How to apply for an MPhil/PhD

The most important parts of applying for a research degree are selecting your topic and identifying an appropriate supervisor. In order to do one of our MPhil/PhD degrees, we need to be sure that we have academics with the experience, knowledge and expertise to supervise your topic, and we cannot process applications until an academic has agreed to be your advisor.

Pre-application procedures

Please contact a member of academic staff with a proposed research topic (in the form of an abstract of around 1000 words) before submitting an application. You should contact the academic whose research interest aligns most closely with your own, and whom you would like to supervise you (browse our academics' research interests and view their individual histories).
If you require further guidance, please contact either the Admissions Tutor for Postgraduate Research, Rosie Cox, or the School office.

Submit your application

Research degree applicants should apply online:

As part of this application, you will need to submit a research proposal.

Formal receipt of your application

Students who apply online will receive an automated email to confirm that their application has been submitted. The applications will then be processed by the Birkbeck Registry and then passed to us. (If you don't receive this email, please contact the student administration team in the Birkbeck Registry.)
Once we receive your application, we will consider it to see whether:

you appear to meet the selection criteria
your proposal meets our requirements
there is an appropriate potential supervisor willing to undertake supervision

Interviews

We normally interview all MPhil/PhD applicants, either in person or by phone or skype if you are not in the UK. Interviews are normally undertaken by the potential supervisor, MPhil/PhD Programme Director and one other experienced member of staff.

Probationary registration

In some cases, it may be that applicants or their proposals do not clearly meet the selection criteria and that further training or development of the proposal is necessary before they can be fully admitted onto the programme.
Where this is the case, the MPhil/PhD Programme Director will provide details of what is required and the length of probationary registration.

When can you start?

You can be admitted to the MPhil/PhD programme at the start of autumn, spring or summer terms.
However, you should be aware that the research training programme commences in the autumn term.

More information

We look forward to receiving your application. Please contact the School Office if you have any queries.

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