MPhil/PhD in History (2023 Entry)
Explore our MPhil/PhD in History.
With a reputation for national and international excellence and innovation, our History Department was ranked fourth in the country for the highest combined percentage (90%) of world-leading and internationally excellent research outputs (REF 2021). Surrounded and supported by a host of exceptional historians, you will be exposed to diverse and international views, people and research, all encouraging and challenging you to think unconventionally and creatively about the past.
Course overview
The breadth of expertise and experience in the History Department (currently forty or so full-time members of staff), along with a thriving culture of research, seminars and conferences, make Warwick one of the very best universities in the UK to undertake research in history. Our Department achieved a 93% overall satisfaction result in the 2021 Postgraduate Research Experience Survey, one of the highest in the country.
PhD students normally complete their degrees within three to four years of full-time study, or five to six years part-time. As a research student, your closest contact will be with your supervisor, or supervisors, who will meet with you regularly to discuss your work, and agree a programme of reading, research and writing with you.
Additional support and training, including English language support for those studying for a PhD in a second language, are provided by the Department, Arts Faculty and the Graduate School, as well as by History’s many reading groups, seminars, workshops and conferences. History researchers will benefit from the University Library’s new Research Exchange, a dedicated postgraduate conference and study area, with state-of-the-art facilities.
For postgraduate queries, please email PGHistoryOffice at warwick dot ac dot uk
For further information, please visit the History Department web pages.
General entry requirements
Minimum requirements
2:i undergraduate degree and Master's degree (or equivalent) in History or a closely related subject
English language requirements
You can find out more about our English language requirementsLink opens in a new window. This course requires the following:
- Band B
- Overall IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0 and component scores
All of our courses are delivered in English so, if English is not your first language, you have not graduated from an English speaking university or worked in an English speaking environment for at least two years you must demonstrate a minimum overall standard in the following recognised tests of English. The certificate will be required as evidence.
International qualifications
We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.
For more information, please visit the international entry requirements pageLink opens in a new window.
Additional requirements
There are no additional entry requirements for this course.
Our research
The Department of History at Warwick has particular strengths in the history of the early modern and modern periods. Our Faculty have expertise in subjects across the world, and a number of specialist Research Centres facilitating new research by students and scholars.
You can search our academic staff by their areas of expertise.
Warwick’s History Department features a host of exceptional historians and has an outstanding national and international reputation.
Our historians highlight global and innovative perspectives on traditional themes and share an enthusiasm for history beyond the confines of academia. Their research and teaching reflects a cutting-edge take on established historical fields and ideas. They are prepared to take an unconventional view. This willingness to look beyond the traditional boundaries of the discipline makes for a distinctive learning environment at Warwick.
The Department has an outstanding reputation as pioneering practitioners of social, cultural, early modern, European, Latin American and medical history, and has more recently been at the forefront of developing the methodologies of the new global history. Inspired by an expansive and inclusive vision of historical research, our historians' work is multi-disciplinary and draws on environmental, literary, visual and material sources spanning the globe across five centuries.
The Department’s commitment to supporting research that is internationally field-leading, innovative, and engaged is underpinned by the belief that understanding the past helps to shape the present and the future.
Research within the Department is underpinned by three key guiding principles: rendering visible people, objects, themes, institutions and processes whose histories have been neglected, misunderstood or under-valued; achieving engagement and impact for our findings, within academia, museums and archives and beyond; and internationalism, in terms of the scope of research, the composition of the Department, and our approach to collaboration.
If you are intellectually curious, and prepared for your investigations to take you into unexpected territories, you will be at home in Warwick’s Department of History.
You can also read our general University research proposal guidance.
Find a supervisor
Find your potential supervisor using the link below and contact them to discuss what you would like to research.
View our History Staff Directory where you will be able to explore the areas of expertise, research centres and research networks within the department. If you need additional guidance please email us.
You can also see our general University guidance about finding a supervisor.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and registration and some student amenities.
Taught course fees Research course fees
Fee Status Guidance
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.
Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?
If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.
Find out more about how universities assess fee status
Additional course costs
As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.
For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on the course web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module Catalogue (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).
Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2022/23 year of study). Information about module department specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:
- Core text books
- Printer credits
- Dissertation binding
- Robe hire for your degree ceremony
Scholarships and bursaries
Scholarships and financial support
Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.
History Funding Opportunities
Find out more about the various funding opportunities that are available in our department.
Living costs
Find out more about the cost of living as a postgraduate student at the University of Warwick.
History at Warwick
Each year, we attract excellent students like you to Warwick.
We will help you develop the skills needed to conduct research, including in the archives, engage critically with your sources, and support you in developing critical thinking and writing skills.
Whether you’re working with classmates in seminars and workshops, or getting involved with the History Society, at every turn you’ll find like-minded people who share your fascination with the past and its significance in the present.
Get to know us better by exploring our departmental website.Link opens in a new window
Our courses
- Early Modern History (MA)
- Global and Comparative History (MA)
- History (MA by Research)
- History (MPhil/PhD)
- History of Medicine (MA)
- Modern History (MA)
Read more about our courses on the History website:
Taught course applications
Here is our checklist on how to apply for taught postgraduate courses at Warwick.
Research course applications
Here is our checklist on how to apply for research postgraduate degrees at the University of Warwick.
After you’ve applied
Find out how we process your application.
Applicant Portal
Track your application and update your details.
Admissions statement
See Warwick’s postgraduate admissions policy.
Join a live chat
Ask questions and engage with Warwick.
Postgraduate Open Day
Our Postgraduate Virtual Open Day will help you find out more about your course of interest, as well as general topics like applying to Warwick, accommodation, careers and funding.Postgraduate fairs
Throughout the year we attend exhibitions and fairs online and in the UK. These events give you the chance to learn about our Master's and PhD study routes, and the wider context of postgraduate study.
Live chats
Every week, you can connect directly with representatives from Warwick, who will be answering your questions on applying to and studying postgraduate studies at Warwick.
Departmental events
Some academic departments hold events for specific postgraduate programmes, these are fantastic opportunities to learn more about Warwick and your chosen department and course.
Connect with us
Want to hear more about postgraduate study at Warwick? Register your interest and find out more.