Postgraduate research projects
PhD and Masters by Research projects within the School of Earth Sciences are published on this page. It will be expected that you contact potential supervisors in advance of submitting an application.
We offer projects eligible for full funding (fees and stipend). Students may be funded from a variety of UK and international industry and government sources, including via our NERC GW4+ DLTP postgraduate training award (see below and the GW4+ website for further details). All funded studentships for which we are currently recruiting are advertised below.
General information on postgraduate admissions can be found on the University postgraduate webpages at http://www.bris.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/.
For information on the application process, please see How to Apply.
NOTE: select 'Geology (PhD)' as the programme in the drop down menu. For Masters by Research, select 'Geology (MSc by Research)'.
MSc by Research: Projects in Volcanology
Projects with a 2026 start will be advertised soon.
Students undertaking these projects will be part of a cohort of MScR volcanologists involved in Volcanology research group activities and meetings (more details below). Students should discuss projects of interest with the main supervisor when preparing their application. We also welcome co-development of projects with prospective students, with their own ideas. Projects may be available as full-time or part-time MScR; fees vary for those options.
More details about the Bristol Volcanology Group can be found here.
Fees for academic year 2025-26:
UK: full-time £4,850 (per year)
UK: part-time £2,425 (per year)
Overseas: full-time £26,700 (per year)
Bench fees: £1000 (per student) – standard bench fees will be charged to contribute to research costs
Other Funding Options
You can explore further funding options for your postgraduate studies in this guide from the Bristol Doctoral College:
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/about/research-programmes/funding-and-scholarships/
Opportunity Bristol provides financial support to UK students from Black backgrounds to undertake a research-related master's degree.
Further details are on the the Opportunity Bristol information page.