How to Apply for a PhD Position

Applying for a PhD position at Durham Psychology has two parts:

1. Applying for a place to study
2. Securing funding for the PhD project

Both parts need to be successfully completed, and they are typically independent of each other. In other words, receiving an offer to study does usually not entail funding and vice versa.

Part 1: Applying for a place to study

Entry Requirements

Students who want to study for a PhD with us need to fulfil our entry requirements. These are:

• A 2(i) at undergraduate level (or equivalent) or Master’s qualification in a relevant subject
• For applicants who are not from a recognised English speaking country: an English language test that meets the direct entry Band A requirements (e.g. IELTS score of at least 7, with no element below 6.5). The list of accepted tests and scores required can be found here.

For candidates fulfilling these criteria, getting an offer to study typically involves the following steps:

Step 1: Finding a potential supervisor

Research degree students are supervised by world-leading, internationally recognised researchers. To find a supervisor for your project, candidates should:

• Check a list of suggested projects
• Find out about our research groups
• Look at our staff profiles

To find out about availabilities and to potentially develop a research proposal (see next step), candidates can informally contact the respective staff member directly via email. It is helpful to include a CV and clear information about research interests. Candidates can also ask the Director of Postgraduate Research (holger.wiese@durham.ac.uk) for guidance on whether there is expertise in the Department to supervise a particular area of interest.

Step 2: Developing a research proposal

Once candidates have been in contact with a potential supervisor and have agreed on an area of research for a PhD project, they should develop a research proposal. This can be based on a pre-existing project advertised by the staff member or can be developed on the basis of shared research interests between the candidate and supervisor.

The written proposal must not be longer than two A4 pages, excluding references, and should contain a brief description of (i) the relevant background literature, including the theoretical or practical relevance of the chosen research area, (ii) a clear statement of the research question(s), (iii) a description of the methodological approach, and (iv) a timeline, demonstrating how the research question can be tackled within the timeframe of a PhD project.

Please note that if you are applying for funding (see below), the research proposal format required may differ.

Step 3: The application

Finally, once candidates have completed steps 1 and 2, they should next submit their application.

• All applications are made on the university’s online portal
• Candidates need to make sure they complete all relevant sections of the online application form

We also ask candidates to submit the following documents:

• Two academic reference letters
• Copies of Degree Certificates or Transcripts of Marks to date
• A CV
• A personal statement
• The research proposal (see step 2)
• For applicants who are not from a recognised English speaking country, evidence of English language ability (see above)

The typical start dates for the PhD programme are 1st October, 1st January and 1st April, and the standard PhD duration is 3 years, though some funded PhDs may be longer.

Applicants should aim to submit applications as early as possible and no later than the following deadlines:

• The deadline for applications from home applicants is 7 weeks before your proposed start date.
• The deadline for applications from international applicants is 10 weeks before your proposed start date.

Any questions about these steps should be directed to pgrinfo.psy@durham.ac.uk

Criteria for making an offer to study

Once candidates have submitted their application, the department’s PGR team will process and evaluate it based on the following criteria:

• The academic track record
• The quality and feasibility of the research proposal
• Written references
• And English Language level.

In addition to evaluating the written application, we will typically invite candidates for an interview (online if necessary).

Part 2: Getting Funding

Studying at postgraduate research level at Durham University is subject to tuition fees.

While applicants can self-fund their studies, fees can also be fully or partly covered by studentships. Up-to-date information about studentships for PhD positions in the Department of Psychology can be found here.

Generally, funding for PhD positions can become available via the following schemes:

• Departmental studentships - the Department of Psychology typically offers a limited number of studentships that cover home tuition fees.
• The Northern Ireland and North-East Doctoral Training Partnership (NINE DTP) - the department is part of NINE DTP, funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council. NINE DTP is open to both home and international applicants.
• Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) - full tuition fee scholarships are open to applicants from mainland China.
• Staff-led projects - studentships can become available via project-based research grants awarded to individual investigators or research teams. Funders include the European Research Council, the Leverhulme Trust, NIHR, and NHS-funded projects. Similarly, charitable funding, including studentships supported by organisations such as Fight for Sight and Reach, can become available. Information about these opportunities will be posted when they arise on the department’s PGR funding website.
• Matched-funding scheme - for more information, contact potential supervisors or pgrinfo.psy@durham.ac.uk