Program Overview

Education

Overview

The School of Education is one of the most diverse and highly regarded schools of education in the country with a vibrant, collaborative and interdisciplinary research culture.

• Our international community of researchers has an excellent record of winning external funding, and our research centres provide structure and support, promoting collaboration and impact.
• In studying for a PhD in Education from the University of Exeter, you will benefit from holistic support including content and methodologies relevant to your research and you will also be assigned a pastoral tutor.
• We hold an annual staff-student conference that is organised by students and brings us all together to share our research.
• We offer an ongoing Lecture series in addition to events organised through our research centres.
• We are located on the historic and beautiful St Luke’s Campus. This ideal setting is within easy walking distance of both the city centre and the University’s Streatham Campus, where students are encouraged to make use of the additional facilities available to them.

Research Overview

The School of Education hosts four research centres that represent our areas of established expertise and international reputation. They are led by senior academics and built around long-term collaborative programmes of research spanning multiple studies. Research centres act as a focal point for sharing knowledge and developing new thinking through regular events and networking opportunities, underpinning a vibrant and supportive community for staff and doctoral students.

• Centre for Research in Language and Literacies
• Centre for Research in Transdisciplinary Education
• Centre for Wellbeing, Inclusion and Disability in Educational Research
• The Centre for Social Mobility

How to Apply

Entry Requirements

• You will normally be expected to have obtained or be in the process of achieving, a Masters level qualification (with Merit or Distinction) in a relevant area such as education, social sciences, humanities or management.

Requirements for International Students

• If you are an international student, please visit our international equivalency pages to enable you to see if your existing academic qualifications meet our entry requirements.

English Language Requirements

• International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile E: view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.

Fees and Funding

Tuition Fees per Year 2025/26

• Home: £5,006 full-time; £pro-rata part-time
• International: £23,500 full-time

Current Funding Opportunities

• Our Postgraduate Funding webpage provides links to further information. If you are considering a PhD in the future, in addition to University of Exeter funding, we have been successful at securing postgraduate funding for PhD research through our funded centres.

Supervision

• High-quality research supervision to develop and nurture your potential
• A tailored supervision approach to help best suit your requirements
• Accessible supervisors who are enthusiastic about working directly with postgraduate research students
• Regular timetabled meetings with your supervisor
• 'Open door' policy to all postgraduate students - instant access to world-leading researchers who will share their expertise and ideas with you
• Regular meetings with your supervisory team, other members of your research group, and mentors

Facilities

• The School of Education has specialist facilities to support your studies, including one of Britain’s best Education libraries.
• Doctoral students can access appropriate study spaces containing IT and other equipment, plus a variety of quiet work areas including some allocated offices and 'drop in' space, and social spaces.

Training

• A PhD in Education from the University of Exeter will enable you to gain an in-depth grounding in educational research methods through ESRC recognised training.
• As an MPhil/PhD level student you will become part of a research-intensive School, studying with some of the leading scholars in their disciplines.

Careers

• Our postgraduate programmes are designed to give you career progression in your specialist educational area of choice.
• On completion, you will be equipped with a range of academic, personal and professional skills.

Opportunities for Teaching

• We are committed to providing opportunities for research students to teach if this is appropriate to your professional development and to the needs of our programmes.
• There are opportunities to become a Postgraduate Teaching Associate to support our School of Education programmes.

Job Titles and Employers

• Educational Psychologist
• Lecturer English Language
• Senior Lecturer Mathematics Education
• Head of E-Learning Section
• Chief of Accreditation of Professional Development programs
• Training Manager
• Special Needs Teacher
• Educational and Child Psychologist
• Educational Biologistics
• State English Language Teacher in Secondary Education
• Senior lecturer in teacher education
• Head Teacher
• Lecturer in Education
• Research Fellow
• Academic Skills Adviser
• Lecturer
• Senior Educational Psychologist
• University of Exeter
• University of St Mark and St John
• University of Bristol
• Teignmouth Community College
• Surrey Council
• Torbay Council
• Someret County Council
• Ministry of Education, Greece
• Liverpool Hope University
• Department of Education and Skills
• Deerpark CBS Secondary School
• Cambridgeshire county council