PhD programme
Information on PhD study in the DHI, including how to apply, supervision and tuition.
About our DHI PhD programme
- Programme length
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Full-time:
The length of the full-time programme varies between 3-4 years depending on the funding body, or whether you are self-funded. Individual time limits will be confirmed in the offer letter you receive from the Admissions Team.
Part-time: The length of the part-time programme varies between 6-8 years depending on the funding body, or whether you are self-funded. Individual time limits will be confirmed in the offer letter you receive from the Admissions Team.
- Entry requirements
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Qualification requirements
You are required to have passed a Masters degree in a relevant subject (no distinction or merit required). The offer you receive will be conditional, based on the Masters result, and Admissions will decide whether you will need to wait for a final mark on the dissertation. Please contact us on dhi-pgr@sheffield.ac.uk if you have any questions about your qualifications.
English language requirements
If you have studied in the UK we can accept this as a substitute for an English language qualification. Otherwise, candidates must have an IELTS score of 7.0 overall, with at least 6.5 in each component.
- Funding & tuition fees
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Each year there are several opportunities to make applications for the University of Sheffield's PhD scholarships. Below are some examples and useful resources for information on scholarships and funding.
University of Sheffield BAME Research Scholarships
The Faculty of Arts & Humanities accept applications for the University of Sheffield Research Scholarships for applicants of Black or Black British (of African or Caribbean heritage), Asian or Asian British (of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian heritage) or multiple ethnic background including one of the ethnicity groups listed above. Students must already have been accepted as PhD students before they apply for this funding.
Sheffield China Scholarship Council funding
Students from Mainland China may qualify to apply for Sheffield China Scholarship Council funding. Students must already have been accepted as PhD students before they apply for this funding.
For more information on funding and tuition fees, please visit the links below.
Useful links:
If you have any questions about scholarships please see the FAQs or email pgr-scholarships@sheffield.ac.uk.
Supervision
Our staff
Once you know what you would like to study, it’s important to find a supervisor who is an expert in the area, and who can guide you through the programme. This is the first step in the application process.
We would advise that you get in touch with us directly to outline your proposed research. This doesn't have to be a formal research proposal, but will allow us to ensure that your application is relevant to the DHI, and also that we have suitable expertise to supervise your project. Please contact your preferred supervisor from the list below. You can find further information by clicking through to their staff profile pages:
Our DHI academic member profiles can also be found on our staff page.
Types of support
You will be assigned a first supervisor, a second supervisor, and a personal tutor during your studies.
A first supervisor (also known as a primary supervisor) provides academic guidance on all facets of the research. They supervise your work, offering constructive and timely feedback, and guide the project to help you to complete it within the tuition fee paying period. They will also help you to engage with the wider research community, to build peer support and to present or publish your work.
A second supervisor (also known as a secondary supervisor) provides guidance, feedback and support on your academic progress, with a particular focus on key milestones to support timely submission. They also take the lead in supporting your researcher/professional development.
A personal tutor provides pastoral advice and referral to specialist support. They can also support students in relation to matters such as Leave of Absence applications, Change of Candidature, and other major pastoral issues. You can talk to your personal tutor about any personal difficulties that you are worried about or are impacting on your studies. They will be able to signpost you to relevant support. You will be assigned a personal tutor during the start of your studies.
Further information on the roles and expectations for supervision can be found in the University of Sheffield’s ‘Code of Practice’ (see the Postgraduate Research Hub).
Our research
The DHI has a lively research culture. Find out more about our research activities.
How to apply
You should select and contact a potential supervisor to discuss your proposal, and you may contact our PGR Lead, Seth Mehl (s.mehl@sheffield.ac.uk) with general queries, but for formal consideration, you must complete the University's application form. The course code for our full-time (3 years) PhD programme is HSTR13.*
*Important note: The HSTR13 programme is not a History PhD. The Department of History have kindly offered to host our PhD programme to help provide application and admission related support to the DHI. All administrative, research supervision, and overall PhD programme support will be provided by the DHI.
Our academic skills centre, 301, offers advice on how to write a research proposal.
- Application contents
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- The completed application form.
- Reference letters from two referees, who should each send their references to the DHI directly (dhi-pgr@sheffield.ac.uk or by post). Your referees should be people able to address the issue of your academic abilities and performance.
- A supporting statement of at least 300 words giving your reasons for applying and any other information you want to include in support of your application. Among the issues you may wish to cover are how your previous education and experience relates to the course, and how the course fits into your long-term academic or career plans.
- A research proposal with details of the area of research you want to pursue. The proposal should be about 1000 words in length. Guidance on writing a proposal is available on the University research webpages: Writing a proposal
- Academic transcripts of your academic performance at undergraduate and Masters level.
- Documentation of English language qualifications.
For further guidance on supporting documents for applications, please visit the supporting documents page.
- Deadlines
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There are no deadlines as such, however there will be deadlines for the applications you may want to make to the various sources of funding available.
Contact us
For general queries about the PhD programme, doctoral study, the application process, or funding related queries, we recommend that you contact our PGR lead, Seth Mehl (s.mehl@sheffield.ac.uk) for further information. For general queries, you can also contact dhi-pgr@sheffield.ac.uk for more information.