What is a PhD?
A PhD is the highest-ranking research program you can achieve at a UK university. Education often revolves around a serious research project of 100,000 words. This project is written as a thesis and then needs to be defended orally in front of an expert jury. Few doctoral programs include a taught module and accordingly, the student is expected to take more responsibility for their own work and program.
Doctorate Entry Requirements
UK Universities can accept anyone to the PhD program. The student to be admitted is expected to have completed his undergraduate education with a minimum average of 2.7/4.0 (upper second-class honors), and also to have obtained a master’s degree. Proof of English language skills will be required and an IELTS score of at least 7.0 is generally required.
PhD Thesis Proposal
All students are required to submit a thesis proposal when applying for doctoral education. The proposal should clearly state the research you want to do, how you will do it, and why it is important. The proposal must be accepted by a jury before the program begins.
Other Doctorate Types
-MPhil (Master of Philosophy)
If you want to do a PhD, you may need to study an MPhil first and move on to a PhD program after 12-18 months. The MPhil is also a qualification in its own right and is usually thesis work only, with options for one year full time and two years part time. The thesis must present the results of educational work and research and must be a maximum of 60,000 words.
If the proposed research is not of sufficient scope for a full doctoral study, students choose to study MPhil.
-MRes (Master of Research)
An MRes is an advanced graduate research degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Some doctoral programs require an MRes qualification before starting, and the student is required to write a 40,000-word dissertation.
MRes would be a good trial to see if you enjoy conducting your research before fully embarking on and investing in a PhD.
-Professional Doctorate Education
Professional doctoral training is similar to a PhD, but aims to improve professional practice rather than improving academic ability. The most common professional doctoral studies include law, education, business, engineering and medicine.
How can I apply for a PhD?
Once you’ve decided on a thesis topic and figured out how to fund your research, there are many documents required when making your application. These may include:
academic transcripts
academic references
Letter of Intent
Thesis proposal (sample)
Students will also need to designate an advisor to oversee their doctoral studies.
UK Universities
| University | City | Explanation |
| University of Bradford | Bradford | A social university with dozens of undergraduate and master’s programs |
| University of Brighton | Brighton | An international university among the top 250 universities in the world |
| Cardiff University | Cardiff | One of the UK’s oldest and top 10 universities |
| University of Greenwich | Greenwich | Award-winning green campus, one of the UK’s most preferred universities |
| University of Liverpool | Liverpool | An excellent British university in the UNESCO cultural capital city of Liverpool |
| Heriot Watts University | Edinburgh | One of the oldest universities in the United Kingdom in the capital of Scotland |
| University of Sussex | Brighton | One of the best research universities in the world and the UK |
| King’s Colleges | Oxford, London, Bournemouth | One of the best schools in England where you can get foundation education before undergraduate and master’s degree. |
| London Metropolitan University | London | London’s largest university, founded in 1848 |
| Oxford Brookes University | Oxford | One of Oxford’s best universities with a reputation for business |
| University of Southern Wales | Cardiff, Newport, Pontypridd | One of the biggest universities in England with 5 different campuses |
| University of Kent | Catenbury | The university, which is famous in the field of computers, is located in Catenbury, one of the cultural cities of England. |
| Kaplan International Colleges | London | Offers top-quality foundation programs before applying to the Top 20 UK universities |
| Bellerbys College | Brighton, Cambridge, London, Oxford | Offers intensive foundation training for engineering, TIP or social sciences |
| University of Law | London, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Bloomsbury | One of the best options for studying Law in the UK |
| Birkbeck University of London | London | University with more than 200 undergraduate and graduate programs, founded in 1823 |
| Brunel University | London | One of the UK’s most prestigious universities, ranked among the top 50 universities |
| Durham University | Durham | Founded in 1832, the 78th best university in the world |
| Kingston University London | London | The most applied university of any university in London with 25,000 students |
| Manchester Metropolitan University | Manchester | Among the top 200 universities in the world in Educational Sciences |
| Middlesex University | London | London’s distinctive university with its deep-rooted history |
| Newcastle University | Newcastle | Russell Group university, which is among the top 150 universities in the world |
| Queen’s University Belfast | Belfast | One of the UK’s oldest universities with 2 Nobel Prize-winning graduates |
| University of Reading | reading | Universities with more than 300 programs that are among the top 200 universities in the world |
| Royal Holloway University | London | Founded in 1876, the 290th best university in the world, a member of the University of London |
| Sheffield Hallam University | Sheffield | One of the UK’s largest universities in the heart of Sheffield |
| The University of Edinburgh | Edinburgh | 6th oldest university in the world with 20 Nobel Prize-winning alumni |
| University of Aberdeen | Aberdeen | Among the top 20 universities in England, which is in the 1% of the world’s most successful universities |
| University of Bristol | Bristol | Russell Group University ranked 49th in the 2020 World Rankings |
| University of Gloucestershire | Gloucestershire | One of the UK’s popular universities offering innovative education on 3 different campuses |
| University of Leeds | Leeds | The 93rd best university in the world with one of the largest campuses in England |
| University of Sheffield | Sheffield | World’s second best university in Information Management |
| University of Sunderland | Sunderland,London,Tokyo | An international university with 40% foreign students |
| University of Surrey | Guildford | Leading university in Sociology, Psychology and Engineering |
| University of Westminster | London | A university in central London with many business alumni, award-winning MBA programs |
| London South Bank University | London | Lots of options in fields such as Art, Architecture, Engineering and Law |
| University of Stirling | Stirling | The university, which is one of the best in Scotland, has a very good place in the world rankings. |
| University of Swansea | Swansea | The university, which stands out in law and engineering education in England, has a department for them. |
| University of Glasgow | Glasgow | It has an excellent history as the 4th oldest university in English speaking countries |
| Nottingham Trent University | Nottingham | One of the best universities in England, founded in 1832 |
| Queen Mary University of London | London | One of the most preferred UK universities from which many famous British artists have graduated. |
| University of Portsmouth | Portsmouth | A port city university with 100 years of history in arts, social sciences and sciences |
| Bangor University | Bangor | Ranked in the top 20 UK universities for teaching quality and excellence |
| University of Plymouth | Plymouth | The university, which has been teaching since 1862, is at the forefront of health sciences and social sciences. |
| Coventry University | Coventry | The university in Coventry, one of the UK’s top 5 student cities, is a favorite of international students. |
| University of Bournemouth | Bournemouth | University in Bournemouth, one of the most preferred schools by Turkish students |
| University of East Anglia | Norwich | A prestigious educational institution ranked among the UK’s top 15 universities |
If you want to study for a master’s or doctorate in the UK, make an appointment for a free consultation with Oscar Education, headquartered in London
