Research degrees

We offer supervision for the degrees of:

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) - full-time and part-time
• Master of Philosophy (MPhil) - full-time and part-time

Find out more about our PhD and MPhil opportunities, and browse our research interests to learn more about our wide range of supervision topics.

We also offer a distance learning PhD/MPhil - allowing you to gain a University of Leicester research degree wherever you are in the world.

Apply

To apply for admission to the PhD programme for a self-funded place you must submit a completed application form, CV, two academic references, copies of degree certificates and transcripts, evidence of English language level (if required), and a research proposal of between 3,000 and 4,000 words. Please use the format specified in this example PhD proposal (PDF, 157kb). 

Our campus-based PhD programme has two intakes during the year - October and January. Please also note that, of the two intakes, we usually recommend that campus-based students (full-time) and those non-campus based students seeking part-time registration, but not by distance learning, begin the programme in October.

If you are an international applicant intending to be a campus-based student and you require a visa to study in the UK, then you should apply at least four months before you wish to commence the programme, given the points-based immigration system. This means that you should apply by the end of May for October entry and the end of August for January entry.

Funding

Find out about scholarships, studentships and other funding opportunities in the College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities.