What kind of PhD?

Two research students There are three ways to apply for a PhD.

1. Develop your own idea and find a supervisor

Find out who's doing the kind of research you're interested in and familiarise yourself with their work. Department web pages are the best place to start – see the research areas page.

2. Apply to work with a supervisor on one of their projects

Departments advertise PhD projects throughout the year. Many projects are funded. Find the department you're interested in on our research areas page.

You might find that a research project comes with a supervisor attached. Even so, it's worth finding out as much as you can about your supervisor before you apply.

3. Apply to a Doctoral Training Centre (DTC)

DTCs are a radical alternative to the usual PhD. They're designed to produce skilled individuals who can tackle the major challenges of our time. The programmes take three or four years to complete and combine taught modules with original research. They lead to a full PhD or Engineering Doctorate (EngD).

You can apply direct to a DTC or in some cases to the University, which includes writing a proposal. Current opportunities are shown on our Doctoral Training Centre website. Departments also advertise DTC opportunities.

PhD with a built-in masters

Some of our departments offer PhDs with integrated masters. You spend an initial year taking taught modules and a short research project, so you learn the research skills you'll need before progressing to a PhD.

This type of course is sometimes called PhD with Integrated Studies or PhD 1+3.

Check department web pages for the latest course details.

Preparation and funding

In most cases, a PhD will take three years, full-time. You can usually start at any point in the year, but check with the department you want to study with.

In 2012, we put £6 million into PhD scholarships because we want to make sure the right people get their chance to shine. Ideally, you should start planning and investigating funding opportunities at least a year before you want to start your studies.