university edinburgh phd

School of Engineering

> schools & departments, search form.

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

Study for a PhD

A PhD degree from Edinburgh is your chance to connect with internationally renowned researchers and innovators, with a unique opportunity to experience one of Europe's leading universities in one of the world's most iconic cities.

We carry out world class research and provide high quality training in research for both students and postdoctoral researchers.

Our world-leading research is conducted through our seven Research Institutes . These span across and connect between our core disciplines of Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Electronics & Electrical Engineering.

You will carry out independent research resulting in an original contribution to knowledge in your chosen area, guided by your supervisor. You will submit a thesis and defend it in an assessed oral exam.

Alongside this research, all our researchers follow a comprehensive training programme that is an integral part of our research degrees. You will gain skills that will equip you for a wide range of future careers beyond your specialist research project. These will serve you for the rest of life, making you a more confident and knowledgeable person, and equipping you in both technical and soft skills. You can find additional information on our training and support here: https://edin.ac/3f7KyhE . This includes a link to the current handbook for postgraduate research students in the School of Engineering.

The School of Engineering has an active research community. PhD students present at research seminars in their research institutes, and attend talks by visiting speakers. Our Engineering Graduate Society organises networking, training, and social events across the School.

We have a very wide range of high-quality engineering facilities, including specialised test laboratories, fabrication workshops, and computing resources. Information on these facilities can be found on our research web pages .

Our graduates are amongst the most highly sought-after candidates for academic, commercial or consulting positions, entering careers around the world. The majority of our research graduates enter the engineering profession in a wide range of fields, including automotive, bioengineering, communications, medical imaging, engineering consultancy, fire safety, renewable energy, chemical processing, oil and gas, fast moving consumable goods, high-technology and the semiconductor industry.  Other graduates from our programmes continue to further research including postdoctoral fellowships, lecturing roles and research contracts in universities and research institutes.

Funding Required

• Tuition fees : All students pay tuition fees. Further information on the fee rates for Home, EU, and International students can be found here: Full time fees and Part time fees
• Research costs:  "Additional programme costs" are in addition to the tuition fees, and include the costs of carrying out research project, such as the costs of laboratory and experimental work, software licenses, or travel costs. The costs of research depend upon the nature of the research project.   Further information .
• Living Expenses / Stipend:  The University gives information on living costs in Edinburgh, which will be a substantial commitment: Latest estimates of living expenses .

Scholarships Available

The School of Engineering offers several scholarships for excellent students. The deadlines for scholarships applications are early in each year. Please view our scholarship options .

Academic Grades

You will need a UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent in your first degree, which must be in a relevant subject.

A good MSc result, relevant work experience, or some other exceptional achievement will be considered for applicants who do not meet this requirement.

English language requirements

Information on our English language requirements can be found on the Engineering PhD degree finder page , with additional information for International applicants given on this web page .  Please note that our English language requirement cannot be waived.

Before applying for a PhD, you should look at our research pages  to help identify the field of research that you would be interested in studying.

Our list of Current PhD Opportunites gives several possible research projects, but it is not exhaustive, and you should contact a member of our academic staff to see whether they would be able to supervise your research.

Before you Apply

Before applying for a PhD in Engineering you should:

• Identify a possible academic supervisor working in the area that you would like to carry out research. You can find information on our academic staff on our research web pages , or view our list of PhD Opportunities .
• Check that you meet the entry requirements and that you have degree certificates and transcripts for your application.
• Established how you will fund your PhD: Funding and Scholarships

To apply for a PhD you will need the following documents:

• Degree certificates, transcripts, and evidence of meeting our English language requirements (as appropriate).
• Two references on official letterheads, with signatures.
• A  Research Proposal , which should be in your words even if your are applying an advertised project. This helps evaluate your writing skills and research ideas. It can help with both assessing your suitability for a research degree and whether we can offer supervision. It should be no more than 2 A4 pages.

​Potential students in all of our engineering disciplines and all of our research institutes should apply for our  PhD in Engineering  programme.  Apply here using the University's online application system .

Additional information for PhD applicants (and for our EngD, MPhil, MScR or visiting student programmes) can be found in these two documents:

• Additional information for postgraduate research students
• Postgraduate Research Student Handbook (School of Engineering)

Part-time Study

A small number of our students study part-time. This must, however, be discussed with your potential supervisor, as whether this is possible will depend upon the nature of the research project. As a part-time student you would be required to spend 50% of your time on your PhD and you are expected to be in the University 50% of your time. It is consequently not possible to pursue a part-time PhD in addition to full-time employment.

Distance Learning

Our PhD students usually study here in the University of Edinburgh, where they benefit from the research community, expert networks, training and activities that are an integral part of a PhD. It is occasionally appropriate to study remotely, for example, to make use of research facilities that are uniquely available at a different location. Distance learning requires careful planning and the arrangements need to be agreed in advance, to ensure adequate supervision, training, and opportunities to engage with our research community. Please discuss a possible distance learning proposal with an academic supervisor before applying.

THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Notice
• Privacy & Cookies
• Website Accessibility
• Freedom of information publication scheme
• Website Issue Reporting

• Social Media
•              

• Schools & departments

Why study at Edinburgh?

How to apply for a phd, what funding is available for your phd study, visiting research students.

• News & Events

Graduate School contacts

• Useful Links
• School of Mathematics
• Studying Here
• Postgraduate Research Studies

Research Degrees (PhD)

Our Graduate School is supervised by internationally-leading researchers spanning a wide spectrum of topics, making our School a world renowned centre of excellence in mathematics.

Watch a recording of the School of Mathematics' Graduate School Virtual Open Day 20-21

The School of Mathematics welcomes applications to our Visitors Programme from research students who are registered at another university.

MAC-MIGS CDT

MAC-MIGS is a prestigious EPSRC-funded PhD programme in Mathematical Modelling, Analysis and Computation, run jointly by Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt universities, as part of the Maxwell Institute Graduate School, that offers fully-funded scholarships.

MAC-MIGS website

The Maxwell Institute Graduate School in Analysis and its Applications (MIGSAA) is a Centre for Doctoral Training that provides high quality instruction in analysis and the applications of analysis to a wide range of areas. MIGSAA has been made possible by a grant from the UK's Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Scottish Funding Council.

MIGSAA website

Graduate School staff

• Schools & departments

What is the Doctoral College?

The University of Edinburgh Doctoral College is a coordinating structure for all postgraduate researchers, supervisors and relevant staff at the university, designed to enhance and support the postgraduate student experience. 

For information and resources for research staff, please see the Research Staff Pages:   https://www.ed.ac.uk/researchers

A Doctoral College Welcome Event for all Postgraduate Researchers was held on 12th September 2023. A recording of this event is available to watch here -  https://edin.ac/3PIYbYv 

A Town Hall Event for all Postgraduate Researchers ran on the 23rd January 2024 - A recording of this event is available to watch here - Recording

PhD stories

Our extraordinary PhD students come from all walks of life and all backgrounds. In this collection of short videos, some of them share their experiences -   PhD Stories

Vision and strategy

The purpose of the Doctoral College, our vision and strategic objectives.

People and structure

About the Doctoral College leadership and management structure, and the wider Doctoral College team.

Personal and professional development and training

Information about professional, careers and personal development training and opportunities for  UoE   PGR  students.

Wellbeing, community and representation

Information on student representation, wellbeing services and opportunities for engagement.

Support for PGR supervision

Information and guidance for staff who supervise research students.

Doctoral training centres

Information on funded PhD training programmes and support for directors and administrators of these programmes.

Essential information for postgraduate researchers

Code of Practice for Supervisors and Research Students (PDF)

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences - PGR pages

College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine - PGR pages

College of Science and Engineering  (EASE log in required)

Information for prospective postgraduate research students

New student pages

Postgraduate study degree finder

This article was published on 2023-12-07

• Schools & departments

School of Physics and Astronomy

Study with us.

• Current students

People directory

• Events & seminars

Industry & entrepreneurship

• Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Coronavirus (COVID-19) updates

For the latest information and advice see: Coronavirus updates .

TestEd Covid-19 testing now available at JCMB. Find out more: TestEd .

Latest news

• Dormant massive black hole spotted in the Milky Way
• Funding success supports research in nuclear astrophysics and galaxy evolution
• The School pays tribute to Professor Peter Higgs

Upcoming events

• 17 Apr: Gauge Invariance and Observables in Particle Physics
• 19 Apr: Metric Geometry and Differential forms
• 22 Apr: TBA

Undergraduate degrees

Higgs Scholarships

For staff & students.

• Information for current students
• Staff intranet
• Health & safety information
• Equality, diversity & inclusion

Connect with us

• School Facebook page
• School Twitter page
• School Blog
• School Instagram channel
• Work With Us

School of Social and Political Science

Phd sociology, introduction.

The deadline to apply for September 2024 entry is Monday 1 July 2024.

We welcome applications for PhD study in Sociology

Edinburgh is one of the leading international centres of excellence for postgraduate study in sociology. Our PhD degree is eligible for Economic and Social Research Council funding for UK and EU students, but our postgraduate research students come from all over the world and we have a vibrant and diverse postgraduate student community, which plays a full role in the life of the department. Many of our students have non-sociology backgrounds and bring with them experience and expertise from other disciplines in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Whatever your background, you will thrive at Edinburgh.

Potential applicants are encouraged to contact the Postgraduate Admissions Advisor (Research) [email protected] to discuss their research proposals and the availability of appropriate research supervision, using the email address on the right-hand side of the page.

Questions about eligibility, conditions of entrance, and other aspects of the application and scholarship process should be addressed to [email protected]

Our PhD programme accommodates a great variety of work intellectually and methodologically. We have particular research strengths in the areas of:

• digital sociology
• finance and economic sociology
• environment and energy
• nationalism and political action
• race and decolonisation

But this list does not do full justice to the breadth of work undertaken by our PhD researchers. This work also includes a variety of research approaches, and our staff are equipped to supervise advanced quantitative analysis; digital research; qualitative and ethnographic methods; documentary analysis (including historical and biographical approaches); and mixed methods.

We play a leading role in large methodological initiatives hosted at Edinburgh, including one of the key UK units of the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods and the Applied Quantitative Methods Network ( AQMEN ), as well as the University's Centres for Research on Families and Relationships ,  South Asian Studies  and Canadian Studies .

Our staff are also highly diverse in their origins and the geographical scope of their expertise. We do research covering the UK and other parts of Europe; the Americas (including Latin America); Africa; and across the Middle East, South and East Asia (including China). The work of our PhD researchers also reflects this geographical diversity. 

We provide the necessary training and guidance to support your PhD research and develop your scholarly potential while also equipping you with wider skills, knowledge and experience as the basis for a career within or outside academia. 

PhD researchers in Sociology are allocated a supervisor and a co-supervisor, who advise on the entirety of the research process, from reading and assembling ideas, fieldwork, analysing empirical or theoretical materials, writing up chapters, completing the thesis, and the viva examination which rounds off the process. You are encouraged to contact staff with similar interests to yours and discuss ideas prior to application.

In your first year, you will participate in the Sociology Postgraduate Research Seminar, which runs throughout the academic year. As well as having a cohort- and community-building purpose, this will equip you with the scholarly skills necessary to succeed in your studies and research. It concludes with a research conference in which first year PhD students play a leading role.

You are also expected in your first year to follow the research training courses most appropriate for your proposed methods, and to develop your knowledge of relevant literature and your research design, culminating in submission of a full research proposal 9-12 months after commencement of studies. Subsequent years of the PhD are devoted to research, data analysis and writing of the thesis, alongside any further specific or general training you require or choose to follow. Typically, there are also opportunities for paid teaching employment throughout. 

While we will consider any PhD topic for supervision, to help you identify potential supervisors you might review the key people under our key research themes to see if any of these match your interests. Here you can also find (via the Methods theme) some indication of our areas of particular methodological expertise. You can also review all the personal pages and interests of our academic staff .

Applying for this PhD

• Identify potential supervisors suited to your research interests
• Write a draft research proposal
• Contact the Postgraduate Advisor with your research proposal and list of potential supervisors
• Once discussed with the Postgraduate Advisor, formally submit your application on EUCLID

Postgraduate Advisor

Schools & departments

PhD Study with Edinburgh Neuroscience

Edinburgh Neuroscience currently has about 250 PhD students working on a wide variety of neuroscience-related projects that cover health and disease across the life course, from early development to old age. Our PhD students are an integral part of our dynamic neuroscience community and we are keen to recruit motivated and collaborative students.  There are a variety of PhD opportunities, advertised throughout the year and, in addition to the numerous individual PhD projects offered via our research centres, we have two PhD programmes.

EdNeuro.PhD is our PhD portal

To find out more about studying for a PhD with Edinburgh Neuroscience, currently available funded studentships and how to apply, please visit our dedicated PhD portal  EdNeuro.PhD

Visit EdNeuro.PhD for all our PhD training information

Our PhD Programmes

SPRINT-MND/MS PhD Programme . Led by Edinburgh Neuroscience, Scottish PhD Research & Innovation Network Traineeships in MND/MS’ is a PhD programme in partnership with the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and St Andrews and promotes research into all aspects of motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis.

Wellcome Trust 4 year PhD in translational Neuroscience . Our flagship PhD programme  ‘Translational Neuroscience: Lifecourse influences on human brain health’ is a ‘ training to translate ’ programme for non -clinical students that addresses a current global need by focussing on the advancement of knowledge, expertise and skills in clinical translation, drawing on unique Edinburgh research strengths in diseases across the life-course to achieve this goal.

• Schools & departments

Economics PhD with Integrated Study

Awards: PhD with Integrated Study

Study modes: Full-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Economics

Discovery Day

Join us online on 18th April to learn more about postgraduate study at Edinburgh

View sessions and register

Research profile

Our PhD programme enables you to pursue your academic interests, and learn the latest methods in research, while providing you with thorough training in modern economics.

Research rankings

We have an impressive history of high rankings for our research.

In the most recent Research Assessment Exercise, 25% of our research was judged world-leading in its originality, significance and rigour. A further 45% was judged internationally excellent.

Academic staff profiles

There are 34 staff members and around 30 PhD students. Profiles of all our economics staff and students are available on the economics website:

• Staff and students at the School of Economics

Programme structure

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses.

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Training and support

Academic support.

You will be supervised by two faculty members from the School, who will provide academic support and advice on the subject area, methodology and structure of your thesis.

What will I study?

The PhD programme is principally a research degree, but modern economics requires substantial training that exceeds the level of an MSc or other masters study.

In Year 1, you will take 120 credits of advanced research-oriented coursework, with the opportunity to take field courses at the frontier of areas relevant to your research.

Review and progression

Subject to passing an annual review at the end of Year 1, you will proceed to three further years of research, with the possibility of taking a fourth “writing-up” year.

As a postgraduate student at the School of Economics you will be immersed in a rich academic environment and supportive community of staff and students.

You with have all the practical facilities to ensure success in your chosen programme of learning or research.

Career opportunities

Employment opportunities.

While many of our PhD graduates choose to remain in academia as lecturers and researchers, some pursue careers in other sectors.

Recent PhD graduates have found employment as researchers and analysts with:

• Behavioural Insights Team
• Danmarks Nationalbank
• Bank of England
• other private and public organisations

Post-doctoral opportunities

Recent graduates have successfully attained post-doctoral positions at:

• University of Oxford
• King's College London
• London School of Economics and Political Science
• European University Institute

As well as faculty positions at:

• Heriot-Watt University
• Penn State University
• University of St Andrews
• Aarhus University
• Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

Practical careers support

Our PhD students benefit from the help of our Placement Director in looking for academic jobs.

As well as offering advice and running information sessions, the Placement Director organises practical preparation sessions tailored to the academic job market, such as practice interviews and job talks.

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 masters degree with distinction, or its international equivalent, in analytical economics. This degree should be equivalent to that offered by the Scottish Graduate Programme in Economics .

If you do not hold a masters, or if your masters is in another subject, you will not normally be admitted directly to the PhD.

Our programme is designed to enable you to pursue your academic interests, and learn the latest methods in research, while providing thorough training in modern economics. As important as your topic is the ability to match your topic with our supervision team. We will not admit a student, where we cannot provide the very best supervision. Therefore, you should think carefully about whether your topic matches our research interests.

During the application process, you will be asked to provide a research summary that briefly outlines your research interests and why you feel they fit with those of the School.

The criteria we will use to decide upon admission will include:

the quality and rigour of your training in core economics areas.

your performance at undergraduate and postgraduate level

our ability to offer supervision in your chosen area of research

the quality of your research summary and the strength of the match to the research priorities of the School

our assessment of any previous independent work (such as your masters dissertation or extended project)

In exceptional cases, we may consider prior independent research experience as a positive factor for admission.

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 6.5 in reading and listening, and 6.0 in all other components. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in reading and listening, and 20 in speaking and writing. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 185 with at least 176 in reading and listening, and 169 in speaking and writing.
• Trinity ISE : ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 62 in reading and listening, and 59 in each other 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

Scholarships and funding, featured funding.

We offer funding for high quality applicants, although we would encourage you to try and obtained your own funding sources in the first instance.

• School of Economics scholarships
• University of Edinburgh Scholarship Search

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding

Further information

• Postgraduate Administrator
• Phone: +44 (0)131 651 1795
• Contact: [email protected]
• School of Economics
• 30/31 Buccleuch Place
• Central Campus
• Programme: Economics
• School: Economics
• College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.

PhD with Integrated Study in Economics - 4 Years (Full-time)

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 two references with your application.

See our supervisors and their areas of research:

• Economics staff

Before applying for a PhD with us, please send us an enquiry email so we can assist you and give you the best advice.

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

Fully Funded Biomedical Sciences Education PhD at University of Edinburgh (deadline extended)

The University of Edinburgh is seeking a student who would like to do a PhD on Biomedical Sciences education, specifically on the topic of international and transnational education. The PhD is funded through a partnership with the Zhejiang-Edinburgh Institute in China. The student can have a broad STEM (biology, medicine, sciences) or educational background (or psychology, sociology, etc.), but will be keen to contribute to biomedical education.

The PhD is fully funded, situated primarily in Edinburgh, and open to international students. The original deadline was 3/29/24 but has been extended. Please send any questions about the program to Dr. Jacqueline Dohaney at [email protected]

• Graduate Programs
• Scholarships & Funding

PhD in Financial Technology

Building on our established PhD in Management programme, we have developed an innovative new doctoral programme in the field of Financial Technology.

PhD in Financial Technology allows students to pursue their own research topic in the area of Financial Technology or apply for specific industry projects, where students will be able to address complex industrial challenges to gain real-world experience.

This programme aims to prepare students for a diverse array of careers in finance. Approximately 50% of students who pursue the industry pathway, can expect to build on the networking opportunities available to them from studying at the international partners' premises during their study and move into a permanent career in that company, or the industry after graduation.

PhD in Financial Technology at a glance

• Study over three years full-time or six years part-time, with an additional 'writing-up' year available to all.
• Develop advanced techniques and in-depth knowledge in the field of Financial Technology.
• Study an independent research topic or participate in fully funded opportunities working with leading industry partners.
• For those on the industry pathway, study both at the University of Edinburgh campus and at an industrial partner's location, with guidance from academic colleagues and industry specialists at all times.
• We encourage our students to aim higher, presenting papers at prestigious conferences and submitting articles for publication.
• Access to a wide range of professional and personal development opportunities during your studies.
• While we invite students from around the globe to join our community, we don't offer this programme online or by distance learning.

Entry requirements

Find out our academic, English language, and application requirements for the PhD in Financial Technology.

Programme overview

View the learning outcomes and a typical training course schedule for a first-year student.

Fees and living expenses

When budgeting please consider associated administration fees and expenses as well as our funding support.

Ready to apply?

Review our application checklist and make your application to the PhD in Financial Technology.

This site uses cookies

We use necessary cookies to make our sites work. We'd also like to set additional cookies to analyse how our sites are performing, to improve the relevance of our ads and to optimise your experience. These will be set only if you accept. To learn more, view our privacy policy .

Privacy Preferences

Necessary cookies.

These cookies are necessary for the website to function normally and cannot be turned off. They are usually set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can block or delete them in your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions.

Analytics cookies

These cookies allow us to monitor how our websites and services are performing by collecting data about how visitors interact with our sites. The data is collected in a way that does not directly identify anyone.

Marketing cookies

These cookies are set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant ads on other sites. If you disable this setting, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Functionality cookies

These cookies enable us to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages.