Join the School of Education, Communication & Society for your MPhil/PhD studies. We are renowned for our teaching and research expertise in science and mathematics education; language, culture and communication; and public policy.
Our three research centres focus on areas ranging from equality and social justice; learning in formal and informal contexts, to language and mind, and social media and digital text. We are looking for outstanding candidates to join a supportive and dynamic research community.
Applying and choosing a supervisor
We welcome high quality applications in all relevant areas of research and knowledge exchange. If you are interested in doing an MPhil/PhD with us, take a look at the information on this page. You can see what each of our research centres do and the research interests of the academic staff affiliated with them. This will help you find out who works in the area you’re interested in.
If you already know which academic staff member you'd like as your MPhil/PhD supervisor, you can contact them before applying. If they confirm that they can supervise you, please note this down when you fill in the application form.
Don't worry if you’re not clear which member of staff you might want as a supervisor, just fill in the form but leave the name of the supervisor blank. A decision will be made on potential matches when your submitted form is reviewed by the director of your chosen research centre.
Please click on either of the three pathways for further information including how to apply, fee structure, English language requirements, visa requirements and MPhil/PhD researcher access. Once you apply, your queries regarding your application will be answered by the admissions team via the admissions portal.
Qualification(s):
MPhil
PhD
Duration: 2-4 years FT, 6-7 years PT. There are two entry points for the programme each academic year in October and February
MPhil/PhD Education Research at King's College, London
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Qualification(s):
MPhil
PhD
Duration: 2-4 years FT, 6-7 years PT. There are two entry points for the programme each academic year in October and February
MPhil/PhD Interdisciplinary Policy Research Studies at King's College, London.
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Qualification(s):
MPhil
PhD
Duration: 2-4 years FT, 6-7 years PT. There are two entry points for the programme each academic year in October and February
MPhil/PhD Linguistics Research at King's College London, joint PhD with Hong Kong University or National University of Singapore.
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Duration, study mode and induction
You can study your PhD in a maximum of four years full-time and maximum of seven years part-time. You can start your studies either in the autumn term (September/October) or Spring term (January/February). All students are required to have a compulsory induction which is usually held near to the official start date of the programme. Inductions usually take place before your official start date which is either 1 October or 1 February.
Doctoral training
The university recommends that all postgraduate research students should undertake the equivalent of 10 days (FTE) of personal, professional and career training and development activities per year of their studies.
All students are required to undertake the compulsory foundation training offered by the School. The training programme draws on the broad span of research expertise based in the School and provides the foundations that you need to become an effective researcher. At the same time, it provides you with the knowledge, understanding and skills to navigate the interdisciplinary nature of research, and to comprehend and thrive in the pressures that shape it. Training includes classes on argumentation, reflexivity and after the PhD: publications, posts and postdocs.
Full-time students are required to undertake this training in their first year, and part-time students are required to undertake this training over two years. There are currently 21 classes across the academic year and are usually held on Monday or Wednesday evenings. More classes will be added throughout the year.
Our three research centres facilitate collaboration between leading academics in each field. Your research training should include a range of subject-specific and cross-cutting seminars run by each of the research centres from the outset of your studies. There are also specific seminars for research students. All research centres are particularly interested in promoting and supporting research by, and in collaboration with, our students. Students have the opportunity to present their research as part of the seminar series or lead doctoral labs.
Centre for Doctoral Skills training
The university’s Centre for Doctoral Studies offers training for postgraduate research students, including transferable and generic skills and some subject-specific training for students studying social sciences. This training is free and is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The training includes a focus on starting out, towards the upgrade from MPhil to PhD, growing as an independent researcher and writing up.
London Inter-disciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership training
Specific social science expertise is offered and promoted by The London Inter-disciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS DTP). Most training is free and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Advanced training includes short courses, workshops, seminars and reading groups, spanning areas such as social theory & epistemology, quantitative and qualitative methods, digital methods & archival research and knowledge transfer & co-generation methodologies.
The Centre for Doctoral Studies and LISS DTP training takes place termly and you can attend classes during any year of study. These classes are usually held during the daytime.
Research culture and study space in the school
The School is home to three research centres, facilitating collaboration between leading academics in each field. You can attend a range of subject-specific and cross-cutting seminars run by each of the research centres from the outset of your studies. There are also specific seminars for research students.
All research centres are particularly interested in promoting and supporting research by, and in collaboration with, our students. You will have the opportunity to present your research as part of the seminar series or lead doctoral labs.
Our MPhil/PhD students have access to dedicated study space within the School as well as the facilities of the rest of the university.
Funding and financial support
The School attracts PhD studentships from a variety of sources, including the ESRC and AHRC. We are also able to offer department-funded Ros Driver and Bernard Dawson studentships to exceptional candidates researching topics in science education.
A list of funding opportunities for applicants is below:
School Scholarships
International Scholarships
International funding
Home/EU studentships and loans
Financial support for current students
The School has funds available to help support students pay fees for joining an academic association or attending a conference (including those online). The Faculty of Social Science and Public Policy also has some rounds of small bursary grants for postgraduate research students to apply for each year. The Centre of Doctoral Studies offers a few ways of supporting all King’s PGR students financially. These include conference attendance support, Global Research Grants, Public Engagement Small Grants and the Three Minute Thesis competition.
Visiting research students
Visiting research students should be current students at another institution either in the UK or internationally. They will have a viable programme of research for which study in London is necessary. They should identify a supervisor who is an academic member of staff at King’s and will personally support their application.
Please note that applications will only be accepted from students who have arranged a visit with a potential supervisor. Unfortunately, any speculative applications will be withdrawn.
For further information including how to apply, fee structure, English language requirements, visa requirements and visiting researcher access see the visiting research students page. Once you apply most of your queries regarding your application will be answered by the admissions team via the admissions portal.
This page was last updated in January 2022.