Our MPhil/PhD in Global Sustainable Development (GSD) offers you the opportunity to cross disciplinary boundaries to address complex challenges of global sustainable development. Working with experts from Warwick’s GSD Department and the Institute for Global Sustainable Development (IGSD), you will deliver impactful, lasting sustainable development research.
There is a global need for researchers who are skilled in challenge-led, transdisciplinary methods to help close knowledge gaps around research and practice related to the sustainability of human-environment interactions.
Our Global Sustainable Development MPhil/PhD is for those driven to develop innovative approaches to complex challenges of sustainable development. With the support of a supervisory team, you will work on a transdisciplinary project addressing a sustainability challenge.
Through structured training, you will be equipped to integrate methods and perspectives from different academic and practice fields to address current and future sustainable development challenges. In the first year, you will have the opportunity to undertake postgraduate module(s) and establish a personal development plan in collaboration with your supervisors.
Throughout the programme, you will have the opportunity to gain methods training designed to broaden your research approach. Collectively, this training will prepare you to co-produce transformative, transdisciplinary research projects.
We are excited to welcome students with diverse backgrounds and skills to this programme.
Teaching and learning
Students on this programme will be trained to have competence in a subject area that spans at least two disciplinary perspectives. You will be trained in transdisciplinary methods, enabling you to draw on skills from multiple disciplines to work effectively and equitably with non-academic partners.
In the first year, you will have the opportunity to study postgraduate module(s) in GSD and/or from across the University totalling 20 CATS. You will discuss which module(s) you would like to take with your supervisors in the early stages of your research.
You will also agree a tailored personal development programme with your supervisors for your first year of training. For instance, your development programme may include taking other postgraduate modules from across the University to develop specific skills required for your research.
You may also decide to take researcher development training courses and workshops facilitated by the University’s Doctoral College as part of your development programme.
Research environment
You will join a community of postgraduate students, early career researchers, and academics in GSD and IGSD conducting cutting edge transdisciplinary research on global sustainable development, committed to tackling global challenges and enabling transformative change of human-environment interactions. At Warwick positive research culture is one of our key priorities fostering an inclusive, collegiate and dynamic research environment where all researchers and research enablers can be themselves and thrive to produce the best quality research.
Throughout your degree you will be encouraged to engage actively in research activities by forming reading groups, participating in workshops, masterclasses and guest lectures, and taking part in our annual GSD Symposium.
You will have opportunities to engage with research across the University, including research led by Warwick’s Interdisciplinary Research Spotlights and other cross-cutting research centres across the University, such as the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies (CIM), the Warwick Institute for the Science of Cities (WISC), the Warwick Interdisciplinary Research Centre for International Development (WICID), and the Centre for Digital Inquiry (CDI).
Entry requirements
2:1 undergraduate degree and a Master’s (or equivalent) in a related subject.
IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.
Please adjust your country as required:
We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications. For more information, please visit the international entry requirements page.
We typically ask for two academic references for research courses.
You will be asked to include an email address for your referee(s) when submitting your application and we will contact them for you.
There are no additional requirements for this course.
Research themes
Much of the research on this programme is currently organised around the following clusters:
Climate resilience and socio-environmental justice
This cluster draws on Warwick’s expertise in areas such as complex systems modelling, geographic information, and critical research on environmental justice, enabling students to investigate transformations of human-environment interactions towards resilience to climate change and environmental risks.
Sustainable urbanisation, health and wellbeing
This cluster concentrates on research for transforming urban human-environment interactions, investigating the interlinkages between the built environment, human behaviour and health and wellbeing outcomes.
Sustainable economies and the food-water-energy nexus
This cluster draws on Warwick’s research excellence in sustainable materials, critical data studies, business strategy and food supply systems, in order to enable students to study transformations to the food-water-energy nexus towards sustainable economic and financial relationships.
We also welcome and encourage research proposals in global sustainable development which are outside the above clusters.
Examples of current PGR projects include:
Sustainable diets and child health, incorporating policy and how policy impacts health inequalities
Women empowerment and ecotourism
Measuring the economic, social, and environmental impacts of altering the supply chains of critical raw materials for electric vehicle batteries
Political ecology configurations of alternative finance enabling the renewable energy transition process in the Global South
Life experience of Chinese millennial migrants in the UK
There are several routes to finding a PhD supervisor at University of Warwick. Searching for a supervisor and submitting a research proposal will look different depending on the opportunity you are applying for. Below you’ll find guidance from the department about what is required for this course.
For more general advice, including top tips for finding and contacting a potential supervisor, and what to include in your research proposal visit the university’s guidance webpages.
Please visit our PhD supervisors web page to identify people with your range of interests. Once you have identified an appropriate supervisor, please initiate a dialogue to discuss whether your proposal falls within their area of expertise and if they have the capacity to supervise you.
In order to consider supervising you, they will need a brief outline of your research proposal, a copy of your CV and any relevant transcripts, so please ensure these are sent directly to them. Once supervision is agreed, your application should name the lead supervisor.
If you would like to apply for our research degree, the MPhil/PhD in Global Sustainable Development, you will be asked to provide an outline of your chosen research topic. This should be a maximum length of 2500 words and include the following:
What area of research you intend to undertake and why (with reference to the most important relevant bibliography).
A clear statement on the rationale and significance of the project.
How you propose to conduct the research and proposed research methods and approach to data collection.
What background in the subject you already have and any skills you will need to develop further.
The transdisciplinary context of your research
Potential intervention, knowledge production and the impact of your research.
Fees and scholarships
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 assessment and some student amenities.
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.
As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of research trips in the UK and overseas. In addition, you should consider the more general costs below:
Access to research material that is not available via university resources
Printing and binding a personal copy of your dissertation
Robe hire for your degree ceremony
Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.
Join a movement for a more equal, prosperous future.
Why study with us?
Here, you’ll build the critical skills to investigate the complex issues that shape global change - from inequality and the climate crisis, to social justice and sustainable futures.
Based in our School for Cross-Faculty Studies, our innovative approach goes beyond disciplinary boundaries – encouraging you to challenge established inequalities and applying your learning to make a real-world impact.
Across Warwick’s campus, you’ll have access to a wide range of study spaces designed to support independent learning and collaboration. Alongside the Library, you can access our Learning Grids, created to foster creative interdisciplinary thinking. Within the department itself, the GSD common room offers a dedicated space to meet and exchange ideas beyond the classroom.
Life at Warwick
This is where your journey begins. Our campus is the heart of it all. It’s more than just a campus - it's the places you visit, the people you meet, the fun that you have; the experiences you have here will be transformative.
Within a close-knit community of staff and students from all over the world, discover a campus alive with possibilities.
Our campus is where all the elements of your student experience come together in one place. You won't be short of ways to spend your time on campus - whether it's visiting Warwick Arts Centre, using our incredible sports facilities, socialising in our bars, nightclub and cafés, or enjoying an open-air event. Or if you need some peace and quiet, you can explore lakes, woodland and green spaces just a few minutes’ walk from central campus.
Follow our students around campus on our social channels to see their experiences first-hand.
Teaching facilities
Our campus is designed to cater for all of your learning needs. You will benefit from a variety of flexible, well-equipped study spaces and teaching facilities across the University.
Oculus, our outstanding learning hub, houses state-of-the-art lecture theatres and innovative social learning and network areas
Different study spaces offering you flexible individual and group study spaces, computers, printing and scanning facilities, multimedia resources and more
Supporting you
Our continuous support network is here to help you adjust to student life and to ensure you can easily access advice on many different issues. These may include managing your finances and workload, and settling into shared accommodation. We also have specialist disability and mental health support teams.
Whether you live on campus or off campus, in private accommodation in the well-serviced local area, you’ll be part of a community to get the most from your experience at Warwick.
Societies and sports play a huge part in community life at Warwick. With over 300 to choose from, getting involved is one of the easiest ways to make friends and share in experiences. Whether you’re into films, martial arts, astronomy, gaming or musical theatre, you can instantly connect with people with similar interests.
Your university experience is defined by far more than your course or the career path you follow. At Warwick, it’s where you discover who you could become.
68th
Warwick is ranked 68th in the world and top 10 in all major UK league tables
Our alumni community still call Warwick home. From a few hundred in 1965 to more than 310,000 alumni, and it's ever-growing.
As Warwick graduates, our students have access to employability support for two years after graduation, including access to careers appointments, job vacancies and professional networks.
Applications for courses starting in academic year 2026/27 are now open.
For research courses that start in September and October 2027, the application deadline for students who require a visa to study in the UK is 2 August 2027.
For courses starting at other times of year we recommend that you submit your application a minimum of 3 months prior to your intended start date.
This should allow sufficient time to complete the admissions process and to obtain a visa to study in the UK if required. We will still accept late applications, however cannot guarantee that the application will be processed in time to complete the admissions process if received late or there are a number of conditions to meet.
If applying late please include your degree certificates and transcripts, English proficiency evidence (if needed) and ensure referees can submit references promptly to allow time for CAS and visa processing (if applicable).
This information is applicable for 2027 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 web page 'Important information to consider before making an application' in advance of applying to Warwick.
Next steps
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