This page provides guidance for prospective applicants to our Doctoral Programmes.

Please be aware that entry is only in September each year, due to the structure of the programme; in your first term, you will take core units which are only offered in the Autumn term.

CHECK OUR REQUIREMENTS

Check the minimum entry requirements for the Education PhD and our EdD programme. Please note that while the requirements do differ between the programmes, two requirements are the same:

An upper second-class undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent), and normally a merit at MSc/MA level (or equivalent).

You can apply if you have not yet completed your Master’s, but any offer made would be conditional on achieving a Merit, which you would need to evidence by providing your awarded Master’s Certificate and Transcript (and translation if any documents are not in English).

STRONG FOUNDATION

Find a research opportunity which matches your interests. You need to make an original contribution to the understanding of a problem, the advancement of knowledge or new ideas. You need to have a sound knowledge of your area of study and be able to show that your research is feasible to do within three to four years.

ACADEMIC COMMUNITY

For the PhD, your supervisors are key (more on that later), but they are not the only people with whom you will interact and with whom you will learn as a doctoral researcher. You will have a much richer doctoral experience if you are in a part of a community of academics – both staff and research students – with shared research interests.

Before submitting your application, you are strongly encouraged to explore whether your proposed field of research is a 'good fit' with the research agenda of the School, by  visiting websites for our Research centres and networks, as well as the Faculty-wide research groups. We are looking for candidates who will be active members of our academic community and contribute positively to our research activity. A strong fit with a research centre will strengthen your application.

PREPARE YOUR PROPOSAL

A Doctorate is a long journey; the proposal is the start of that journey, and you should be enthusiastic about your research idea. The word limit is 1,000 words (not including references). Observing this limit will make your application stronger.

Research proposals should cover:

• The expected title of your study (this can be revised later);
• An introduction for your area of research and summary of what you wish to examine, contextualising your aims into the subject and what contribution and significance your project will make to its field;
• The central research question (s) that will guide your research, and how you intend to answer your question(s), including your main methodological approach(es), research techniques and data collection procedures, and why you have chosen these;
• Timelines on what you are planning to do and when;
• A bibliography of key publications related to your question If you are applying for funding, you may need to redraft your proposal to meet the specific requirements of the funder.

Please refer to the PhD and EdD Admissions Statements for more information about what’s required, as well as our guidance and tips for writing a research proposal:

• SOE - How to write a research proposal

IDENTIFY AND APPROACH SUPERVISOR

You don’t need to find a supervisor if you’re applying for the EdD, as supervisors will be identified for you during the course.

On the PhD you will work closely with your supervisors over a period of 3-4 years and they will be a key influence on your research; choosing your supervisor(s) is the most important decision you will make about the Ph.D. Your application will also be processed quicker if you name a suitable supervisor on the application form. If you do not, your application already looks weak. The fit between your proposal and the supervisor is also taken into account in funding competitions.

Try to find a supervisor whose own work interests inspires or motivates you.

1. You may have someone in mind already. If not, the research centres and projects pages are a good place to start if you are still looking for a supervisor.
2. Visit our People and Profiles pages and read their publications before making contact with a potential supervisor. If you cannot access a publication online, you can request it directly from the potential supervisor.
3. Email the potential supervisor with your proposal or an abstract to inquire if they would be interested in supervising your study. It’s important to explain your research interests and how you feel your proposal matches their expertise. They may encourage you to apply, or they may work with you on making your proposal stronger. If you are applying through an agent representative, you will need to talk to a supervisor yourself directly.
4. You may request a visit or phone conversation to discuss your proposal before submitting application or after receiving the offer.

Only submitted applications are reviewed, and any preliminary contact with a potential supervisor is not a formal review or interview, it is only for guidance and at the discretion of the academic. 

N.B: You do not have to identify a supervisor before making a PhD application as we can help to identify a suitable match if your application is successful.

TUITION FEES

 Tuition fees can be found on the Prospectus pages above. Full-time students are required to pay the full-time student fee at the prevailing rate for a period of three consecutive years.  Part-time students are required to pay the part-time student fee at the prevailing rate for a period of six consecutive years.

You will need to consider the cost-of-living expenses during your studies. If you are offered a place on the programme, your offer letter will provide guidance on the estimated cost of living in Bristol.

FUNDING

 The Student Funding Office advises on costs of studying at Bristol, and the Bristol Doctoral College shares information on studentships.

 There is a section of the application form which asks you to state whether you wish to apply for any of our funding competitions, or if you have already obtained funding elsewhere. If you are interested in funding linked to the University then let us know there, or you will not be put forward for it.

BE AWARE OF DEADLINES

Please ensure you have applied for the programme via the Applicant Portal by 1^st August. This is especially important for overseas students who wish to be sponsored by the University of Bristol for visa purposes, in order to facilitate the visa application process.

Be aware of the deadlines for applying and funding that you wish to apply for. These can be earlier than you expect, so make sure you contact a supervisor well in advance – at least two months before a deadline, and please submit your PhD application to Bristol at least a month before a deadline.

There is fierce competition for studentships, and you should take the time to prepare a strong proposal, with a strong supervisor fit.

TIME TO APPLY

Ensure that you submit your proposal along with your supporting documents, which include:

• Your degree documents: Certificate(s) and Transcript, with a certified translation if the documents are not in English. If you have not completed your Master’s degree, provide a transcript or other document from your university which confirms your grades so far;
• Your personal statement (1,000 words) and your CV;
• Your English language qualifications, if relevant. Applicants whose first language is not English are required demonstrate they meet the English language requirements for the programme, which is Profile C for the PhD and Profile E for the EdD;
• Two academic referees, signed on lettered headed paper, dated within the last two years, and sent via an organisational email from your referee. At least one reference should be from a tutor or supervisor on your Master’s programme.

Please read the Admissions Statements for your course carefully, as well as our guidance for submitting supporting documents. Applications with outstanding or unacceptable documents will not be progressed, and this can lead to deadlines being missed. You can apply via the Prospectus pages at the top of the page.   

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

Some of the criteria we use for judging the quality of a PhD application are:

• A track record of academic excellence. We look closely at any Master’s dissertations;
• Strong references, especially from your Master’s dissertation supervisor;
• Proposal topics that match with core staff research expertise;
• Coherent research design. Will the proposed methodology address the research questions?
• Topical, current, theoretically engaged research questions;
• Evidence of knowledge of key literature relevant to your research.

In addition, the following are taking into consideration when allocating funding:

• Potential for impact demonstrated by engagement with non-academic users of the research;
• Previous research experience, including conference papers and publications;
• Fit with a Faculty-wide Research Group.

WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR APPLICATION?

Once we have received your application, it will be checked by administrative staff, who will contact you if any required documents are missing or do not meet the entry requirements.

Once we have received all documents, your application will be reviewed by the Admissions Director, who will then pass your application to academic staff who may be interested in supervising your studies, and if an offer is to be made, will formally agree your supervision arrangements.

INTERVIEW

Your reviewers might wish to interview you before they decide on your application. This is a conversation about your research proposal, intentions and focus of your project, not a presentation about your studies.

DECISION

We will notify you of the final decision via our online application system. If an offer is made, you can access your offer letter online via the online application system, and you can print this out for use in scholarship applications and any other purposes. Your offer may include conditions – for example, completing your Master’s degree with Merit or meeting our English language requirements.

STILL UNSURE ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL?

If you know you would like to study a doctorate, but you do not yet have a clear idea what you would like to do for a research project, take a look at our Ed.D. programme. The Doctorate of Education is more structured than a Ph.D. The taught units will help you decide on a focus for your study and give support for writing a proposal.

Contact us

The Student Services Office in the School of Education manages the admissions process for our Doctoral programmes. If there is anything you would like to discuss, please contact us by:

Email: ed-phd@bristol.ac.uk or ed-edd@bristol.ac.uk

Telephone: +44 117 455 1093

Office location: Room 1.08, 35 Berkeley Square, Bristol BS8 1JA