PhD Criminology

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Apply online

Please ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered.

Application Deadlines

For consideration in internal funding competitions, you must submit your completed application by 1 December 2023.

If you are applying for or have secured external funding (for example, from an employer or government) or are self-funding, you must submit your application before the below deadlines to be considered. You will not be able to apply after these dates have passed.

• For September 2024 entry: 30 June 2024
• For January 2025 entry: 30 September 2024

Before you start your application, you should:

1. Develop your own research proposal and project title.
2. Find a supervisor by browsing our academics' profiles, and reach out directly to discuss if they are interested in supporting your research.
3. Consider how you plan on funding your research and discuss this with your supervisor.

When you submit your application, you must include each of the below required documents:

• A 1,500 word PhD research proposal;
• Copies of the academic transcript and certificate from both your Bachelor's and Master's degrees. If your Master's degree is pending, please provide an interim transcript;
• An up to date academic CV, detailing your education and qualifications; employment history; publications; and any other relevant information.
• You must nominate two academic referees (including one from your most recent institution). Your referees will be contacted directly via the Referee Portal following submission of your application form. You may wish to contact your referees to request they submit your reference in a reasonable timeframe as this forms part of the review process;
• International applicants must additionally provide English Language evidence (e.g IELTS).

The Department of Criminology has specialists in research around five key themes:  

• Fraud, white-collar and organised crime;
• Prisons, punishment and policing;
• Violence, abuse, exploitation and intersectionalities;
• Quantitative measurement and evaluations of crime and deviance;  
• Drug markets, consumption and policy.

The School welcomes applications that fit with the particular specialisms of our research staff. For example, we currently have grants in the areas of desistance, fraud, drugs, cryptomarkets, modern slavery, corruption, organised crime, policing and punishment, amongst others.  

In addition, the department has extensive skills in diverse methodologies, including:  

• biographical and narrative approaches to interviewing;
• ethnography;
• psychosocial case analysis;
• network analysis;
• deliberative methods;
• qualitative and quantitative longitudinal research;
• survey design and applied statistical analysis;
• programme evaluation;
• policy analysis.

• Engage in state-of-the-art doctoral research investigating a diverse array of social and criminological issues.
• Work closely with research centres which specialise in research clustered around five key themes: drugs, violence, fraud, social exclusion and justice innovation

• The School of Social Sciences is a proud member of the Economic and Social Research Council’s North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership and is approved by the Arts and Humanities Research Council to award funded studentships, both of which provide extensive training across the region. 
• We are a member of the N8 Policing Research Partnership.
• We are also able to host Commonwealth and Fullbright Scholarships, as well as annually advertised School funded studentships in addition to industry and public sector funded PhDs.

Distinguished academic researchers working at the forefront of their disciplines lead our research programmes, ensuring your qualification comes with a reputation that will open doors across the world. Our research activities and postgraduate research programmes are also informed by close partnerships with organisations from many different sectors.

For a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), you must successfully complete a period of supervised research and training, the results of which show convincing evidence of your capacity to pursue research and scholarship, and to make an original contribution and substantial addition to knowledge.   

You must prepare a substantial thesis, usually of no more than 80,000 words and satisfy the examiners in an oral examination on the subject of the thesis. The subject is chosen by the PGR but must be approved by the School's Research Committee.

The University of Manchester Library  

Manchester is home to one of the UK's five National Research Libraries - one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the UK and widely recognised as one of the world's greatest research libraries.

Find out more about libraries and study spaces for postgraduate research students at Manchester.

Successful graduates are able to progress within a wide variety of roles in academia and other criminological professions and associated fields. 

The University also has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a PGR and for two years after you graduate.  

At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help support you with your goals for the future.