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 Public Services you will:
We can supervise all areas related to Public Services. Particular areas of focus include:
You will join an active and engaged community of researchers whose expertise includes public sector management, housing and health policy, community and civil society service delivery, and crisis and disaster planning. We undertake rigorous research, and we are committed to translating that research into social, cultural and economic enhancements.
We undertake a range of cross-disciplinary projects with internal and external partners. We have recently undertaken investigations on football and social inclusion; apprenticeship schemes in the North West; and local housing and homelessness initiatives (in collaboration with our Policy Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU)).
We have also recently launched our new History and Applied Social Sciences research centres. These centres deliver interdisciplinary research that makes a real policy impact at a local, regional, national and global level.
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.
Researching Public Services gives you a vital understanding of recent social, political and economic initiatives.
A research degree in this area allows existing practitioners in the field to deepen their understanding and enhance their own professional practice. It will also equip you with a range of higher-level research and analytical skills that are valued highly in academia and in local, national and international political, social and economic organisations.
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 about 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 Public Services 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 contact Dr Sadiya Akram, the Research Degrees Coordinator for Politics or Dr Mercedes Penalba-Sottorio, the Research Degrees Coordinator for History and Economic History.
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.