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Apply using the Applicant Portal
The Apply Now button on the right will take you to the Applicant Portal. There, you can create and submit your application and supporting documents, and you can also request your references.
An application is only complete when:
- you have submitted your application and supporting documents via the Applicant Portal
- you have paid the application fee if applicable. For further information on application fees, and which courses require an application fee, see here.
- your referees have provided their references.
If you miss the deadlines specified in this section, you will not be able to submit your application.
If you do meet the course requirements, you are recommended to consult the list of our established University Teaching Officers (UTOs) and their research interests. If one of our UTOs has research interests relevant to your own, please email them directly with a short research proposal of about 300 words, an example of your writing and a CV to determine whether they are potentially available to work with you as a supervisor before you make a formal application. Please see the following link for details.
You are recommended to only make a formal application via the University’s Postgraduate Admissions Office once an established UTO has confirmed that they would be interested to consider a formal application. Do not assume that you will be made an offer on the grounds that your prospective supervisor has suggested you make a formal application – this just represents the first stage of admission administration and you may not be the only candidate under consideration.
Please note that the Department places particular emphasis upon competence in foreign languages required for work in the chosen area of specialisation. Language tuition in Latin and modern foreign languages are available, but students who already possess the necessary language skills will be better prepared to undertake the course.
Selection Process
The first deadline for admissions is in early January when applicants will also be considered for funding. Should places with the proposed supervisor remain available, applications received after the funding deadline are considered on a rolling basis until the final deadline on 16 May.
Decisions on January applications are usually made in time to meet the funding nomination deadline. Please note that your admission is subject to final approval by the University's Postgraduate Admissions Office.
Applications are normally considered by the Department within 12 weeks. Many applicants will receive a decision earlier than this.
The criteria for admission are that applicants have met or exceeded the minimum academic requirements, that they have an outstanding research proposal, and that the Department can provide, for the projected duration of the course, supervision at a suitably expert level. This last consideration also includes the capacity of members of staff, who will rarely have more than six PhD students at any one time.
Further information on How To Apply
Things You'll Need
In order to apply for this course you'll need to think about getting a few things ready before you apply.
- Two academic references
- Transcript
- CV/resume
- Evidence of competence in English
If required - you can check using our tool - Research proposal (M)
Please upload a research proposal of 1000–1500 words, which should consist of a topic and a hypothesis, a literature review, a statement on method, and key references. - Sample of work (1)
Please upload a sample of work, which could be a journal publication or a chapter from your undergraduate or Master's dissertation. - Proposed Supervisor (M)
Before applying, you must get in touch with a Supervisor and discuss whether they are willing to Supervise you. Applications with no named Supervisor cannot be accepted. For more information on finding a Supervisor, see below.
Gates Cambridge Scholarships
If you wish to be considered for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship you will also need to provide the following:
See Gates Cambridge for more information.
How to Find a Supervisor
Students applying for a PhD should begin by identifying a supervisor. A list of members of staff and their research interests in the Department can be found on the Department's website. Having identified a potential supervisor, the candidate should contact them with a research proposal and have a discussion by email to try to identify whether they are willing and able to supervise them. Very often the potential supervisor will advise on how a research proposal might be developed or improved. It should be noted that we can only accept candidates who have identified a potential supervisor in the Department who is willing to work with them.