Doctoral studies on migration and mobilities at Bristol

Applying to Bristol

MMB does not currently offer a specific postgraduate programme but if this is something you’re interested in we’d love to hear from you (send us a short two-page description of your proposed research). For now, if you would like to study a PhD or MRes on this subject at Bristol you need to apply to a specific school or department. While based there you can become a member of MMB and the PGR network, benefiting from lots of opportunities to collaborate with other members.

For advice on things to consider when applying for doctoral studies here read Ella Barclay’s blog – Top tips on how to apply for a PhD from an MMB Alumni Ambassador.

Supervisors

The department or school to which you apply depends on the kind of research you’re interested in and on the affiliation of the person you would like as your primary supervisor.

You may find a supervisor through one of the following PhD programmes – housed in specific schools and departments (N.B. this list is by no means exhaustive):

• Anthropology and Archaeology
• Education
• Film and Television
• Global Political Economy
• History
• Human Geography
• Law
• Philosophy
• Security, Conflict and Human Rights
• Social Policy
• Sociology, Politics and International Studies 
• Sustainable Futures

It is recommended that you consider choosing two supervisors. Those selecting both supervisors from the same school may find the application process easier from an administrative point of view. Ideally, it should be possible to select supervisors from different schools, so we are working to change this as UoB is a fantastic place to do interdisciplinary research. However, even where your supervisors are based one school there are plenty of opportunities to exchange ideas and approaches with scholars from a very wide range of disciplines, not least by getting involved with MMB!

Funding

The kind of project you want to research also determines the most suitable funding to apply for. If you want to be based in the Social Sciences, for example, you might apply to the ESRC for funding (via the South West Doctoral Training Partnership); if you are based in Arts, your best bet would be the AHRC. These are the two most prominent funders for PhDs based within the UK, though other sources of funding (for example, University Scholarships) are also available. 

N.B. Some funding deadlines can be as early as December, months before the PhD admission deadline itself. Also note that international students are not always eligible for ESRC or AHRC grants so it is important to research funding options within the university as well as from trusts and governments in your home countries.

Next steps

First, decide who might make a good primary supervisor for your PhD subject. You can find out about some of our academics’ research by clicking on their profiles on the MMB website, or by looking at the sites of specific schools and departments: for example, the ‘People’ page of SPAIS. Contact this person to see if they are interested in supervising your project; if so, they will be well-placed to tell you about the relevant funding opportunities and to help you develop your application. In any application – to the university itself and to funding bodies – it’s worth saying that you intend to work closely with MMB, as this will strengthen your application by demonstrating that the University of Bristol is the best place for you to study.

For further advice please get in touch with the Postgraduate Research Directors of individual schools and departments, or with the MMB Graduate Studies Strategic Lead Dr Laurence Publicover.