Information for Applicants
Qualifications:
PhD or MPhil:
Applicants are required to hold (or expect to be awarded) a Master’s degree in a relevant social science discipline, with the grade of Merit or Distinction, or overseas equivalent.
Your Master’s degree should include modules in econometrics or quantitative methods; we would expect applicants to have achieved high marks in these modules. We don’t require candidates to have had high-level training in all the methods they will go on to use; rather, we expect our students to undertake ongoing training throughout their studies.
Applicants for a 4.5 course of study are required to hold (or expect to be awarded) a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant social science discipline, with a high 2:1 or 1st class honours, or overseas equivalent.
Application Process:
Before formally applying, you are strongly advised to identify and contact a potential advisor to discuss your research topic or ideas. If you are unsure who may be a potential supervisor, please email us: your CV/Resume, your research proposal (1000-2500 words) or research interests, and if possible tell us who you would like to be your supervisor. Please note that match of supervisor to topic is very important to ensure a successful PhD journey. If there are no researchers at ISER working in your area, (i.e. macroeconomics, finance, management) then you should not apply to us.
To apply for the ISER PhD programme: all formal applications are made through The University of Essex’s online application system. The portal will ask you to specify a department in which you want to study. Applicants to our PhD programme should select ISER (Institute for Social and Economic Research). Applicants to Masters programmes should not select ISER, but should select the partner department in which the Masters degree is hosted. If you are applying for a 4.5 (Masters + PhD), if you are applying through SENSS this should be indicated on the form. If you are applying through any other scheme, you will need to make two separate applications – one for the Masters course and one for the PhD.
Application Requirements:
- A full CV/Resume
- A short personal statement (max 500 words) outlining the reasons for your interest in your proposed area of research
- A research proposal (1000-2500 words)
- Official transcript(s), in English or a certified translation, of your academic results to date, showing a full breakdown of your marks or grades.
- You may also submit samples of written work, publications, etc.
Further details can be found on the University’s website.
When to Apply
For self-funded home applicants you should apply at least six weeks before the start of the term in which you plan to commence your studies, to allow us to process your application. If you are an international student, it is important to apply as early as possible but no less than 3 months prior to the start of the term in order to ensure visa requirements are met. While most of our students start in October, we do accept January starts as well.
Please make note of any external funding deadlines and keep in mind whether you need any specific documentation from a potential supervisor or the department or to apply to the university prior to completing the application as this may take time to complete. ISER is part of the SENSS Doctoral Training Partnership, with calls for applications usually opening around October/November each year. See a full list of the Studentships currently on offer.