Course location
This course is run by the Department of Politics and International Relations, based in Derwent College on Campus West. Most of your training and supervision meetings will take place here, though your research may take you further afield. Within the Department, you'll also have access to a designated postgraduate study space and social and kitchen areas.
Distance learning
We also offer the option of enrolling in a PhD in Politics by distance learning. You'll have the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world. Supervisions will take place remotely using video-conferencing (eg Zoom). Distance learning students are required to visit York for an induction visit.
Entry requirements
Admission to the PhD programme is normally based on a good performance at undergraduate level (usually a 2:1 or a First) and a Masters degree with a minimum 60% award mark; at least one of these will be in a social science-related subject. In exceptional cases, the Department may consider students from non-social science backgrounds, where the student can clearly demonstrate equivalent experience and knowledge and this is supported by academic references.
English language requirements
Applicants whose first language is not English may need to satisfy language requirements.
Check your English language requirements
Applying
Apply for the PhD in Politics
Apply for the PhD in Politics (Distance Learning)
Take a look at the supporting documents you may need for your application.
Find out more about how to apply.
Before being admitted, you'll also attend an application interview. An interview is offered when the Director of Postgraduate Research and your potential supervisors have reviewed your application and are satisfied that you meet the minimum entry requirements.
Research proposal
The research proposal is the main way in which we evaluate the quality of your research plans.
A PhD thesis makes a substantive contribution to knowledge or understanding in the chosen field. When applying, you should take care to indicate as clearly and fully as possible the nature and scope of the proposed research, outlining why you think it's both original and important. You should aim to make your proposal about 1,500-2,000 words long.
You should not use generative AI to write any aspect of your application as per the University of York's policy on research degrees.
In your proposal, you should consider the following:
- The title. The title indicates the overall question or topic of the PhD. It should include any key concepts, empirical focus, or lines of inquiry that you aim to pursue. It should be concise and descriptive.
- What are the questions or problems for politics or international relations that you are trying to understand and solve? In explaining these, it will be helpful to spell out what else we need to know in order to understand why you are framing the problem this way.
- In answering these questions, what will your research project do? What will it shed light on or help us to understand that we don’t really understand better?
- Why this project? Explain why your project is interesting, what its broader implications are, and – if you think this is relevant – why you are particularly well placed to tackle it. It is also valuable to reflect on who has worked on the topic before and to provide a brief literature review. Are there any good approaches to the topic, or particular articles or books, that you are drawing on or bad ones you want to push back against?
- What are the sources you plan to use to answer your research questions? These will vary according to the nature of your research but may include study of particular texts, interviews, published or unpublished data, archival or policy documents, or field site visits, among others. Try to be as specific as you can and assess the possibility of access to relevant sources.
- Think about the research methods you will use to analyse empirical sources (e.g., sampling, survey or interview design, data collection, discourse analysis) but may also include setting out the kind of theoretical framework you will employ or your approach to history or political ideas. What prior knowledge and skills do you bring to the project? What extra training may you need?
- Include a provisional chapter structure and timetable to completion, covering the three years of the full-time programme or six years of the part-time programme, as appropriate.
