The first thing to do is to establish whether the department will be able to supervise and support your research. You will probably already have in mind a member of staff who works in your field as a potential supervisor, so contact them with a draft proposal for your doctoral project. However, if you are unsure whether our department has the necessary expertise to supervise your project you should:

• Check our staff research pages
• Contact our Director of Graduate Studies, Dr Bryony White (bryony.white@warwick.ac.uk)

2. Contact your potential supervisor

Having identified a potential supervisor, you should contact them to find out if they can supervise your project. If they can, you can work with them further on your research proposal, which will be included in your online application.

NB: If you are also planning to apply for funding, liaising with us before making an application is particularly important.

3. Make your online application

You should apply via the University's online application form.

Further information on making your online application can be found on the University’s Postgraduate Admissions webpages.

4. Interview

If we can supervise your project, you will be invited to an interview with the Director of Graduate Studies and one other member of staff following your submission. Your admission to the programme is subject to approval following the interview.

5. Make your application for funding

If you plan to apply for funding, you must discuss this with your potential supervisor and the Director of Graduate Studies. They will be able to advise you on this and help you craft your funding application.

Details of funding schemes and the application process for them is available here.

6. Deadline

There is no official deadline for applications. However, there are specific deadlines for scholarship competitions:

• AHRC Midlands4Cities: the deadline for 2025-26 is January 13th 2025 (noon).
• Warwick Chancellor’s International Scholarships: the Course Application deadline is 9th December 2024, the Scholarship Application deadline is 12th December, and the Supporting Document deadline is early January.

If you are an international student, you should also remember that it might take some time to secure a visa to study in the UK. We recommend that you allow two months for this process, though the timescale will vary across different countries.