- Degree awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Duration
- 4 to 5 years depending on point of entry
- Entry requirements
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Streams: The 1+3 stream consists of one year of PhD level teaching followed by 3 years of research. The 1+1+3 stream consists of one year of MSc teaching followed by the 1+3 stream.
High level of performance: At a minimum, applicants must achieve an average of 65% in coursework with no unit marks below 55%, for both the undergraduate and postgraduate taught degrees as well as a 65% mark for the dissertation. Typically, offer holders exceed these standards significantly. Applicants may be required to achieve higher grades and meet additional requirements (see how your application is considered).
Degree Requirement : The economics training applicants have received should be equivalent to that offered at the University of Manchester. Applicants with degrees in quantitative fields other than economics will be considered on a case-by-case basis . We do not normally consider applicants whose previous studies have been in non-quantitative fields. Our criteria are:
- 1+1+3 Stream: applicants must demonstrate high-level performance in a degree equivalent to a BSc or MA in Economics from the University of Manchester.
- 1+3 Stream: applicants must demonstrate high-level performance in a degree equivalent to the training provided in the MSc phase of our PhD programme.
Competition for places on this programme is very high and meeting the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee an offer of admission. Additionally, we reserve the flexibility to determine the appropriate stream (1+3 or 1+1+3) for each applicant. Even if an applicant technically meets the minimum requirements for the 1+3 stream, we may choose to admit them to the 1+1+3 stream based on our academic judgment.
- How to apply
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Please ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered.
Application Deadlines
Admission to the PhD programme is highly competitive, so please allow as much time as possible to prepare your application, browse our research pages and academics' profiles, and familiarise yourself with the application process and any important deadlines.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, but you must submit your application before the deadline below to be considered. You will not be able to apply after this deadline has passed.
- For September 2025 entry: 30 June 2025
It should be noted that the deadlines for funding competitions will often be earlier than the deadline shown above. For internal studentships from the School of Social Sciences, the application deadline is the same as the programme deadline above. However, we reserve the right to close the competition at any stage if all awards have been allocated, so we recommend that you apply as early as possible. If you intend to apply for external funding sources (e.g. ESRC NWSSDTP), you must submit your programme application far enough in advance of the relevant external funding deadlines, which are usually much earlier than the programme deadline listed above.
Programme options
| Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PhD | Y | N | N | N |
Programme overview
- Join a vibrant and active research hub, with weekly seminars in macroeconomics, economic theory and applied economics.
- Benefit from staff with expertise across all areas of economics.
- We host prestigious events such as the Annual Conferences of the Royal Economic Society and the Summer Meeting of the European Economic Society and the Econometric Society.
Open days
Our virtual week took place October 2024 – to find out about future sessions to explore postgraduate research opportunities across the university, please visit our study fairs and events page.
To stay up-to-date with future events and recorded sessions in the Faculty of Humanities, please join our postgraduate research email update list .
Fees
For entry in the academic year beginning September 2025, the tuition fees are as follows:
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PhD (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £5,006
International, including EU, students (per annum): £22,000
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
Scholarships/sponsorships
There are a range of scholarships, studentships and awards available to support both UK and overseas postgraduate researchers, details of which can be found via the links below.
To apply University of Manchester funding, you must indicate in your application the competitions for which you wish to be considered .
All external funding competitions have a specified deadline for submitting your funding application and a separate (earlier) deadline for submitting the online programme application form, both of which will be stated in the funding competition details below.
You will need to be nominated by your proposed supervisor for a number of our scholarships. Therefore, we highly recommend you discuss these funding opportunities with your supervisor first, so they can advise on your suitability and ensure you meet nomination deadlines.
For more information about funding, visit our funding page to browse for scholarships, studentships and awards you may be eligible for.
- ESRC North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP) PhD Studentships 2025 Entry
- School of Social Sciences Economics PhD Studentships 2025 Entry
- China Scholarship Council - The University of Manchester (CSC-UoM) Joint Scholarship Programme - Competition Closed for 2025 Entry
- Trudeau Doctoral Scholarships 2025 Entry
- PhD Studentship with the Stuart Hall Foundation (Social Sciences) 2025 Entry
- Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (High Income Countries)
- Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (Least Developed Countries and Fragile States) - Competition Closed for 2025 Entry
- President's Doctoral Scholar (PDS) Awards 2025 Entry
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- School of Social Sciences
- Contact name
- Humanities Doctoral Academy Admissions
- Telephone
- +44(0)161 275 1200 OPTION 1
- hums.doctoralacademy.admissions@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- https://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/
- School/Faculty
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See: School Subjects
Programmes in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of programmes in related subject areas.
Regulated by the Office for Students
The University of Manchester is regulated by the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS aims to help students succeed in Higher Education by ensuring they receive excellent information and guidance, get high quality education that prepares them for the future and by protecting their interests. More information can be found at the OfS website.
You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at The University of Manchester, including our Degree Regulations and Complaints Procedure, on our regulations website.