Research degrees in the Department of History
About the PhD Programme
The Department of History is a vibrant, welcoming and stimulating environment in which to carry out your historical research at doctoral level. We pride ourselves on the high quality of support and supervision delivered by our distinguished academics whose own excellence in research drives their teaching and inspires our sizeable postgraduate community. We nurture an inclusive atmosphere engendered by a research community with a great diversity of interests and approaches.
During your time with the Department of History you will have the opportunity to take part in the numerous and lively research forums supported by the department. The Department hosts a wide-ranging History Research Seminar, in which both academic staff and Postgraduate Researchers present and participate. The School of Society and Environment is home to a wide variety of Research Centres, Forums and Networks, all of which host their own seminars, reading groups, public lectures and other activities. A list of groups associated specifically with the Department of History are listed on our Department’s Research web-page Most members of the Department are also involved in running research seminars at the Institute for Historical Research, an essential part of the postgraduate experience in London. An impressive group of postdoctoral researchers associated with the Department of History offers inspiration and support to those embarking on their doctoral work.
The Department of History runs exchange programmes with foreign universities which provide our research students with unique opportunities for building international networks and sharing their work in different academic contexts. We currently have formal exchanges with the Chabraja Centre for Historical Studies at Northwestern University (USA) and the Graduate School of History at Universität Basel (Switzerland).
Throughout your time at Queen Mary, you will benefit from the guidance of the supervisory team appointed to support you. You will also take part in the bi-weekly Graduate Training Forum run by the Director of Graduate Studies, which will provide you with the knowledge and skills to strengthen your historical research, manage your academic commitments, and prepare for your future career. You will be encouraged to draw on Queen Mary Doctoral College's provision of professional skills training targeted at postgraduate researchers, as well as on subject-specific provision from external bodies such as the Institute of Historical Research or the Warburg Institute.
Research Areas
- Britain at home and in the world
- Identities, emotions and communities
- Politics-ideas and practices
- Empires and their aftermaths
- Violence, war and memory
- Health – minds, bodies, politics, sciences
- Making, circulation and meaning
- Gender and sexualities
The application process
Your application must be accompanied by a research proposal outlining the aims and academic context of the research. Before making a formal application to our PhD programme you must identify and contact an academic with research interests related to your proposed area of research to discuss your proposal and gain their agreement to act as your doctoral supervisor. Details of staff and their research expertise may be found at the Department of History web-page You can also find further information about the research areas of interest of the Department’s academic staff by viewing our Research Cluster and Research Centre web-pages.
The PhD programme has multiple entry points each year, for applications for both full- and part-time study. Please select the relevant entry point below for either full-time or part-time study to access the on-line PhD application system. However, please note that some funding awards may require entry in September only. Please check the information on the funding award before applying for information on related entry point requirements and submission deadlines.
Contact
Further information
Applicants are advised that, prior to making their application, they should view the information provided about the Department of History PhD programme and its applications process, entry requirements and the application documentation required for entry on the Department of History PhD web-page.
Applicants are also welcome to visit the Department’s PhD funding information web-page. To be considered for funding, applicants must have organised supervision and submitted their formal application (with supporting documents) by the time of the funding deadline date.