ip target image
You are currently browsing our site with content tailored to students in your country

PhD Human Geography

UK

3

1

What will I learn?

Human Geographers are fascinated by society and environment and examine how places are understood, imagined, used, shared and contested by different peoples. Geographers study the world at a range of scales, from the local to the global, and have a keen appreciation of how places are connected. A research degree offers you the chance to be part of this rich discipline in its quest to understand people’s diverse relationships with the world.

This full time or part time doctoral programme is suitable for people who have a particular research question or topic in mind, and wish to explore this through independent study in order to produce an original contribution to the subject. If you aspire to a research career this is the most appropriate research degree to undertake. You will be guided by a small supervisory team of academic experts under the direction of a Director of Studies. Even if you already have a masters degree, you will normally be registered as a ‘MPhil/PhD’ candidate and may apply to transfer to ‘PhD’ status around 10–22 months after registration, based on your progress to date.

You will be expected to fully engage with skills development and training and to present your research in a range of scholarly contexts. Your PhD will be assessed via submission of either a written thesis (up to 80,000 words), or one that combines critical writing with artistic, creative and/or professional practice, and a viva voce (an oral examination).

Overseas applicants must submit their application 4.5 months prior to the proposed programme start date. For Home/EU applicants the deadline is 2.5 months prior to the proposed programme start date. There are three possible start dates per year, 1 October, 1 January and 1 April.

Which department am I in?

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Study options

Full Time (2 years)

Tuition fees
£18,030.00 (US$ 23,371) per year
This is a fixed fee

*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please check with institution

Start date

1 January 2025, 1 April 2025

Venue

Plymouth University

Drake Circus,

Plymouth,

PL4 8AA, England

Entry requirements

For international students

Applicants are expected to have completed a masters level qualification to a high standard (e.g. at 'merit' or 'distinction' level) as well as either a good 2:1 or first class honours undergraduate degree in an area of study appropriate to your project proposal. We are happy to consider equivalent qualifications (for instance, you may have studied different subjects at undergraduate and masters level but have worked in and/or developed an interest in your sector since then). If English is not your first language, you must have proficiency in written and spoken English (normally a minimum test score of 6.5 for IELTS, or equivalent). Given the nature of the programme, you’ll be expected to read and engage with complex theoretical texts and debates for which fluency in English is essential. The TOEFL Score would be 90 and Component scores of listening 17, reading 18, speaking 20, writing 18.

*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.

ADD TO MY FAVOURITES

About University of Plymouth

The University of Plymouth has been awarded Gold ratings across the board in the latest round of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023).

  • 4th in UK (Unifresher Ultimate Alternative University 2023)
  • 7th in the UK for Best University (2022 StudentCrowd award)
  • 139,000 alumni across 135 countries
  • Gold in latest Teaching Excellence Framework (2023)

Get in touch