Course summary
The excellence of Bristol's social science research was confirmed by the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021). According to the Times Higher Education's analysis of REF 2021, The School of Geographical Sciences ranked first in the UK for the fifth REF cycle in a row. We have a large and vibrant postgraduate community, focusing both on PhDs by research and on taught programmes. Our postgraduate community is international and interdisciplinary and offers an exceptional academic environment for postgraduate research. We also have a 100% completion rate over the past five years for UKRI-funded PhD students. Research opportunities span a variety of subjects at the leading edge of geographical research. Our research groups span a range of human geographical research. These include the History and Culture Research Group, the Geographies of Political Economy Research Group, and the Quantitative Spatial Science Research Group. Within these three main groups, postgraduate research covers the gamut, from health and housing inequalities to embodied posthuman geographies, to urban sustainability futures, to the environmental humanities, to improving techniques of quantitative modelling and machine learning, to geopolitics, decolonial geographies, and political ecology. There is also a range of exciting possibilities for interdisciplinary research that cross and connect research groups and departments. Supervision is possible across schools and faculties. Alternatively, you may be interested in our PhD in Geographical Sciences (Physical Geography).
Assessment method
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/media/postgraduate/admissions-statements/2024/phd-geographical-sciences-human-geography.pdf
How to apply
International applicants
The University of Bristol welcomes applications from international students and accepts a wide range of qualifications for postgraduate study. If you study or have studied at a university outside the UK, please select the relevant page for further information on qualifications, scholarships and education representatives in your country/region: bristol.ac.uk/international/countries
Entry requirements
An upper second-class honours degree in a relevant subject or an equivalent qualification and a master's qualification from a UK university (or equivalent). The School welcomes applicants with an interest in utilising ESRC and UKRI secondary datasets in their research projects. The School of Geographical Sciences, like many other Schools and Departments across the University, is committed to efforts to decolonise our curricula and transform our research and teaching as part of these efforts. We especially welcome applicants interested in supporting this work, and we encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds, life experiences, and geographies to apply. See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| England | £4758 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £4758 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £4758 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £4758 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £4758 | Year 1 |
| EU | £20700 | Year 1 |
| International | £20700 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
Fees are subject to an annual review. For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year.
For more information, please view the programme page on our website.
Provider information
University of Bristol
Beacon House
Queen’s Road
Bristol
BS8 1QU