Program Overview

Overview

The PhD Global Challenges and Transformations is linked to the interdisciplinary South West doctoral pathway of the same name. Offer holders will need to apply to and be awarded an SWDTP studentship for this pathway to meet the conditions for registration on this programme.

This degree provides an opportunity to conduct advanced research on global challenges and transformations in an interdisciplinary school. You will develop research on contemporary global dynamics related, but not limited to, areas such as: geopolitics, political economy, conflict and security, economic and social inequalities, and people's mobilities. You will study with internationally renowned politics, international relations and sociology scholars in a dynamic and supportive research environment.

You will join an international community of students working on a range of political, social and international relations issues. Our staff also have particular expertise across a range of political, cultural and social theory and champion diverse research methodologies. You will be assigned two PhD supervisors whose current research interests and expertise are relevant to your chosen research area.

We are committed to rigorous conceptual and empirical research that is politically and socially relevant and problem-orientated. We aim to advance theory, knowledge and methods to better equip researchers to understand and address pressing global issues. We produce leading research with an international focus that is relevant to the changing circumstances of an increasingly interconnected world. Our aim is not just to monitor the world but to contribute to a better understanding and to ways that might improve it.

Key Information

Programme Duration

• Up to four years full-time
• Up to eight years part-time

Start Date

• Most students will start in September 2025

Application Deadline

• Programme application deadline: 2 December 2024
• SWDTP funding application deadline: 12 noon on 14 January 2025

Delivery Method

• On-Campus

Location

• Clifton

Awards Available

• PhD

Programme Structure

The PhD in Global Challenges and Transformations will combine both taught and research components.

The taught component provides you with the necessary research methods skills to become an independent researcher, including a better understanding of the research process, ethics, and methodologies so that you are fully equipped to work on your PhD project. You are required to complete this, unless you can provide evidence that you have undertaken this training before joining the programme.

You are required to take the following units:

• Introduction to Research Methods in the Social Sciences
• Digital Methods and Data Skills
• One of the following units:
  • Advanced Quantitative Research Methods
  • Advanced Qualitative Research Methods

Through the research component, you will undertake and write up your doctoral research with the support of two supervisors.

World-Leading Research

• The University of Bristol is ranked fifth for research in the UK (Times Higher Education)
• 94% of our research assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent

Entry Requirements

• An upper second-class undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent) and normally a merit at MSc/MA level (or equivalent)
• See international equivalent qualifications on the International Office website

Fees and Funding

• Home: full-time £4,850 per year, part-time £2,425 per year
• Overseas: full-time £21,300 per year
• Fees are subject to an annual review
• For programmes that last longer than one year, please budget for up to an 8% increase in fees each year

Career Prospects

Bristol graduates are in high demand and have an excellent record of employment following graduation.

Meet Our Supervisors

• Professor Bridget Anderson
• Dr Samuel Appleton
• Professor Will Atkinson
• Professor Roddy Brett
• Professor Terrell Carver
• Dr Egle Cesnulyte
• Professor Katharine Charsley
• Dr Ryerson Christie
• Professor Michelle Cini
• Dr Lucas de Abreu Maia
• Dr Alix Dietzel
• Dr Filippo Dionigi
• Dr Ashley Dodsworth
• Dr John Downer
• Professor Timothy Edmunds
• Dr Magnus Feldmann
• Dr Adrian Flint
• Professor Jonathan Floyd
• Dr Gaston Fornes
• Dr Timothy Fowler
• Professor Jon Fox
• Professor Roberta Guerrina
• Professor Susan Halford
• Professor Jo Haynes
• Professor Eric Herring
• Dr Nazia Hussein
• Professor Jonathan Joseph
• Professor Ana E Juncos Garcia
• Professor Saffron Karlsen
• Dr Winnie King
• Dr Raphael Lefevre
• Professor Lee Marshall
• Dr Neil Matthews
• Dr Peace Medie
• Dr Torsten Michel
• Dr Sveta Milyaeva
• Professor Tariq Modood
• Dr Marcus Morgan
• Dr Rosie Nelson
• Professor Julia O'Connell Davidson
• Professor Therese O'Toole
• Dr Jessica Ogden
• Dr Aslak-Antti Oksanen
• Dr Samuel Okyere
• Professor Thomas Osborne
• Dr Jessica Paddock
• Dr Hannah Parrott
• Dr Columba Peoples
• Dr Nieves Perez-Solorzano Borragan
• Dr Maud Perrier
• Dr Mircea Popa
• Dr Katharina Richter
• Dr Chris Rossdale
• Dr Thomas Sealy
• Dr Elena Stavrevska
• Professor Paula Surridge
• Dr Leonidas Tsilipakos
• Dr Karen Tucker
• Dr Elspeth Van Veeren
• Professor Jutta Weldes
• Dr Jennifer Whillans
• Professor Mark Wickham-Jones
• Dr Andrew Wyatt
• Dr Junko Yamashita
• Dr Rob Yates
• Professor Yongjin Zhang

Research Groups

Our research activity in the school is guided by focusing on key themes:

• critical (in)securities
• peace, conflict and violence
• climate emergency
• migration
• cultural work
• decoloniality and race
• ethnicity, migration and citizenship
• European politics and societies
• digital society
• science and technology
• food security
• gender and sexuality
• political and social inequalities
• social, cultural and political theory
• South and East Asia

All researchers across the school identify with one or more of the themes. This enables collective identification over themes within the school and aims to generate further collaboration and interdisciplinarity in our research activities. In addition, the themes provide a basis for internal and external recognition of the main questions and topics that our research addresses.