MPhil/PhD in History (2025 Entry)

This image shows a group of History students in a faculty building.

Course code

P-V1P0

Start date

6 October 2025

Duration

3-4 years full-time;
5-7 years part-time

Qualification

MPhil/PhD

Led by

History

Location

University of Warwick

Course code

P-V1P0

Start date

6 October 2025

Duration

3-4 years full-time;
5-7 years part-time

Qualification

MPhil/PhD

Led by

History

Location

University of Warwick

Meet us

Download our prospectus Link opens in a new window

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Find out more about our History MPhil/PhD degree at Warwick

With a reputation for national and international excellence and innovation, our History Department was ranked fourth in the country for the highest combined percentage (92%) 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. 92% of our research was rated as world-leading or internationally excellent in REF 2021 and our Department achieved a 89% overall satisfaction result in the 2023 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 benefit from the University Library’s Research Exchange, a dedicated postgraduate conference and study area, with state-of-the-art facilities.

For postgraduate queries, please email PGHistoryOffice@warwick.ac.uk

For further information, including details about funding opportunities, please visit the History Department web pages.

Entry requirements

General entry requirements

Minimum requirements

2:1 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 of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.

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 a recognised English Language Test. The certificate will be required as evidence.

The department and university offer assistance for students working in a second language.

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.

Research themes

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 we host a number of specialist Research CentresLink opens in a new window (in Global History, the History of Medicine, the Early Modern and Eighteenth Century, and Modern European History) facilitating new research by students and scholars.

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.

Warwick’s History Department features a host of exceptional historians and has an outstanding national and international reputation. You can search our academic staff by their areas of expertiseLink opens in a new window.

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’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.

Supervisors and proposals

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 DirectoryLink opens in a new window 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.

Research proposals

For the application, we would expect a detailed research proposal of approximately 2,000 words (excluding footnotes and bibliography).

This should give:

an overview of your research questions and why they are important;
how these build on, challenge or supplement with existing research;
the methodology you plan to adopt; and
the sources you might use.

Please add a short bibliography of key relevant works. Please upload all this as a single supporting document in Word or PDF document.

See more details about the application procedure on our webisteLink opens in a new window.

About the Department

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

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.

Find your 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 2024/25 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 funding

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.

Living costs

Find out more about the cost of living as a postgraduate student at the University of Warwick.

History Funding Opportunities

Find out more about the various funding opportunities that are available in our department.

How to apply

Applications are now open for courses that start in September and October 2025.

For research courses that start in September and October 2025 the application deadline for students who require a visa to study in the UK is 2 August 2025. This should allow sufficient time to complete the admissions process and to obtain a visa to study in the UK.

How to apply for a postgraduate research course

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.

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Ask questions and engage with Warwick.

Meet us

Explore ways to connect with us

We understand how important it is to visit and explore your future university before you apply. That's why we have put together a range of online and in-person options to help you discover more about your course, visit campus, and get a sense of postgraduate life at Warwick. Our events offer includes:

Warwick hosted events
Postgraduate Fairs
Live chats
Talk and Tours
Department events

2024 entry

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Why Warwick

Discover why Warwick is one of the best universities in the UK and renowned globally.

Why Warwick

Discover why Warwick is one of the best universities in the UK and renowned globally.

8th in the UK

in the Guardian University Guide 2025

6th Most Targeted University

by the UK's top 100 graduate employers (The Graduate Market in 2024, High Fliers Research Ltd)

69th in the World

out of 1,500 institutions across 104 locations (QS World University Rankings 2025)

Page updates

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

About the information on this page

This information is applicable for 2025 entry. Given the interval between the publication of courses and enrolment, some of the information may change. It is important to check our website before you apply. Please read our terms and conditions to find out more.

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MPhil/PhD in History (2025 Entry)

Find out more about our History MPhil/PhD degree at Warwick

Scholarships and financial support

Living costs

After you’ve applied

Applicant Portal

Admissions statement

Join a live chat

Why Warwick

Why Warwick

Why Warwick

Why Warwick

8th in the UK

6th Most Targeted University

69th in the World

5th best student city in the UK

Gold standard teaching

92% of our research

Page updates

About the information on this page

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