PhD Politics

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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

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. Please state the word count on page 1 of the document.
• 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).

Our Politics PhD programme is a three-year (full-time) programme of study that enables you to carry out a piece of in-depth research in the area that most interests you.  

You will benefit from a global reputation, lively PhD student body, multiple research seminar series, and expertise in a diverse set of areas of politics grouped in our six research clusters .  

Politics is the biggest postgraduate community in our School and we welcome PGRs from all around the world, forming a vibrant community both socially and academically.  

Politics at The University of Manchester is one of the top politics departments in the country and globally, offering many career opportunities for our PGRs, such as:

• networking, internally and externally;
• support for diverse research methods and approaches; 
• overseas and fieldwork visits;
• internships; 
• career development. 

For further information on this programme, see our Politics page.

We host:

• The British Election Study , the largest quantitative data source in politics in Britain.
• The Manchester Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence , an interdisciplinary forum for the promotion research and teaching in Europe.
• The Manchester China Institute, an inter-disciplinary centre promoting a greater understanding of China and globalisation in the modern world.
• MOBILISE a €2 million ORA project studying protest and migration in Eastern Europe, Latin America and MENA.
• Digital Campaigning and Electoral Democracy (DiCED) a €2.4 million ERC project studying the role of digital technology in modern political campaigns.

All PGRs students join research clusters, providing you with a supportive intellectual network and opportunities to draw on the wide range of expertise in our department.

These include:

• Manchester Centre for Political Theory (MANCEPT)
• Comparative Politics
• Global Political Economy 
• Democracy and Elections
• Critical Global Politics

When you become a postgraduate researcher, you will join a diverse and vibrant community of doctoral students from nearly 100 different countries, all studying within the Faculty of Humanities.    

You will be assigned to a specific research grouping that complements your research interests and have access to a variety of interdisciplinary research institutes.   

Our working environments are often spacious and open-plan, giving you plenty of opportunities to communicate with colleagues and staff within the School, and you will have your own desk space as well as access to our fantastic range of libraries on campus.   

All of our academic supervisors are research active and will support you to work on challenging research problems and develop rigorous, creative and original research.   

You can expect to meet with your supervisor at least once a month to discuss progress on your project.   

As a postgraduate researcher, you'll have access to a large and diverse community of internationally recognised academic experts offering an environment that will stimulate intellectual debate and development.   

We provide additional financial support for a number of activities related to your PhD, including:   

• presenting at international conferences;   
• attending workshops that provide relevant professional opportunities; 
• conducting fieldwork in the UK and overseas.  

Graduate Teaching Assistants   

You can also get hands-on, paid teaching experience as a Graduate Teaching Assistant.    

Graduate Teaching Assistants in the School of Social Sciences are valued members of the teaching team. As such, we take pride in the opportunities provided for the professional development of graduate teaching assistants.    

Our training includes preparation for application to the Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. This brings a range of benefits as follows:  

• consolidates your personal development and emphasises your professional practice in HE;   
• entitlement to use post-nominal letters - AFHEA;   
• provides a valuable measure of success and is increasingly sought by employers across the education sector as a condition of appointment and promotion;  
• recognised and valued by a growing number of international institutions.  

For more information, see the  Associate Fellowship HEA .

See the profiles of our current cohort of PGRs .

Find out more about what it's like to undertake a postgraduate research degree at Manchester on our Humanities PGR blog .

The School of Social Sciences is based in a purpose-built building which allows 24/7 access. 

There is shared workspace available for PGRs within the discipline area and also a dedicated area in the atrium with computer terminals.

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. 

The University 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 .    

Our programme aims to enable you to become more aware of your developing researcher identity, equipping you with the skills you need during your PhD and prepare you to integrate into the researcher community.    

We offer training sessions to build your skills and confidence in writing and presenting, with specific sessions on viva preparation, thesis submission and preparing for your Review Panel.    

You will also have access to a range of workshops, covering areas such as:

• increasing research impact through blog posts; 
• making the most of social media;   
• publishing in journals; 
• applying for fellowships;  
• designing academic posters; 
• improving time and self-management. 

In addition, our Humanities training hub ResearcherDevelopment@Manchester gives you additional training opportunities in public engagement, wellbeing, language training and teaching, alongside more specialist courses in tools and software such as Python, R and NVivo.     

Methods@manchester , meanwhile, is an initiative that gives you the chance to learn from the very best in research methods expertise at Manchester and beyond. Regular talks, workshops and other methods-related events are organised throughout the academic year.   

Finally, taking a placement provides a great opportunity to engage in knowledge exchange and to develop professional networking opportunities for your future career development.  

We have established Postgraduate Researcher Exchange programmes with a small number of institutions around the world, offering you the opportunity to visit another institution, access research resources and experience another academic culture as well as build professional networks.  

Successful applicants will receive some funding towards travel expenses, accommodation, subsistence, education materials and/or other education-related costs.  

For more information, see training and development .