Postgraduate Research Studentships in Social Sciences

Bring your research to life at UEA.

As a Postgraduate Research student at UEA, you'll join a world-leading research-intensive university where PhD students are not just researchers, but junior academics. With our help and support, you will challenge conventions and change the world for the better.

Postgraduate Research applications are now open in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of East Anglia, England, which has an outstanding international reputation for high quality research, with strong international links to universities, research institutes and research councils throughout the world. Researchers at UEA have extensive international networks and regularly engage with governments, policy advisers and other public and private sector organisations.

The Faculty is divided into seven Schools – Economics, Education, International Development, Law, the Norwich Business School, Psychology and Social Work – all of which offer research degrees within the Social Science Graduate School. The Graduate School provides a research training and professional skills programme that is highly regarded and which attracts participants from across UEA, the SeNSS partnership and other subscribing institutions.

UEA is an active member of the SeNSS ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership, which is comprised of ten leading universities undertaking ground-breaking research across the social sciences. UEA’s membership of SeNSS provides our postgraduates with a valuable source of training, development, and networking opportunities across the consortium, and beyond; as well as opportunities for postgraduate studentship funding (see below).

Our research degrees offer you the opportunity to conduct high quality and impactful research under the supervision of internationally renowned academics and to develop research and transferable skills that will support your future career in academia, industry or elsewhere.

Studentships

Studentship funding is available from two main sources, the SeNSS ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership, and University of East Anglia studentships offered by the Faculty of Social Sciences or Schools.

Studentships cover all tuition fees and include a stipend at standard UKRI rates, as well as a research training support grant. Applications for all studentships are invited from suitably qualified graduates. Candidates applying for a PhD studentships should hold, or expect to hold, relevant undergraduate and Master's degrees (or equivalent) including some research experience. Candidates applying for a 1+3 studentship (which funds a Master’s degree followed by a PhD) should hold or expect to hold a relevant undergraduate degree. International applicants may be required to provide evidence of competence in the English Language. Candidates will be interviewed, usually via telephone or video call, as part of the selection process. 

Application

Applicants are encouraged to make contact with potential supervisors as early as possible, via School web pages (see below), where you can also find the contact details of School Postgraduate Research Directors, who may be able to help you in your search for supervision. Applicants may also find this list of our major research themes helpful.

Applications for studentship funding ordinarily open in October with a deadline in mid-January. Those wishing to be considered for SeNSS studentship funding must submit an application to SeNSS in addition to the UEA PhD application. The support of a supervisor is needed for the SeNSS application.

Deadlines

Those wishing to be considered for SeNSS ESRC studentship funding must submit a PhD application to UEA by the deadline of 4 January 2023.

An application to SeNSS must be submitted, with a supporting statement form the supervisor, by midday on 20 January 2023.

A number of funded and self-funded PhD projects are also offered throughout the academic year.

Full details of our deadlines for applications are listed on our information pages.

Studentships are available for the following Schools; please follow the links for School specific details:

Economics

Education and Lifelong Learning

International Development

Law

Norwich Business School

Social Work

Psychology

We welcome applications from students with their own funding all year - please enquire for further information.

Visit the UEA application page for more information on how to apply. 

For further information please contact UEA's Postgraduate Research Office - email: pgr.enquiries.admiss@uea.ac.uk