How to apply for doctoral study

Our next entry point is 1 October 2025. If you submit an application with any other date, you will have your application deferred to an October 2025 start.

Please check this webpage periodically if you are considering applying for a position on the programme. Places on the PhD programme are limited, therefore we recommend submitting your application as soon as possible. If capacity for the PhD programme is reached, recruitment may cease with 2 weeks notice being given on this webpage

Entry requirements

You will need a first degree which is equivalent to a UK classification of an upper second, or better, and you will ordinarily need a masters degree which is equivalent to a UK mark of 65% or above. Candidates with other qualifications or with marks that do not meet the standard entry requirements will be considered on an individual basis where there is strong justification to do so.

English language requirements

For students whose first language is not English, we require an IELTS grade of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component, or equivalent.

English language requirements for research degrees

We also offer a bridge programme for international applicants, in partnership with the English Language Teaching Centre (ELTC), which aims to help selected applicants to gain the required academic skills to produce a successful application proposal, and familiarise themselves with what it means to do a doctorate in the UK Higher Education system.

Application tips

Your application

The School of Education encourages PhD applications which correspond to the research interests and expertise of staff - we can then offer high-quality supervision in your chosen field.

We welcome applications for PhD study on both a full-time (three year) or part-time (six year) basis.

Please review our staff profiles and research specialisms before applying. You can also explore our research themes and case studies.

If you are interested in applying to study at Sheffield and have an idea of who you would ideally like to work with, indicate this on the application form where it asks for a proposed supervisor.

You are welcome to contact staff directly to discuss your research ideas, though we recommend that you acquaint yourself first with their research work and demonstrate a good understanding of how your research project might align with their expertise.

Applicants are required to upload a Research Proposal and a Personal Statement (as separate attachments). Please upload your Research Proposal in this section and add your Personal Statement in the 'course supporting documents' section.

Applications usually take between six and eight weeks to be considered, though at certain times of year, this timeframe may extend. If you do not hear from us within 10 weeks, please do feel free to get in touch.

While every effort is made to process applications as quickly as possible, we cannot guarantee that applications received after 31 July will be processed for entry for the next academic year.

The research proposal

This proposal should be about 1,000 to 3,000 words in length (except where indicated otherwise on departmental web pages) and should incorporate the following information:

• A word count on the first page.
• A title that accurately describes your research focus.
• A description of your research aims and (where relevant) your research questions.
• A brief identification of the field in which your study would be located and of the contribution your research might make to that field.
• The methods of research proposed and a plan and timetable of work.

Research proposals should show a strong alignment with staff research interests in the school. Consult staff research profiles, and an explore an overview of research in the school.

The personal statement

You should submit a personal statement of 250 to 750 words that supplements (rather than reiterates) your research proposal. It should:

• explain your interest in the topic you intend to study;
• describe previous research experience and scholarly activity (eg research training; conference attendance; academic/professional publications; etc)
• detail relevant professional experience;
• explain, specifically, why you wish to study at Sheffield and the School of Education (eg areas of staff interest and expertise allied to your interests etc).

Document formats

We accept the following document formats:

• Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf)
• Microsoft Word Documents (.doc, .docx)
• Rich Text Document (.rtf), and Plain Text (.txt)

More advice and guidance on your application

After you apply

A selection of applicants will be invited to a short, relatively informal interview (usually online). If you are invited to interview, you will be asked to explain in a little more detail your research plans, and why you believe the School of Education would be well suited to the project you have in mind.

If you do not hear from us within 10 weeks, please do feel free to get in touch.

While every effort will be made to process applications as quickly as possible, we cannot guarantee that applications received after 31 July will be processed for entry for the next academic year.

---

Scholarships

The University of Sheffield Faculty of Social Sciences has funding for a range of doctoral scholarships.

These include the White Rose Social Sciences Doctoral Training Partnership scholarships, Sheffield Methods Institute (SMI) studentships and central University scholarships.

Doctoral scholarships