Research Degrees in
in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Do you want to advance or change your career, deepen your expertise in a topic, or expand your research and practical skills?
With a PhD or other postgraduate research degree in the areas Politics, Political Theory and International Relations you will:
If you would like to specialise in Digital Politics, check this page for our Digital Politics research degree
Our Politics researchers undertake innovative research into contemporary and/or historical politics. We have expertise in various domestic politics and international relations topics. We also undertake collaborative, cross-disciplinary research with colleagues in History, Public Services, English Literature, and Philosophy.
We organise a range of seminars and workshops, inviting many prestigious external speakers.
We have also recently launched two new research centres: History and Applied Social Sciences. These interdisciplinary centres seek to undertake research that makes a real policy impact at a local, regional, national and global level. We are also home to a number of other research projects and initiatives that inform our work, including the Manchester Centre for Public History and Heritage and the Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU).
The social and intellectual life of the Faculty is enhanced by the Postgraduate Arts and Humanities Centre (PAHC) which provides:
Find out more about the different research degrees we offer
The majority of our students enrol in October. We offer further enrolment points in January and April.
Research degrees are available to study on-campus or through distance learning.
A doctoral degree in politics gives you advanced analytical and research skills and an in-depth understanding of significant political issues.
This equips you for a range of senior roles in academia, public sector, local, national international organisations, and a range of other sectors..
This course is research based. You will independently conduct research into your own topic or a topic that we advertise. Your supervisory team will offer expert guidance throughout your studies and review work in progress.
Each year, you will follow a programme of training and development to enhance your research methods, subject-matter expertise and professional skills.
Please refer to our Fees page for more information on tuition fees.
Many of our PhD and Professional Doctorate programmes are eligible for the government's Doctoral Loan Scheme. MPhil and MA/MSc by Research degrees are eligible for a Postgraduate Loan.
Each year we offer a number of competitive scholarships to support high quality research projects. Current scholarship opportunities in Politics are advertised on our site.
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You should, as a minimum, have a first or 2.1 honours degree or an equivalent qualification.
International students must demonstrate a sufficiently high standard of English language ability. In order to enter most postgraduate courses the English requirements are IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 575, and TOEFL computer-based 230.
We welcome interest from applicants from non-standard backgrounds. We will take subject knowledge, professional experience, publications, or other appropriate evidence of accomplishment into consideration.
See more about our standard entry requirements.
Before applying for a research degree, you should have a preliminary discussion with a member of staff about your project and ideas. To arrange this, please email Dr Sadiya Akram (S.Akram@mmu.ac.uk), the Research Degrees Co-ordinator for Politics.
For further information on the application process, contact the Admissions team at pgradmissions@mmu.ac.uk.
To apply for this degree, please select one of the study options below to begin your application.
Before you apply, you should discuss your project with a member of academic staff. You should also complete the postgraduate research degree thesis proposal form, which you will need to upload as part of your application. The document can be attached at the final checklist section after you’ve submitted your application.