Doctor of Philosophy PhD

Refine your own agenda and do what you find interesting every day. Develop mastery of research methods that are appropriate to your chosen field. Discover things that no-one else has ever discovered.

Register your interest

Overview

A PhD is “probably the most internationally transferable qualification” according to the Higher Education Policy Institute.

You will critically investigate your chosen topic in great depth, with support, guidance and encouragement from our supervisory team. Crucially, your investigation should result in the creation and interpretation of knowledge which extends the forefront of your discipline. It should make an original contribution to knowledge.

Increasingly, a doctorate is an essential requirement for recruitment and promotion in university teaching roles. More broadly, a PhD is a life-changing programme that trains you to think at a deep level while you become an expert on a particular topic. It is quite possible that you will end up knowing more about that topic than almost anyone else in the country.

Why us?

A PhD is highly advisable if you are considering a career as an academic

You have the option to study this programme at our Sunderland campus or possibly via distance learning

Entry requirements

We don’t currently display entry requirements for United States. Please contact the Student Admin team on studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk or 0191 515 3154.

The normal entry requirement for a research degree is a UK honours degree (first or upper second class), a UK master's degree, or a qualification that is regarded as equivalent. We will consider candidates with other qualifications, looking at evidence of academic ability such as published work.

If English is not your first language, you will need a British Council International English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall score of 6.5, with at least 6.0 in each component: reading, writing, listening, and speaking (or equivalent).

Research proposal

You will be asked to write a 2-3 page research proposal that specifies the:

Aims of your research
Rationale for the research question(s)
Proposed methodology and techniques for analysis
Provisional time plan for the research

Any pre-application and application enquiries should be made to Student Admin at admissions.graduateschool@sunderland.ac.uk.

Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.

Fees and finance

We charge the following annual fees while you are studying and researching for your degree.

2025/26 fees are:

If you are from the UK/Ireland/EU settled/pre-settled:

On-campus full-time: £4,700 per year
On-campus part-time: £3,681 per year
Distance learning full-time: £3,681 per year
Distance learning part-time: £3,681 per year

Learn more about settled status, pre-settled status, special discounts, visa requirements and Common Travel Area (CTA) agreements for the Republic of Ireland applicants in our Help and Advice article.

If you are applying for a student loan to finance part-time study, the loan must be taken over the maximum permitted time of six years. If you are applying for a student loan to finance full-time study, the loan must be taken over the maximum permitted time of four years.

International candidates:

On-campus full-time: £14,500 per year
On-campus part-time: £8,500 per year
Distance learning full-time: £8,000 per year
Distance learning part-time: £8,000 per year

Tier 1 £4,700 Home/£14,500 International per year. This applies to the vast majority of research students who do not require specialist equipment.

Tier 2 £5,200 Home/£15,000 International per year. This applies to research students where there will be some additional expenses and the use of equipment.

Tier 3 £6,200 Home/£17,000 International per year. This applies to laboratory and clinical research students i.e. in sciences where there are consumables.

International scholarship

All full-time, on campus international research candidates at postgraduate level are awarded a £900 scholarship per year of study. You do not have to apply for this scholarship; it is automatically applied to reduce the annual fees specified above.

Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Related courses

Contact

For more information please contact the Graduate School at graduate.school@sunderland.ac.uk.

Page last updated: 15 January 2025

We aim to provide clear, accurate and timely information to prospective and current students. We continuously review and enhance course content in consultation with our students and the information provided on our website is the latest available. If you have received an offer from us to start a course, we will communicate any important changes to you in writing. We will always seek to ensure that our prospective students are fully aware of the basis on which they are accepting an offer.