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Find out about the research we do in Politics and History

Learn more

Politics and History PhD

Start date

January

April

October

Mode of study

3 years full-time

6 years part-time

Fees

2023/24

International £19,330

UK £4,786

MPhil option available
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Research profile

History at Brunel has established a substantial body of cutting-edge research across broad themes such as modern and contemporary history with special focus on the rise and fall of empires, regimes, nations and states; the history of political thought; and war and conflict including military history from the ancient to the modern period, counterinsurgency, peace-building, and border conflict.  The impact of our research is achieved through extensive networks involving other researchers and scholars, engagement with civil society actors and advice to the policy-making community. 

Politics and International Relations at Brunel has established a substantial body of cutting-edge research across broad themes such as the history of political thought with a special interest in theories of violence and revolution; the political structures and processes of advanced capitalist states, especially Britain, the US, Asia, countries within the EU, and the EU itself; intelligence and security studies with a key focus on the institutions and processes of intelligence gathering; war and conflict including military history from the ancient to the modern period, counterinsurgency, peace-building, and border conflict; and international relations, including specialisms in the modern Middle East and the politics of intervention. 

Find out about the exciting research we do in this area. Browse profiles of our experts, discover the research groups and their inspirational research activities you too could be part of. We’ve also made available extensive reading materials published by our academics and PhD students.  

Learn more about research in History and Politics / International Relations.

You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.

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Find a supervisor

Our researchers create knowledge and advance understanding, and equip versatile doctoral researchers with the confidence to apply what they have learnt for the benefit of society. Find out more about working with the Supervisory Team.

You are welcome to approach your potential supervisor directly to discuss your research interests. Search for expert supervisors for your chosen field of research.

PhD topics

While we welcome applications from student with a clear direction for their research, we are providing you with some ideas for your chosen field of research:

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    Research journey

    This course can be studied 3 years full-time or 6 years part-time, starting in January. Or this course can be studied 3 years full-time or 6 years part-time, starting in October. Or this course can be studied 3 years full-time or 6 years part-time, starting in April.

    Find out about what progress might look like at each stage of study here: Research degree progress structure.

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    Research support

    Research support

    Excellent research support and training

    The Graduate School provides a range of personal, professional and career development opportunities. This includes workshops, online training, coaching and events, to enable you to enhance your professional profile, refine your skills, and plan your next career steps as part of the Researcher Development Programme. The researcher development programme (RDP) offers workshops and seminars in a range of areas including progression, research management, research dissemination, and careers and personal development. You will also be offered a number of online, self-study courses on BBL, including Research Integrity, Research Skills Toolkit, Research Methods in Literature Review and Principles of Research Methods.

    Library services

    Brunel's Library is open 24 hours a day, has 400,000 books and 250,000 ebooks, and an annual budget of almost £2m. Subject information Specialists train students in the latest technology, digital literacy, and digital dissemination of scholarly outputs. As well as the physical resources available in the Library, we also provide access to a wealth of electronic resources. These include databases, journals and e-books. Access to these resources has been bought by the Library through subscription and is limited to current staff and students.

    Dedicated research support staff provide guidance and training on open access, research data management, copyright and other research integrity issues.

    Find out more: Brunel Library

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    Careers and your future

    You will receive tailored careers support during your PhD and for up to three years after you complete your research at Brunel. We encourage you to actively engage in career planning and managing your personal development right from the start of your research, even (or perhaps especially) if you don't yet have a career path in mind. Our careers provision includes online information and advice, one-to-one consultations and a range of events and workshops. The Professional Development Centre runs a varied programme of careers events throughout the academic year. These include industry insight sessions, recruitment fairs, employer pop-ups and skills workshops.

    In addition, where available, you may be able to undertake some paid work as we recognise that teaching and learning support duties represent an important professional and career development opportunity.

    Find out more.

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    UK entry requirements

    The general University entrance requirement for registration for a research degree is normally a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree (1st or 2:1). 

    An interview will be required as part of the admissions process and will be conducted by at least two academic staff members remotely via MS Teams, Zoom, or face to face.

    Applicants will be required to submit a personal statement and a research statement.
    Please contact your proposed supervisor, where possible, to receive feedback and guidance on your research statement before submitting it. Learn how to prepare a research statement here.   

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    EU and International entry requirements

    If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.

    English language requirements

    • IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
    • Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
    • BrunELT: 63% (min 58% in all areas)
    • TOEFL: 90 (min 20 in all) 

    You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.

    Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.

    Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.

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    Fees and funding

    2023/24 entry

    International

    £19,330 full-time

    £9,665 part-time

    UK

    £4,786 full-time

    £2,356 part-time

    Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.

    Some courses incur additional course related costs. You can also check our on-campus accommodation costs for more information on living expenses.

    Brunel offers a number of funding options to research students that help cover the cost of their tuition fees, contribute to living expenses or both. Recently the UK Government made available the Doctoral Student Loans of up to £25,000 for UK and EU students and there is some funding available through the Research Councils. Many of our international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. Brunel alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.

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