Routes to a PhD
There are three ways to apply for doctoral research.
1. Develop your own idea and find a supervisor
Find out who's doing the kind of research you're interested in and familiarise yourself with their work.
Department websites also provide research supervisor details.
2. Apply to work with a supervisor on one of their projects
Departments advertise PhD projects throughout the year. Many projects are funded. You might find that a research project comes with a supervisor attached. Even so, it's worth finding out as much as you can about your supervisor before you apply.
3. Apply to a Centre for Doctoral Training
Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) are a radical alternative to the usual PhD. They're designed to produce skilled individuals who can tackle the major challenges of our time. The programmes take three to four years to complete and combine taught modules with original research. They lead to a full PhD or Engineering Doctorate (EngD).
You can apply dir