Politics and International Studies PhD

Find out more about our Politics and International Studies PhD degree at Warwick

Page updates

We may have revised the information on this page since publication. See the edits we have made and content history.

P-M1P5

PhD

3-4 years full-time;
Up to 7 years part-time

6 October 2025

Politics and International Studies

University of Warwick

The University of Warwick's Politics and International Studies department (PAIS) offers the PhD in Politics and International Studies. Gain a unique opportunity to undertake a research project in one of the UK's largest Politics and International Studies departments.

PAIS has a vibrant PhD community and our doctoral research covers a broad range of interests. The programme is structured around achieving distinct milestones in order to support your progress.

In your first year, you will be required to attend the PAIS first-year training module PO961: Doctoral Thesis Writing in Politics and International Studies, which will help you to prepare for the upgrade process at the end of the first year.

As you progress through the course, you are also expected to attend advanced training workshops. Additional research training and personal and professional development are available through the department, the Doctoral College and IT Services.

PAIS has a keen interest in fostering networking between doctoral researchers of all stages as well as between PhD students and staff, and we therefore hold regular academic events.

Application Closing Date

Applications for the programme will close on 31 May 2025 for an Autumn 2025 start.

Teaching and learning

• PO961: Doctoral Thesis Writing in Politics and International Studies
• Advanced Training Workshops

Visiting PhD students

If you are currently a PhD student at another university anywhere in the world, it is possible to attend Warwick as a visiting researcher for up to one year. PAIS welcomes applications from students already undertaking postgraduate research at another institution, who wish to join us in a visiting capacity in order to participate in, and benefit from, the research culture and resources of the department and the university.

We recommend that you contact us prior to submitting an application in order to discuss your needs; the best starting point is to approach academic staff researching in your area to discuss your proposed visit dates and research plans. Please note that although members of the department’s academic staff are happy to arrange meetings with visiting students to discuss research and offer advice and suggestions, you would not be formally supervised during your visit.

Should you wish to submit an application, you will need to do this through the University's online postgraduate application system. Your application must include:

• The proposed start and end dates of your visit
• The name of the academic staff member who will oversee your visit in the department
• A reference from your current supervisor which confirms your current student status and suitability for undertaking research at Warwick as a visiting student
• A brief outline of the research you intend to undertake while you are with us.

You will also need to meet PAIS’s English language requirements (Band B IELTS 7.0).

Before you submit your application, you should also consult the Doctoral College's information about visiting as a research student; their pages contain further information about fees, links to visa information if required, and a link to the relevant application form.

Part-time study

The PhD programme in PAIS is designed to be taken on a full-time basis. However, for a small number of candidates, studying part-time may offer a way to balance life and study commitments.

Learn more about part-time study.Link opens in a new window

FAQs

Postgraduate FAQs (PAIS specific)
Postgraduate FAQs (general)

Areas for PhD supervision

By research groups:

• International Political Economy
• International Relations and Security
• Comparative Politics and Democratisation
• Political Theory.

By theme:

• Development
• Gender
• Cyber Security
• Climate Change
• Intelligence
• Justice
• Democratic Theory
• US/EU/UK Foreign Policy
• East Asia
• South Asia
• Europe
• Africa
• Middle East
• Latin America
• US
• Democratisation
• Elections
• Political Institutions
• Environmental Policy
• Ethics
• International Finance
• Global Governance
• Trade
• Borders and Migration
• Terrorism and Counter-terrorism
• War Studies
• Conflict studies
• Peace keeping
• Religion

You can also read our general University research proposal guidance.

Find your supervisor using the link below and discuss with them the area you'd like to research.

Explore our Politics and International Studies Staff Directory where you will be able to filter by research cluster, region or topic.

You can also see our general University guidance about finding a supervisor.

A Master’s degree (or equivalent) with a minimum degree classification of Merit/2:1 in a relevant subject area; a strong research proposal; explicit support from at least one potential PAIS supervisor.

Read our department specific advice on applyingLink opens in a new window to ensure your application has the best chance for success.

• Band B
• IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.

There are no additional requirements for this course.