in India will be considered for postgraduate taught study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved 55% - 60% or higher for 2:1 equivalency, or 50% - 55% for 2:2 equivalency depending on the awarding institution.  

Either: A four-year Bachelors degree (first class or very good upper second class)

Or: A three-year Bachelors degree (first class) from recognised institutions in India.

For MSc programmes, the Business School will consider holders of three-year degree programmes (first class or very good upper second class) from recognised institutions in India.

For entry to LLM programmes, Birmingham is happy to accept applications from 3 or 5 year LLB holders from India from prestigious institutions.

Holders of the 4 year Sarjana (S1) from a recognised Indonesian institution will be considered for postgraduate study. Entry requirements vary with a minimum requirement of a GPA of 2.8.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Iran with a minimum of 14/20 or 70% will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate taught programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Iraq will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency, or 2.8/4 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Israel will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved score of 80% for 2:1 equivalency or 65% for 2:2 equivalency.  

Holders of a good Diploma di Laurea, Licenza di Accademia di Belle Arti, Diploma di Mediatore Linguistico or Diploma Accademico di Primo Livello from a recognised Italian university with a minimum overall grade of 100 out of 110 for 2:1 equivalence, or 92 out of 110 for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold the Maitrise, Diplome d'Etude Approfondies, Diplome d'Etude Superieures or Diplome d'Etude Superieures Specialisees will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees (14-15/20 or Bien from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 12-13/20 or Assez Bien is considered comparable to a UK 2.2).

Students with a Bachelor degree from a recognised university in Japan will be considered for entry to a postgraduate Masters degree provided they achieve a sufficiently high overall score in their first (Bachelor) degree. A GPA of 3.0/4.0 or a B average from a good Japanese university is usually considered equivalent to a UK 2:1.

Students with a Masters degree from a recognised university in Japan will be considered for PhD study. A high overall grade will be necessary to be considered.

Holders of a Bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in Jordan will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4, 3.75/5 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8/4, 3.5/5 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.  

Students who have completed their Specialist Diploma Мамаң дипломы/Диплом специалиста) or "Magistr" (Магистр дипломы/Диплом магистра) degree (completed after 1991) from a recognised higher education institution, with a minimum GPA of 2.67/4.00 for courses requiring a UK lower second and 3.00/4.00 for courses requiring a UK upper second class degree, will be considered for entry to postgraduate Masters degrees and, occasionally, directly for PhD degrees.  Holders of a Bachelor "Bakalavr" degree (Бакалавр дипломы/Диплом бакалавра) from a recognised higher education institution, with a minimum GPA of  2.67/4.00 for courses requiring a UK lower second and 3.00/4.00 for courses requiring a UK upper second class degree, may also be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/50

Holders of a Bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in Kuwait will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4, 3.75/5 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8/4, 3.5/5 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.  

Holders of a good pre-2000 Magistrs or post-2000 Bakalaurs from a recognised university, or a good Postgraduate Diploma (professional programme) from a recognised university or institution of Higher Education, with a minimum overall grade of 7.5 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalency, or 6.5 out of 10 for 2:2 equivalency, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Lebanon will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a score of 16/20 or 80% for 2:1 equivalency, or 14/20 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Libya will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved score of 70% for 2:1 equivalency or 65% for 2:2 equivalency. Alternatively students will require a minimum of 3.0/4.0 or BB to be considered.

Holders of a good Bakalauras (post 2001), Profesinis Bakalauras (post 2001) or pre-2001 Magistras from a recognised university with a minimum overall grade of 8 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalency, or 7 out of 10 for 2:2 equivalency, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes. 

Holders of a good Bachelors degree or Diplôme d'Ingénieur Industriel from a recognised Luxembourgish Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 16 out of 20 for 2:1 equivalence, or 14 out of 20 for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees (70-74% or A or Marginal Distinction from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 60-69% or B or Bare Distinction/Credit is considered comparable to a UK 2.2).

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Malaysian institution (usually achieved with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average minimum of 3.0) will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a good Bachelors degree from a recognised Higher Education Institution with a minimum grade of 2:1 (Hons) for UK 2:1 equivalency, or 2:2 (Hons) for UK 2:2 equivalency, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree (Honours) from a recognised institution (including the University of Mauritius) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2:1).

Students who hold the Licenciado/Professional Titulo from a recognised Mexican university with a promedio of at least 8 will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.

Students who have completed a Maestria from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a Bachelors degree, licence or Maîtrise from a recognised university in Morocco will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a score of 15/20 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency, or 13/20 for 2:2 equivalency.

Students with a good four year honours degree from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at the University of Birmingham. PhD applications will be considered on an individual basis.

Holders of a Bachelors (Honours) degree of four years duration from a recognised university in Nepal will be considered for postgraduate taught study. Students with a Bachelors degree of at least three years duration plus a Masters degree may also be considered for postgraduate study. Degrees must be from a recognised institution in Nepal.

Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.2/4.0 or 65%-79% average or higher for 2:1 equivalency, or a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 60%-65% for 2:2 equivalency depending on the awarding institution.  

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Dutch university, or Bachelors degree from a recognised Hogeschool (University of Professional Education), or a good Doctoraal from a recognised Dutch university, with a minimum overall grade of 7 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalence, or 6 out of 10 for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes. 

Students who hold a Bachelor degree (minimum 4 years and/or level 400) from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) with a minimum GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0

Holders of a good three-six-year Bachelorgrad, Candidatus Magisterii, Sivilingeniø (siv. Ing. - Engineering), "Siviløkonom" (siv. Øk. - Economics) degree from a recognised Norwegian education institution with a minimum GPA of B/Very Good or 1.6-2.5 for a 2.1 equivalency, or a GPA of C/Good or 2.6-3.2 for a 2.2 equivalency; will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in Oman will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4, 3.75/5 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8/4, 3.5/5 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.  

Holders of a Bachelors degree of four years in duration from a recognised university in Pakistan will be considered for postgraduate taught study. Students with a Bachelors degree of at least three years duration followed by a Masters degree of one or two years duration, or holders of a two year Bachelors degree and a two year Masters degree in the same subject, may also be considered for postgraduate study.

Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 2.8-3.0/4.0 or 65% or above for 2:1 equivalency, or a GPA of 2.6/4.0 or 60% or above for 2:2 equivalency depending on the awarding institution.  

A two-year degree followed by a three-year LLB will count as a full Bachelors degree.

All qualifications must be from recognised institutions. For further details on recognised institutions, please refer to Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in the Palestinian Territories will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3/4 or 80% for 2:1 equivalency or a GPA of 2.5/4 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.    

Holders of the Título de Licenciado /Título de (4-6 years) or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Paraguayan university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Grades of 4/5 or higher can be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  The Título Intermedio is a 2-3 year degree and is equivalent to a HNC, it is not suitable for postgraduate entry but holders of this award could be considered for second year undergraduate entry or pre-Masters.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Título de Maestría / Magister or equivalent qualification, but holders of the Título/Grado de Licenciado/a with excellent grades can be considered.

Holders of the Bachiller, Licenciado, or Título Profesional with at least 13/20 may be considered as UK 2.1 equivalent.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Título de Maestría or equivalent qualification.

Holders of a good post-2001 Licencjat / Inzynier (Bachelors degree), or a pre-2001 Magister, from a recognised Polish university, with a minimum overall grade of 4.5/4+ out of 5, dobry plus ‘better than good’ for 2:1 equivalence, or 4 out of 5, dobry 'good' for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes. 

Holders of a good Licenciado from a recognised university, or a Diploma de Estudos Superiores Especializados (DESE) from a recognised Polytechnic Institution, with a minimum overall grade of 16 out of 20, bom com distinção ‘good with distinction’, for 2:1 equivalence, or 14 out of 20, bom ‘good’, for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes. 

Holders of a Bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in Qatar will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4, 3.75/5 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8/4, 3.5/5 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.  

Holders of a good Diplomă de Licenţă, Diplomă de Inginer, Diplomă de Urbanist Diplomat, Diplomă de Arhitect, Diplomă de Farmacist or Diplomã de Doctor-Medic Arhitect (Bachelors degree) from a recognised Romanian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 8 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalence, or 7 out of 10 for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a good Диплом Бакалавра (Bakalavr) degree with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 4.0 from recognised universities in Russia may be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes/MPhil degrees. 

Students who hold a 4-year Bachelor degree with at least 16/20 or 70% will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.   

Holders of a Bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in the Saudi Arabia will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4, 3.75/5 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8/4, 3.5/5 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.  

Students who hold a Maitrise, Diplome d'Etude Approfondies,Diplome d'Etude Superieures or Diplome d'Etude Superieures Specialisees will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. A score of 14-15/20 or Bien from a well ranked institution is considered comparable to a UK 2.1, while a score of 12-13/20 or Assez Bien is considered comparable to a UK 2.2

Students who hold a Bachelor (Honours) degree from a recognised institution with a minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 or 3.5/5.0 (or a score of 60-69% or B+) from a well ranked institution will be considered for most our Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees with a 2:1 requirement.

Students holding a good Bachelors Honours degree will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a good three-year Bakalár or pre-2002 Magister from a recognised Slovakian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 1.5, B, Vel’mi dobrý ‘very good’ for 2:1 equivalence, or 2, C, Dobrý ‘good’ for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes. 

Holders of a good Diploma o pridobljeni univerzitetni izobrazbi (Bachelors degree), Diplomant (Professionally oriented first degree), Univerzitetni diplomant (Academically oriented first degree) or Visoko Obrazovanja (until 1999) from a recognised Slovenian Higher Education institution with a minimum overall grade of 8.0 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalence, or 7.0 out of 10 for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes. 

Students who hold a Bachelor Honours degree (also known as Baccalaureus Honores / Baccalaureus Cum Honoribus) from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most Masters programmes will require a second class upper (70%) or a distinction (75%).

Holders of a Masters degree will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a Bachelor degree from a recognised South Korean institution (usually with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average 3.0/4.0 or 3.2/4.5) will be considered for Masters programmes.

Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study on an individual basis.

Holders of a good Título de Licenciado / Título Universitario Oficial de Graduado (Grado) /Título de Ingeniero / Título de Arquitecto from a recognised Spanish university with a minimum overall grade of 7 out of 10 for 2:1 equivalence, or 6 out of 10 for 2:2 equivalence, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a Special or Professional Bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in Sri Lanka will be considered for postgraduate taught study.

Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved 60-74% or a CGPA 3.30/4.0 or B+ for 2:1 equivalency, or 55-59% or a CGPA 3.0/4.0 or B for 2:2 equivalency depending on the awarding institution.  

Holders of a good Kandidatexamen (Bachelors degree) or Yrkesexamen (Professional Bachelors degree) from a recognised Swedish Higher Education institution with the majority of subjects with a grade of VG (Val godkänd) for 2:1 equivalency, or G (godkänd) for 2:2 equivalency, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes. Holders of a good Kandidatexamen (Bachelors degree) or Yrkesexamen (Professional Bachelors degree) from a recognised Swedish Higher Education institution with the majority of subjects with a grade of VG (Val godkänd), and/or a good Magisterexamen (Masters degree), International Masters degree or Licentiatexamen (comparable to a UK Mphil), will be considered for entry to postgraduate research programmes.

Holders of a good " Baccalauréat universitaire/ Diplom / Diplôme; Lizentiat / Licence; Staatsdiplom / Diplôme d'Etat" degree from a recognised Swiss higher education institution (with a minimum GPA of 5/6 or 8/10 or 2/5 (gut-bien-bene/good) for a 2.1 equivalence) will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised university in Syria will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved score of 70%, or ‘very good’ for 2:1 equivalency or 60%, or ‘good’ for 2:2 equivalency.  

Holders of a good Bachelor degree (from 75% to 85% depending upon the university in Taiwan) from a recognised institution will be considered for postgraduate Masters study. Holders of a good Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.  Most taught Masters programmes require a minimum of an upper second class degree (2.1) Students who have completed a Masters degree from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a good Bachelors degree from a recognised institution will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level. Holders of Bachelors degree from prestigious institutions (see list below) will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4.0 for 2:1 equivalency or 2.7 for 2:2 equivalency. Applicants with grades slightly below these requirements may also be considered for an offer if they have a relevant Bachelors degree, good scores in relevant modules, or relevant work experience.

Holders of a Bachelors degree from all other institutions will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.2/4.0 for 2:1 equivalency, or 2.8 for 2:2 equivalency.

Prestigious institutions: Assumption University Chiang Mai University Chulalongkorn University Kasetsart University Khon Kaen University King Mongkut University of Technology - Thonburi (known as KMUTT or KMUT) Mahidol University Prince of Songla University Srinakharinwirot University Thammasat University

Holders of a bachelor degree with honours from a recognised Caribbean and West Indies university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. 

Students with a Bachelors degree from the following universities may be considered for entry to postgraduate programmes:

• Ateneo de Manila University - Quezon City
• De La Salle University - Manila
• University of Santo Tomas
• University of the Philippines - Diliman

Students from all other institutions with a Bachelors and a Masters degree or relevant work experience may be considered for postgraduate programmes.

Grading Schemes

1-5 where 1 is the highest 2.1 = 1.75 2.2 = 2.25 

Out of 4.0 where 4 is the highest 2.1 = 3.0 2.2 = 2.5

Letter grades and percentages 2.1 = B / 3.00 / 83% 2.2 = C+ / 2.5 / 77%

Holders of a postdoctoral qualification from a recognised institution will be considered for PhD study.  Students may be considered for PhD study if they have a Masters from one of the above listed universities.

Holders of a Lisans Diplomasi with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0/4.0 from a recognised university will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.

Holders of a Yuksek Diplomasi from a recognised university will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of a Bachelors degree of four years duration from a recognised university in the UAE will be considered for postgraduate study. Holders of a Bachelors degree will normally be expected to have achieved a GPA of 3.0/4, 3.75/5 or 75% for 2:1 equivalency or 2.8/4, 3.5/5 or 70% for 2:2 equivalency.  

Students who hold a Bachelor degree from a recognised institution will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. Most Masters programmes will require a second class upper (2.1) or GPA of 3.5/5.0

Holders of a good four-year Bachelors degree/ Диплом бакалавра (Dyplom Bakalavra), Диплом спеціаліста (Specialist Diploma) or a Dyplom Magistra from a recognised institution, with a minimum GPA of 4.0/5.0, 3.5/4, 8/12 or 80% or higher for 2:1 equivalence, or a GPA of 3.5/5.0, 3.0/4, 6/12 or 70% for 2:2 equivalence, depending on the awarding institution, will be considered for entry to taught postgraduate programmes.

The University will consider students who hold an Honours degree from a recognised institution in the USA with a GPA of:

• 2.8 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for entry to programmes with a 2:2 requirement 
• 3.2 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) for entry to programmes with a 2:1 requirement 

Please note that some subjects which are studied at postgraduate level in the USA, eg. Medicine and Law, are traditionally studied at undergraduate level in the UK.

Holders of the Magistr Diplomi (Master's degree) or Diplomi (Specialist Diploma), awarded by prestigious universities, who have attained high grades in their studies will be considered for postgraduate study.  Holders of the Fanlari Nomzodi (Candidate of Science), where appropriate, will be considered for PhD study.

Holders of the Licenciatura/Título or an equivalent professional title from a recognised Venezuelan university may be considered for entry to a postgraduate degree programme. Scales of 1-5, 1-10 and 1-20 are used, an overall score of 70% or equivalent can be considered equivalent to a UK 2.1.  Applicants for PhD level study will preferably hold a Maestria or equivalent qualification

Holders of a Bachelors degree from a recognised Vietnamese institution (usually achieved with the equivalent of a second class upper or a grade point average minimum GPA of 7.0 and above) will be considered for postgraduate study at Diploma or Masters level.  Holders of a Masters degree (thac si) will be considered for entry to PhD programmes.

Students who hold a Masters degree with a minimum GPA of 3.5/5.0 or a mark of 2.0/2.5 (A) will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees.   

Students who hold a good Bachelor Honours degree will be considered for Postgraduate Diplomas and Masters degrees. 

International Students

You can satisfy our English language requirements in two ways:

• by holding an English language qualification to the right level - IELTS 6.5 with no less than 6.0 in any band
• by taking and successfully completing one of our English courses for international students

Research within the School of Government is aligned to one of three departments and Institutes:

The Department of Political Science and International Studies (POLSIS)

Dr Columba Achilleos-Sarll Feminist and post/decolonial theory; the Women, Peace and Security agenda; civil society and advocacy; visual global politics.

Dr David Bailey Protest, critical political economy and contemporary capitalism

Dr Stephen Bates British politics; Parliamentary Studies (in comparative perspective or focused on the UK Parliament).

Dr Tendayi Bloom Noncitizenship; Statelessness; Migration governance. 

Dr Verena K. Brändle Digital democracy; social media and politics; European politics; border and migration studies; political communication

Dr Sarah Bufkin Racism and racialization; Black Atlantic political thought; Critical Theory; Cultural Studies.

Professor Peter Burnham Restructuring of the state in the global political economy; State theory and radical theories of IPE; Marx and contemporary Marxism; Economic policy and capitalist crisis.

Dr Mwita Chacha Regional integration; International cooperation; Politics of coups d’état; Public opinion.

Dr Licia Cianetti Democracy and institutional change; democratic regression; inclusion and exclusion from policymaking processes; cities and local democracy.

Dr Laurence Cooley Politics of deeply divided societies (especially Northern Ireland and Bosnia and Herzegovina); post-conflict power-sharing; politics of the census and identity categorisation.

Professor David Cutts Political and electoral behaviour; Party campaigning turnout; Civic engagement; Populist parties; Social media and politics. 

Dr May Darwich International Relations Theory and the Middle East; Foreign policies of Middle Eastern states; Identity politics in the Middle East; Security policies in the Middle East.

Professor David Dunn US foreign and security policy; Strategic and security studies, and diplomacy and statecraft.

Dr Rita Floyd Ethics of emergency politics, theories of security (especially securitization theory), the English school and environmental security.

Dr Guiditta Fontana Peace processes and war-to-peace transitions. The design of peace accords, Powersharing and Reform of cultural and educational institutions in conflict-affected societies. Multi-method research designs. Politics of Lebanon, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia.

Dr Emma Foster Environmental politics; gender/sexuality and international relations; gender/sexuality and international relations.

Dr Charlotte Galpin European and national identities; European public sphere and media; Euroscepticism, EU citizenship and social movements; The role of Germany or Britain in Europe; Brexit; Gender and feminist approaches to these topics.

Dr Julie Gilson Japanese foreign policy; East Asian regionalism and institutions; Asia-Europe and Japan-Europe relations; Civil society in Asia; Climate change and environmentalism in Asia.

Dr Ruben Gonzalez-Vicente South-South relations; Global China; the political economy of development, especially in Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean; critical political economy; political geography. 

Dr Tim Haughton Contemporary politics of Central and Eastern Europe; Political campaigning; Party politics; Electoral politics.

Dr Laura Jenkins Feminist political theory; Contemporary political theory and British politics.

Dr Deema Kaneff Resources and Social Change; Postsocialist transformations and global capitalism; Property relations; Markets and moralities; Transnational migration, Social exclusion and inequalities. (Europe, Eastern Europe, Bulgaria and Ukraine)

Dr Peter Kerr British politics; State theory and theories of social and political change; UK party politics and party modernisation; Political leadership and governing strategies in the UK; Citizenship and political participation and political sociology. 

Dr George Kyris International conflict, conflict management and resolution; International organisations, especially the European Union; State recognition; Statehood and sovereignty; Secession; unrecognised/ de facto states.

Professor René Lindstädt American Politics; Political Institutions; Accountability; Representation; Legislative politics and institutions; Elections; Political methodology

Dr Huw Macartney International or Comparative Political Economy; Banking and financial market governance; Globalisation, and historical materialism. 

Dr Cerwyn Moore Political violence; international relations theory; Post-Soviet and post-communist security; Interpretive approaches to global politics and Chechnya.

Dr Richard North Any area of contemporary political philosophy, but particularly on justice and liberal and democratic political philosophy.  

Dr Julian Panke European Union Politics; European Neighbourhood Policy; German foreign policy and Eastern European foreign policies (Poland, Slovakia).

Professor Patrick Porter The interaction of power and ideas in the making of foreign and defence policy in the U.S. and U.K, and in shaping their conflicts, classical realism, strategic thought and great power diplomacy.

Dr Adam Quinn US ‘grand strategy’; American national identity; American foreign and security policy; Ideological contest in American politics (contemporary and historical). 

Dr Robert Ralston International Security; Civil-Military Relations; Grand Strategy.

Dr Richard Shorten Political theory, ideology, and rhetoric; fascism, Marxism and totalitarianism; reactionaries and conservatives; the political thought of Hannah Arendt, Albert Camus and George Orwell; intellectual politics of the Cold War.

Dr Asaf Siniver International mediation and conflict resolution; The politics, diplomacy and history of the Arab-Israeli conflict; The Israeli-Palestinian peace process; Contemporary US foreign policy and Foreign Policy Analysis. 

Dr Nicola Smith Gender and sexuality; Feminist political economy; Queer theory; Biopolitics; Body politics; Sex Work; Obesity; Austerity.

Dr Graham Timmins Areas related to the external relations and foreign policy role of the European Union with specific reference to EU-Russia and German-Russian relations.

Dr Tsering Topgyal Chinese foreign and security policy; Tibet and China’s Nationality Policy; Asia-Pacific security and politics; US-China relations; Sino-Indian relations and Security studies. 

Dr Sevasti-Eleni Vezirgiannidou International Environmental Politics; Climate change politics; Environment and trade negotiations; Environmental Regime effectiveness and compliance and The trade-environment debate.

Dr Marco Vieira Rising powers and global order; South-South political cooperation/identity/institutions, South American/Latin American politics; Brazilian foreign policy and International relations theory. 

Dr Yi Wang Memory politics; Nationalism and national identity; Contemporary China; International relations of East Asia; Political communication 

Dr Robert Watt Military History, power and networks, Small Wars/Insurgencies; Native American History & Politics.

Professor Mark Webber NATO; transatlantic relations; European security; American, Russian and British foreign policy; Theories and practices of security

Dr Mark Wenman Continental philosophy; Contemporary political theory; The philosophy of the social sciences; The history of political thought.

Professor Nicholas Wheeler Trust-building between adversaries, especially nuclear armed states; Nuclear weapons and proliferation. 

Professor Kataryna Wolczuk Politics of Russia and post-Soviet countries; EU’s Eastern policy, Russia’s policy towards the post-Soviet states; Regional integration in the post-Soviet space; Nationalism and national identities (across Europe and Eurasia).

Professor Stefan Wolff -  Ethnic conflict, civil war, post-conflict state-building; Geopolitics and great-power rivalry; Central Asia, South Caucasus, Eastern Europe, Western Balkans, Middle East & North Africa.

Dr Christalla Yakinthou Conflict transformation, particularly post-settlement; Transitional justice both in theory and practice, and transitions in the MENA region; The relationship between constitutional design and transitional justice; Power sharing, Cypriot, Lebanese, and Tunisian politics and conflicts and the right to truth in international law and practice, and issues around enforced disappearance and missing people during conflict.

Dr Sotirios Zartaloudis European Union politics and policies; Migration in Europe; European politics; Discourse

The International Development Department (IDD)

Dr Sameen A. Mohsin Ali Bureaucratic politics; politics of development, donor engagement, and public sector reform; public health, especially with regard to vaccination; politics of South Asia (especially Pakistan)

Dr Philip Amis Urbanisation; Urban policy; Poverty and housing.

Not currently accepting new PhD supervision applications 

Dr Danielle Beswick UK development policy, including parliamentary scrutiny and public engagement in this; UK Africa relations; The UK Conservative Party and development; Politics, identity and security in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Rwanda; Knowledge exchange between universities and legislatures.

Dr Brock Bersaglio The political ecology of biodiversity conservation, wild meat (including food sovereignty), and zoonotic disease in eastern/southern Africa; anti-, post- and settler colonial development studies

Dr Adrian Campbell Public and local government reform, especially in transitional states. 

Professor Nic Cheeseman  Elections and democratization; The formation of a social contract in new democracies; Power-sharing and the politics of inclusion; Populism and strategies of political mobilization; African political thought. 

Dr David Cobley Disability-inclusive approaches to development, especially in the areas of poverty reduction, livelihood development, inclusive education and disaster risk reduction.

Dr Niheer Dasandi Politics of international development and foreign aid; development and human rights; politics of climate change and health; foreign policy and development  

Dr Jonathan Fisher Authoritarianism and authoritarian rule; (in)security and conflict; international politics of aid and peacekeeping; particular interest in sub-Saharan Africa.

Professor David Hudson Politics of leadership and coalitions; public opinion, survey analysis, and experiments; migration decision making; network analysis.

Professor Paul Jackson Conflict and post-conflict reconstruction; security sector reform and international intervention; combatants, politics and social reintegration; peacebuilding; economic development.

Dr Chris Lyon Politics of development; political theory; democracy, participation, decentralisation; social justice; development ethics

Professor Heather Marquette The politics of development and foreign policy; Corruption, kleptocracy and organised crime; Anti-corruption/counter-organised crime strategies and interventions

Dr Claire McLoughlin State legitimacy; The politics of public service delivery; The role of ideas in development.

Dr Emeka Njoku Critical security studies; Terrorism and counter-terrorism; Nonprofit organisations; conflict-related gender/sexual violence; State-civil society relations; peacebuilding.

Professor Fiona Nunan Renewable natural resource governance, management and livelihoods in low- and middle-income countries, especially fisheries and coastal ecosystems and community-based or collaborative governance.

Dr Martin Ottmann Political economy of civil war and development, including peace processes and negotiated settlements; Power-sharing, resource redistribution, elections, and political trust after war. PhD applications relying on advanced statistical research methods, mixed-methods designs, and modern methods of causal inference are particularly welcome. 

Dr Emily Scott Humanitarianism, health, and migration; international organisation (IOs) and international non-governmental organisations (INGOs); state-society relations, particularly in the Middle East; conflict and security; localization and the international politics of aid.

Dr Merisa Thompson Feminist political economy; food and agrarian studies; the politics of gender and development; histories of colonialism, particularly the Caribbean.

Dr Kailing Xie Contemporary Chinese society, Gender and reproductive politics, the politics of nation-building; Civil Society; governance beyond the state; collective memory and emotions; Chinese diaspora;feminist epistemologies and methodologies.

Department of Public Administration and Policy (DPAP)

Dr Koen Bartels Social innovation; Democratic innovation; Public encounters; Urban governance; Action research; Interpretive policy analysis; Communication; Practice theory; Relational public policy and administration.

Dr Karin Bottom   The role of small parties; Comparative politics; Policy analysis; Elections and quantitative methodologies.

Dr May Chu Risk regulation; Collaborative governance; Food safety and sustainability

Dr Abena Dadze-Arthur Transfer and brokering of knowledge across cultural and institutional boundaries. Decolonizing, transforming, and indigenising approaches to public management and governance. The scientific study of subjectivity (Q Methodology)

Dr Stephen Jeffares Projects that draw on social media data to understand change or controversies in public policy. 

Dr Timea Nochta Networks in governance and policy; Complexity; Smart cities, digitalisation and e-government; Climate change and net zero; Network analysis; Mixed methods

Dr Louise Reardon Multi-level governance; Policy networks; Agenda setting; Policy change; Policy implementation; Transport policy; Wellbeing and quality of life; Smart cities. 

Dr Philip Whiteman Policy implementation studies; Central and local government relations; Regulation of local government; Local authority corporate management scrutiny; Public sector performance, procurement and efficiency; Public consultation and participation; Organisation dynamics. 

You will contact your supervisor approximately monthly (every 2 months for part-time students) over the course of your study. Supervisors are experienced in managing the research process and are chosen to complement your area of interest. You will discuss your research with a panel annually. The panel is chaired by an experienced researcher from the department, and includes your supervisor and another member of staff. It provides an important opportunity to present progress on your research and to have a wider discussion about your work.

Your supervisor will read and comment on drafts of your thesis before it is finally submitted. An external and an internal examiner (who will not be your supervisor) will then examine it, and will meet with you for a viva. They will judge whether your thesis demonstrates:

• Knowledge of the relevant academic literature
• Skill in use of research methods
• Independent investigation
• Clear presentation of information
• Arguments presented in a coherent and appropriate form

MPhil students must show original work of merit that is worthy of publication. The requirement for PhDs is that the work is an original contribution to knowledge that is worthy of publication.

If I gain a postgraduate research degree in Local Government Studies, what are my career prospects?

In addition to the academic knowledge gained through their course, postgraduates from Birmingham’s Institute of Local Government Studies develop transferable skills that are useful in many occupations. These include familiarity with research methods; the ability to manage large and diverse quantities of information; the ability to organise information in a logical and coherent manner; judging and evaluating complex information; and making reasoned arguments, both orally and in written work.

Institute of Local Government Studies graduates are attracted to careers in both public and private sectors. These include local government, policing, health services, transport, legal services, prison services and housing. Some of these careers require further professional training, and/or building a portfolio of relevant work experience. Many PhD graduates of the Institute of Local Government Studies also successfully gain academic research and teaching posts.

What type of career assistance is available to doctoral researchers in this department?

The College of Social Sciences, to which the Institute of Local Government Studies belongs, has specially designated careers advisors and careers consultants who can provide guidance for doctoral researchers on career paths, CVs, training opportunities, application and interviews. The University’s central Careers’ Service also runs workshops and offers personally tailored advice and guidance including 1-1 careers advice, 1-1 CV advice. The Career’s Service also runs CV writing workshops especially for postgraduates in the College of Social Sciences, giving advice on how to compile CVs for both employment and for academic roles.

The University also has dedicated careers advisors for International students who run workshops and networking opportunities with potential employers. These are especially popular with International postgraduate researchers.

• Online chat events
• Ask our students
• How to apply

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Doctor of Public Policy DPP

• Full-time: 3 years
• Part-time: 6 years
• Start date: Multiple available
• UK fees: £5,350
• International fees: £23,000

Research overview

Professional doctorates are doctoral-level qualifications, equivalent to traditional PhDs. They are rigorous programmes of advanced applied study and research, specifically designed to meet the needs of practising professionals. They provide a framework for the integration of professional expertise and scholarly inquiry to explore specific areas of interest. 

This course provides comprehensive analysis on public sector reforms, including evidence-based policy and practice. It supports creating greater capacity within the public and voluntary sectors to conduct, commission and evaluate research as a contribution to the achievement of public goals. You will be assigned two supervisors  who will support and guide you throughout the course.  

The flexible nature of the course allows you to study while also meeting your career commitments and the needs of your employer. For example, if your employer requires regular feedback, we will build this into the course for you. You can also tailor the course to suit your needs and research interests by choosing modules that align with your thesis. 

The School of Sociology and Social Policy undertakes cutting-edge local, national, international and cross-national research through its research staff that work across the disciplines of sociology, social and public policy, criminology, cultural studies and social work. 

By combining and synthesising these disciplines around common interests and issues, we produce theoretically innovative and empirically robust knowledge that is valued by the academic community, policymakers, professionals and service providers. 

Course content

In your first year, you will study 120 credits of taught modules; this will be over years one and two for part-time students. 

Exemption from these modules is subject to approval, providing that you hold the required skills and knowledge covered in the modules at an equivalent level, because of prior training or experience. 

The remaining period of study (years two and three for full-time students, years three to six for part-time students) will be spent writing a 60-80,000-word thesis. This should offer an original application of knowledge in the area of public policy and should demonstrate an ability to integrate rigorous academic analysis with practical relevance and application.  

To facilitate the link with professional practice and your workplace, the thesis may cover up to three discrete but inter-related projects. Where the thesis covers more than one topic, the minimum number of words for each topic is 20,000. You will also need to present a viva voce examination on your thesis. 

This module introduces you to comparative analyses of different welfare state models and approaches to social and public policy; institutions, issues and debates in international social and public policy; and methods of cross-country comparative analysis.

Topics include:

• perspectives of international social policy
• welfare state typologies and cross-national comparisons
• international institutions, standards and goals
• the European Union
• social policy in less developed countries
• globalisation and welfare states
• international migration and the boundaries of welfare
• discrimination in a multicultural world
• international cooperation, policy learning and policy transfer
• comparative research methods

This module provides an applied, critical and informed understanding of policy-making and policy analysis in government.

It examines key concepts, models and theories of policy-making and policy analysis, and illustrates them by examining policy-making in Britain and other countries.

This module will cover models of management and governance in the public sector. 

It will critically examine comparative and historic trends in managerial practices and theory and contextually relevant ideas about management and governance in the public sector, including specific professional contexts.

This will include critically exploring specific debates about the alleged move from public administration to new public management and new public governance, from hierarchical to networked and marketised forms of organisation, and those involving communities in the design and delivery of public services.

This module is provides a general introduction to a range of key issues in the design and practice of social research. The module combines more formal taught sessions with practical exercises, some of which are group based.

By the end of the module, you will be equipped with the methodological and practical skills to carry out independent research using a variety of research designs and methods.

This module provides guidance on writing both a thesis proposal and a thesis. The module considers academic debates about different methodologies alongside practical issues.

You will critically appraise relevant literature and prepare a detailed plan of your programme of research in terms of a research design, theoretical framework, milestones, resources required, and ethical considerations.

Entry requirements

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements below apply to 2025 entry.

Meeting our English language requirements

If you need support to meet the required level, you may be able to attend a presessional English course. Presessional courses teach you academic skills in addition to English language. Our  Centre for English Language Education is accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK.

If you successfully complete your presessional course to the required level, you can then progress to your degree course. This means that you won't need to retake IELTS or equivalent.

For on-campus presessional English courses, you must take IELTS for UKVI to meet visa regulations. For online presessional courses, see our CELE webpages for guidance.

Visa restrictions

International students must have valid UK immigration permissions for any courses or study period where teaching takes place in the UK. Student route visas can be issued for eligible students studying full-time courses. The University of Nottingham does not sponsor a student visa for students studying part-time courses. The Standard Visitor visa route is not appropriate in all cases. Please contact the university’s Visa and Immigration team if you need advice about your visa options.

We recognise that applicants have a variety of experiences and follow different pathways to postgraduate study.

We treat all applicants with alternative qualifications on an individual basis. We may also consider relevant work experience.

If you are unsure whether your qualifications or work experience are relevant, contact us .

Our step-by-step guide contains everything you need to know about applying for postgraduate research.

Additional information for international students

If you are a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you may be asked to complete a fee status questionnaire and your answers will be assessed using guidance issued by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) .

These fees are for full-time study. If you are studying part-time, you will be charged a proportion of this fee each year (subject to inflation).

Additional costs

All students will need at least one device to approve security access requests via Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). We also recommend students have a suitable laptop to work both on and off-campus. For more information, please check the equipment advice .

As a student on this course, you should factor some additional costs into your budget, alongside your tuition fees and living expenses.

You should be able to access most of the books you'll need through our libraries, though you may wish to purchase your own copies or more specific titles.

There are many ways to fund your research degree, from scholarships to government loans.

Check our guide to find out more about funding your postgraduate degree.

Department specific support 

You will be assigned  two supervisors  who will support and guide you through your research project, in years two and three. One of these supervisors will act as personal tutor during your first year, for primary pastoral support. Academic support for the taught modules is provided by the module convenors.  

You are expected to attend the school-wide PhD seminars, which are aimed at all PhD students, and provide them with support and knowledge relevant to PhD study. These seminars also provide peer-support for practical and academic issues, as well as a social network.  

Researcher training and development

The Researcher Academy is the network for researchers, and staff who support them. We work together to promote a healthy research culture, to cultivate researcher excellence, and develop creative partnerships that enable researchers to flourish.

Postgraduate researchers at Nottingham have access to our online Members’ area, which includes a wealth of resources, access to training courses and award-winning postgraduate placements.

Graduate centres

Our graduate centres are dedicated community spaces on campus for postgraduates.

Each space has areas for:

• socialising
• computer work
• kitchen facilities

Student support

You will have access to a range of support services , including:

• academic and disability support
• childcare services
• counselling service
• faith support
• financial support
• mental health and wellbeing support
• visa and immigration advice
• welfare support

Students' Union

Our Students' Union represents all students. You can join the Postgraduate Students’ Network or contact the dedicated Postgraduate Officer .

There are also a range of support networks, including groups for:

• international students
• black and minority ethnic students
• students who identify as women
• students with disabilities
• LGBT+ students

SU Advice provides free, independent and confidential advice on issues such as accommodation, financial and academic difficulties.

Where you will learn

Library facilities - sociology and social policy.

The  Hallward Library  stocks a large number of sociology and social policy related publications and journals. Our library facilities open long hours and include areas for group work, individual, and silent study.

University Park Campus

University Park Campus  covers 300 acres, with green spaces, wildlife, period buildings and modern facilities. It is one of the UK's most beautiful and sustainable campuses, winning a national Green Flag award every year since 2003.

Most schools and departments are based here. You will have access to libraries, shops, cafes, the Students’ Union, sports village and a health centre.

You can walk or cycle around campus. Free hopper buses connect you to our other campuses. Nottingham city centre is 15 minutes away by public bus or tram.

School facilities - Sociology and Social Policy

The school provides students with well-equipped work bases, with access to telephone, email and online bibliographic facilities along with access to up to date computing facilities.

Whether you are considering a career in academia, industry or haven't yet decided, we’re here to support you every step of the way.

Expert staff will work with you to explore PhD career options and apply for vacancies, develop your interview skills and meet employers. You can book a one-to-one appointment, take an online course or attend a workshop.

International students who complete an eligible degree programme in the UK on a student visa can apply to stay and work in the UK after their course under the Graduate immigration route . Eligible courses at the University of Nottingham include bachelors, masters and research degrees, and PGCE courses.

Recent graduates have pursued careers in a diverse range of fields across the public and private sector, including housing, research, marketing, support work, human resources and journalism.

100% of postgraduates from the School of Sociology and Social Policy secured graduate level employment or further study within 15 months of graduation. The average annual salary for these graduates was £34,804.*

* HESA Graduate Outcomes 2019/20 data published in 2022 . The Graduate Outcomes % is derived using The Guardian University Guide methodology. The average annual salary is based on data from graduates who completed a full-time postgraduate degree with home fee status and are working full-time within the UK.

Related courses

Doctor of public management dpm, sociology and social policy phd, research excellence framework.

The University of Nottingham is ranked 7th in the UK for research power, according to analysis by Times Higher Education. The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a national assessment of the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.

• 89% of the school's research considered world-leading or internationally excellent
• 90%* of our research is classed as 'world-leading' (4*) or 'internationally excellent' (3*)
• 100%* of our research is recognised internationally
• 51% of our research is assessed as 'world-leading' (4*) for its impact**

*According to analysis by Times Higher Education ** According to our own analysis.

This content was last updated on 11 July 2024 . Every effort has been made to ensure that this information is accurate, but changes are likely to occur between the date of publishing and course start date. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply.

• Schools & departments

Social Policy PhD

Awards: PhD

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Social Policy

Introduction to Postgraduate Study at the University of Edinburgh

Join us online on 25 September to learn more about Scotland, the city of Edinburgh and postgraduate study at the University.

Find out more and register

Research profile

Social Policy has been taught in Edinburgh for more than a century, and we have a rich tradition of supervising students towards higher degrees as a route to careers in academia, research and public policy.

Today our group is at the heart of the scholarly community in social policy in Scotland and the UK, but also resolutely turned towards the wider world.

Our highly regarded research draws on a variety of disciplinary perspectives and is methodologically diverse, spanning the full range of social science methods from action research to advanced quantitative approaches.

We are committed to scholarly advancement but also to the dissemination of our work beyond the academy to generate non-academic impact and effect social change.

We offer postgraduate supervision across the whole subject range, with particular expertise in:

• social security
• labour market policy
• health policy
• family policy
• education policy

Our cross-cutting areas of expertise include:

• comparative social policy
• knowledge and policy
• the governance of welfare states

Who this programme is for

We welcome doctoral students wanting to undertake advanced research on social problems and policy and practice responses to them locally, nationally and globally.

We especially encourage those seeking to do research projects closely aligned with our core research themes:

Our core research themes .

Programme structure

Undertaken full-time over three years, or part-time over six years, the PhD in Social Policy is a research degree in which you will make an original contribution to knowledge by pursuing an extended and focused piece of research on a topic of your interest.

The programme is supported by the Graduate School of Social and Political Science, which enables you to acquire a broader set of transferable skills during your time with us.

Training and support

We offer a lively intellectual environment in which to undertake postgraduate research in social policy, with a range of thematic research groups and an active seminar programme.

You will benefit from our excellent links to other social policy scholars, policymakers and practitioners both locally and across the world.

The subject area hosts some of the leading academic journals in the field.

Postgraduate research students in the Graduate School of Social and Political Science can access core, intermediate and advanced research training courses tailored to the needs of their project.

There is also an extensive annual programme of methods workshops delivered through the School’s Research Training Centre.

Edinburgh’s excellent library facilities and the presence of the headquarters of many public, voluntary and private organisations, including the Scottish Parliament, make the city the perfect place to undertake research on social and public policy.

Entry requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent, and a UK masters degree with an overall mark of 65% or its international equivalent.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country
• English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE : ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 59 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS , TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE , in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

Fees and costs

Tuition fees, scholarships and funding, featured funding.

School of Social and Political Science Scholarships

UK Research Council Awards

For specialised guidance on submitting a competitive scholarship application, please follow the requirements and recommendations and how to contact relevant academic staff as advised here:

• Important information and recommendations

(Revised 10 November 2023 to update featured funding opportunities)

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

• your programme
• the duration of your studies
• your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding

Further information

• Postgraduate Admissions Team
• Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
• Contact: [email protected]
• Programme Advisor, Dr Elke Heins
• Contact: [email protected]
• Graduate School of Social & Political Science
• Chrystal Macmillan Building
• 15A George Square
• Central Campus
• Programme: Social Policy
• School: Social & Political Science
• College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

This programme is not currently accepting applications. Applications for the next intake usually open in October.

Start date: September

Awards: PhD (36 mth FT, 72 mth PT)

Application deadlines

We encourage you to apply at least one month prior to entry so that we have enough time to process your application. If you are also applying for funding or will require a visa then we strongly recommend you apply as early as possible.

• How to apply

You must submit a research proposal demonstrating your knowledge of your field of research, which will be closely scrutinised as part of the decision-making process. We request that PhD research proposals are no more than four A4 typed pages in Times New Roman, 12pt font. This includes charts and figures but does not include references or a bibliography.

We require PhD applicants in particular to contact potential supervisors before applying to discuss their research proposal so we can ensure there is adequate supervision.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose

PhD in Innovation and Public Policy or Economic Policy and Political Economy

We have two routes that phd students can pursue depending on their interests and background:.

• PhD in Innovation and Public Policy
• PhD in Economic Policy and Political Economy (available from October 2025)

Route 1: PhD in Innovation and Public Policy

The IIPP PhD in Innovation and Public Policy route is an interdisciplinary Doctoral Research Programme focussing on rethinking innovation in the context of public value creation.

The programme aims to develop the next generation of world-leading interdisciplinary scholars in innovation, industrial policy, public sector governance and public policy . The PhD focusses on providing students with a bespoke programme of scholarly development designed to improve applied conceptual, theoretical and analytical skills.

A key goal of the programme is to prompt doctoral researchers to blend and synthesise different disciplinary tools to offer truly interdisciplinary analysis on how innovation can be harnessed to tackle global challenges.

There are no formal subject-based entry requirements for this route, however students should have a strong academic background and clear evidence of interest in their chosen topic.

Route 2: PhD in Economic Policy and Political Economy (available from October 2025)

Our PhD in Economic Policy and Political Economy (EPPE) route is for students who are interested to explore the relationship between states and markets and the economic challenges facing modern capitalist economies.

Our Faculty and wider research community have a broad range of research interests in this field, covering both theoretical and more applied topic areas. This includes: development economics and structural change, decolonisation economics, financial and macroeconomic policy, banking and money, political economy of science and technology, the economics of innovation and intellectual monopolies, ecological economics and green transition, sustainable finance, institutional and evolutionary economics and the economics of land and housing. Students taking this route should have studied either economics or political economy at undergraduate or masters level. They will be required to audit the economics modules taught in IIPP’s MPA , specifically ‘New Economic Thinking and public value’ and ‘The Economics of Innovation’ in term 1 and ‘Rethinking Capitalism’ in term 2).

n.b. The EPPE route is only available from October 2025, however students may switch between the routes during the course of their studies if they meet the necessary criteria and have the approval of their supervisory team.

PhD supervision and the PhD journey

Students undertaking a PhD at IIPP must identify a primary supervisor who will be a Faculty member (Assistant-, Associate- or Full Professor level) who is based at the Institute. A subsidiary supervisor is also required to support aspects of the proposed research which the primary supervisor may be less familiar with. 

Subsidiary supervisors will not normally be Faculty staff but may be chosen from the wider research community at IIPP (Research Fellows or Honorary Research Fellows/Professors) or be based at another department at UCL.  IIPP Faculty have strong relationships with many other departments and can advise students on subsidiary supervision.  Students are also free to propose additional (tertiary) supervisors who may be from other external universities where appropriate.

For both routes, in their first year, students are registered as MPhil candidates but are then expected to upgrade to PhD status within 18 months of registration. The upgrade process is an opportunity for students to present an in-depth research proposal that hones in on a specific area of study, and to look at preparation and resources required in order to complete the full PhD on time. The primary supervisor and subsidiary supervisor then provides feedback and guidance to the student and renders a decision to upgrade the student or not. Full details of the upgrade procedure can be found here.

Formal PhD supervision is provided over three years after which time students should have completed their research and have an initial draft completed.  Students may apply for ‘continuing research status’ (CRS) to write up their thesis in their fourth year if needed but only informal supervision will be provided.

Programme code: RRDIPPSING18

Learn more about how to apply for the Innovation and Public Policy PhD with the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (IIPP).

For information about studying at IIPP, please contact our Teaching and Learning Administration team at IIPP:  Email:   [email protected]

View our brochure

Department of Politics and International Relations

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• Politics and International Relations
• PhD in Politics Distance Learning
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• PhD in Politics
• PhD in Environment and Politics
• PhD in Global Development
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• Wellbeing, welfare and support

PhD in Politics (Distance Learning)

PhD details 3 to 4 years full-time 6 years part-time Start date October 2023 January 2024 (semester dates)

Research Research in the department takes place within four clusters: Comparative Politics and Public Policy International Studies Political Economy Political Theory Members of staff participate actively in interdisciplinary research. Examples include: Centre for Applied Human Rights Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies Research Centre for Social Sciences School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Fees 2023/24 UK fees 2023/24 international fees

PhD students benefit from: Dedicated study space Quality research training Teaching opportunities Financial support for conferences and fieldwork Interdisciplinary events

Find out more about some of our current PhD researchers .

Contact us Contact our Graduate Office +44 (0)1904 323542 [email protected]. uk

Apply for this course

The Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of York is at the heart of current thinking, research and debate, and home to a prestigious, lively and international community. Our students and academics are internationally recognized as being at the forefront of research. Our staff are committed to both research of the highest standards and to applying their knowledge to real-world problems. They advise governments and international organisations on a wide range of issues, and regularly contribute to the news media and current affairs programmes throughout the world. Current concentrations of research expertise include the history of political thought, contemporary political theory, comparative politics, public policy, peacebuilding, global development, international security, human rights, international political economy, environmental and gender politics. We welcome PhD   applications in any of these areas.

The focus of your work will be an independent research project. We provide training which will equip you with skills in a wide range of research skills, including qualitative and quantitative research methods, to support your growing expertise. The PhD requires a dissertation of 70,000- 80,000   words or (for the 'thesis by papers' doctorate) a series of papers making an original contribution to your thesis topic.

Postgraduate research provides opportunities to develop your academic, creative and practical skills. You'll work independently in a supportive academic environment where scholarship and creativity go hand-in-hand.

The PhD in Politics (Distance Learning) allows access to academic supervision and research training for those students unable to work on campus on a regular basis.

Distance learning may be challenging and applicants need to have a high capacity to work independently and in a disciplined fashion to pursue their research goals. Supervisory teams are there to support you in acquiring the knowledge and skills to complete the thesis and there will be opportunities to participate in our research environment through online and hybrid events.

Distance learning students are expected to attend a five day induction process at the University, at the start of their studies.

Department of Politics and International Relations University of York , York , YO10 5DD , UK Tel: work +44 (0) 1904 323542 | Fax: fax 01904 323563

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The skills and ideas to transform people and societies

School of public policy.

The LSE School of Public Policy is an international community where ideas and practice meet. Our approach creates professionals with the ability to analyse, understand and resolve the challenges of contemporary governance.

Study with us Discover our range of degree programmes. Applications open.

Welcome to the School of Public Policy Find out more

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Research Our collaborations and projects

LSE-Fudan Global Public Policy Hub China and the World

Growth Co-Lab at LSE Working to understand the dynamics of growth

Publication | In Praise of First-Past-the-Post by Andrés Velasco

Watch in full: LSE Election Night 2024

Events Upcoming public lectures and seminars

Podcasts Catch up with past events

Video Highlight | 100 days to kickstart Britain: what should the government's priorities be?

Spectrum Auctions in Europe: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly | A new open-access book by Geoffrey Myers

Alumni Your community

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Connect and stay up to date with our global community

Read the latest news from the School of Public Policy

Stay up to date with our latest activities and events

Find out more

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Join our mailing list

Sign up for the latest SPP news and events

Our Student Community

Find out how to get involved

SPP office opening hours (CBG 5.14) Monday to Friday: 10.00am - 4.00pm

SPP general enquiries +44 (0)20 7107 5234

EMPA/EMPP enquiries +44 (0)20 7955 7991

SPP general enquiries [email protected]

MPA enquiries [email protected]

MPP enquiries [email protected]

EMPA/EMPP enquiries [email protected]

MPA-DSPP enquiries [email protected]

MPA Double Degree enquiries [email protected]

SPP Alumni enquiries [email protected]

SPP Events [email protected]

School of Public Policy, The London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE

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Public Policy

PhD / MPhil

• How to apply
• Apply for PhD
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Keele’s recent initiatives to create a major activity in public policy are encapsulated both by the creation of the School of Social Sciences and Public Policy (2016) and the Research Centre for Social Policy. 

Student testimonials

Staff  are available to supervise doctorates and other research degrees in the theory and practice of public-policy making and implementation – reflecting their interests in political theory, political institutions, public policy implementation studies, organisational studies and strategic management. 

Research interests

• Explanations of national and international policy-making
• Regional and local policy implementation

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Professional Doctorate in Public Policy and Political Economy

Want to or already work in public policy practice? This course will advance a career in public policy or an academic career.

Course overview

• Sep, 4 Years
• Professional Doctorate
• From £6,240 per year *
• School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Upcoming events

Why not meet us at our next online or in-person event?

About the Course

This unique Professional Doctorate programme is aimed at individuals who are working in, or who have previously worked in, an area of public policy practice (for example, a think tank, charity, in journalism, in the civil service or a central bank, or as a political researcher). Teachers of economics and politics can also take the programme. The format of teaching and research provides a structured, but flexible, framework making this the ideal way to combine doctoral studies with professional life.

The programme leads to the qualification “Doctor of Public Policy and Political Economy” and will be an important qualification for those wishing to advance a career in any area of public policy or advance an academic career. We also welcome students later in life who, as well as studying for the qualification, will be able to share their experience with other students at the study weekends.

Entry Requirements

Good Honours (2.1 or above) BA or BSc degree in an appropriate discipline or a relevant Masters degree. If you only have a Masters degree, you must have achieved an average of 60 per cent or above.

In addition, you must have had two years’ work experience in a relevant area if you are currently working. Alternatively, you can enter the programme if you have had ten years’ previous relevant work experience if you are no longer working in a public policy area or if you are not working at all.

Teaching & Assessment

The programme is mainly delivered online, with a series of webinars in the first two terms, followed by the supervision of the research project and the research thesis online. However, the students will be attending three study weekends in Buckingham in Year 1 and Year 2. You will find more details below.

There are four modules in the professional doctorate programme.

You will attend the weekly evening seminars held on the MA in Political Economy by Research . These cover topics such as Adam Smith; Alfred Marshall; the marginalists and neo-classical economics; Karl Marx; Friedrich Hayek and the Austrians; J.M. Keynes; James Buchanan, Gordon Tullock and public choice theory; the Frankfurt School; and behavioural economics. You can attend these seminars by distance learning.

You will attend a study weekend in May of your first academic year at the Vinson Centre, University of Buckingham. The study weekend will include: further lectures on schools of economic thought and their relevance to public policy and a preliminary research proposal presentation as well as research methods training.

You must attend this in person.

Module Three

This module will be a reflective analysis relating experience in your professional role to models in political economy (for example, public choice, institutional economics, market failure models etc) or to key figures in the development of thinking on political economy or public policy. You will then attend a second study weekend in October of the second academic year and your research proposal will be finalised. This will also be at the Vinson Centre.

Module Four

In Module Four, you will undertake a research thesis of a recommended length of 55,000 to 65,000 words. The research thesis will be on an approved topic related to your professional work (or former professional work) and is supervised by academic staff.

October study weekend

Every year you will be invited to the October study weekend. You can attend as many of these events before completing your thesis as you wish, but you will be required to attend at least one further study weekend, after your initial October study weekend, before you submit your thesis. You do not have to attend each year.

You have between four and six years following registration to complete your thesis.

You will be able to make use of the Vinson Centre’s superb economic policy and history of economic thought library throughout your period of study.

International study

This programme can be taken by overseas students as long as you are able to attend the three study weekends (the May and two October weekends) during the course of your registration period (up to six years). All other studies and supervision can be undertaken online.

Teaching, Supervision and Assessment

Teaching is a mixture of online provision and seminars at the study weekends held at the Vinson Centre. Each module will be assessed by shorter assignments before you move on to the thesis. These shorter assignments are designed to ensure that you are well prepared when you start your thesis. Appropriate supervisors will be appointed for module four. You will meet those supervisors regularly.

A Flexible Qualification – entry and exit routes

This programme is flexible so that you can join from other University of Buckingham programmes and gain exemptions from modules of the professional doctorate. Also, if you decide that the professional doctorate is not for you, your work will not be wasted: there are other exit routes.

MA in Political Economy – you can register for this degree and transfer to the Professional Doctorate in January of the first academic year. The fees that you have paid for the MA will be credited towards your professional doctorate so that the total fee will be approximately the same as if you had registered for the professional doctorate from the outset.

MA in Political Economy – students who enrolled on the MA in Political Economy in September will be able to transfer to the professional doctorate programme in October (following year) and move straight to module four. A special programme of study and assessment will be designed so that those transferring in this way obtain at least 120 level-7 credits when taking into account the assessments that they have already taken at that point. If you entered the professional doctorate in this way, you can extend your MA thesis to doctoral level.

MSc or PGCert in Central Banking – if you have completed the PGCert or MSc in Central Banking, you will be able to enter the professional doctorate at Module two (PGCert) or Module four (MSc),

University rules and regulations regarding the return of awards where credit is used for two qualifications would have to be followed.

There are also flexible exit routes so that, if you complete Modules One to Three successfully, but choose not to complete Module Four, you will receive a Postgraduate Diploma in Political Economy. However, you will be able to return within five years and complete the professional doctorate subject to the usual rules and regulations of the University regarding the return of qualifications when a qualification is taken further for another award.

Fees & Scholarships

The fees for this course are:

The University reserves the right to increase course fees annually in line with inflation linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI). If the University intends to increase your course fees it will notify you via email of this as soon as reasonably practicable.

Course fees do not include additional costs such as books, equipment, writing up fees and other ancillary charges. Where applicable, these additional costs will be made clear.

Scholarships

Details of our postgraduate scholarships can be found on our Bursaries and Scholarships page .

You should make an application to study at the University and receive an offer letter confirming our acceptance of your application before applying for a scholarship.

How To Apply

Apply directly.

You can apply directly using our online application form – all you need to do is click the ‘apply’ button at the bottom of this page.

To discuss further, please contact our Admissions team [email protected] .

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Mphil in public policy.

The Cambridge MPP is an interdisciplinary graduate degree intended for individuals who are developing careers as leaders in policymaking.

Whether that is formulation and implementation of policy within the local or national government, the not-for-profit sector, an NGO, or within the private sector. 

Our course aims to promote and strengthen the interconnections between science, research and innovation in public policy. Integral to these aims, the MPP will promote better awareness within policy circles of scientific developments and emerging technologies, which in turn will encourage long-term thinking and better strategic planning.   

We provide students with a range of opportunities to develop their academic and practical understanding of public policy through a broad set of lectures, seminars, exercises and simulations. 

We aim to accelerate your understanding of policymaking and to assist you in making a significant impact in public service.

If you have any additional questions and to apply, please take a look at the postgraduate admissions MPP page , or you may email the Course Coordinator.

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Phd-Study-In-Uk

• The UK Graduate Route– A Guide for Postgraduate Students

The UK Graduate Route – A Guide for Postgraduate Students

Written by Sarah Hastings-Woodhouse

The UK Graduate Route allows international students to apply for a post-study work (PSW) visa which is valid for at least two years after completing their degree. You don’t need to be in employment to stay in the UK on a graduate visa, and there are no restrictions of the kind of work you can do. This guide will cover everything you need to know about the Graduate Route, including who is eligible and how to apply.

We’ve also written a guide to the UK’s High Potential individual visa , for students who have graduated from some of the world’s top universities.

If you're looking for information about getting a visa to study your Masters in the UK, read our guide covering student visa requirements in the UK .

UK Government immigration update

You might have heard that last week the Migration Advisory Committee released a report indicating that the Graduate Visa is working as intended and should be retained. The Home Office has now announced that no changes will be made to the Graduate Visa right now. However, aspects of the student immigration route are under review and we'll keep you updated on any new announcements. Until then, keep on top of all the recent changes to the UK immigration policy with our blog!

On this page

How long can i stay in the uk with a graduate visa.

How long your visa will be valid for depends on your qualification:

• Masters (and Bachelors) graduates will be able to stay for up to two years after the completion of their degree.
• Those who have completed a PhD or other doctoral qualification will be able to stay for three years

This time period begins from the day your visa application is approved.

You don’t need to have received a job offer to apply for a Graduate Route UK visa, and you’re free to undertake almost any kind of employment in the UK (or be self-employed). You can’t work as a professional sportsperson or apply for most state benefits.

Many international students won’t have been able to stay in their host country due to the Covid-19 pandemic. If this applies to you, you may exempt from the requirement to have studied in the UK for at least 12 months. See the UK government website for details. .

Who can apply for a Graduate visa?

The Graduate Route is open to any international student that has studied an eligible undergraduate or postgraduate course in the UK. As well as Bachelors, Masters and PhD courses, this includes several other qualifications such as the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), a Law conversion course or a foundation programme in Dentistry or Medicine. You can view a more extensive list on the UK government website .

You’ll also need to have studied in the UK for at least 12 months (if the duration of your course was longer than this). If your course was shorter than 12 months, you’ll need to have remained in the UK for its entire duration .

You’ll need to be in the UK when you submit your application. You’ll also need to hold either Tier 4 visa or a Student Visa (which replaced the Tier 4 visa in 2020).

Should I apply for a Graduate Route visa as an EU student?

EU, EEA and Swiss students can apply for the Graduate Route visa in the same way as other international students.

If you already have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme , you won't need to apply for a PSW via the Graduate Route.

However, the deadline to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme was June 2021 for most students – so you'll likely need to apply for the Graduate Route instead. You can still apply for settled or pre-settled status in very specific circumstances .

How much does the Graduate Visa cost?

You’ll need to pay an application fee of £822 . There is also a healthcare surcharge – equivalent to £1,035 for each year you’ll be in the UK, to be paid upfront when you apply.

You might be able to get a refund for the healthcare surcharge if you end up working for the NHS.

Applying for the Graduate Route visa

To apply for a Graduate Route Visa, you’ll need the following documents:

• A valid passport (or other travel document showing your identity and nationality)
• Your biometric residence permit (BRP) if you have one. This would have been provided when you applied for your Tier 4 or Student Visa. EU, EEA and Swiss nationals can use their biometric passports to verify their identity in place of a BRP.
• Your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) reference number – this should have been sent to you by your university when you were offered a place on your course

If you received funding from a scholarship or sponsorship while studying in the UK, you may need to provide a letter from your funding provider approving your application. You’ll also need to get a certified translation if your documents are in a language other than English or Welsh.

There is no specific deadline for Graduate Route Visa applications, but you’ll need to apply before your student visa expires. When this is will depend on your course. You’ll be able to find out by checking you Confirmation of Studies (CAS), or by asking your university.

Once you’ve gathered the necessary documents, you can submit your application online. It may take up to eight weeks for you application to be approved.

Accessing your visa

If your application is successful, you’ll be issued with a digital eVisa, which you can view online via the government’s View and Prove service . This can also be accessed on your tablet or mobile device. This will allow you to prove your immigration status to employers, landlords or education providers.

If you want to stay in the UK longer than the two-year period covered by the Graduate Route Visa, you’ll need to apply for a different visa once it expires. This will most likely be the Skilled Worker visa .

Unlike the Graduate Route Visa, a Skilled Worker visa does require applicants to have an offer of employment with a minimum skill and salary level – but you’ll be able to use your time on the Graduate Route to work towards this.

For more information about the Graduate Route Visa, visit the official UK government website . You can also find out more about studying and living in the UK as an international student in our study in UK section .

Search for a PhD

Ready to start looking for your ideal programme? Browse and compare PhD programmes in the UK on FindAMasters.com.

Like hearing about postgraduate funding changes?

So do we it really helps when we're putting together our free weekly newsletter..

The seven UK Research Councils provide government studentships for PhD research in different subject areas. Our simple guide explains how this funding works, what you can get and how to apply successfully.

You may be able to get a PhD loan of up to £27,892 for a UK doctorate. Our guide explains eligibility, applications and repayments.

Our guide explains the best ways to fund international PhD study in the UK, with information on all the main scholarships available to you.

Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) or Doctoral Training Centres (DTCs) provide UK Research Council funded PhD studentships to postgraduate students

The Turing Scheme recently replaced the Erasmus programme, but is it any different? Let’s examine the Turing Scheme vs Erasmus debate in detail.

Postgraduate students in the UK are not eligible for the same funding as undergraduates or the free-hours entitlement for workers. So, what childcare support are postgraduate students eligible for?

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