PhD Research

We are the only dedicated Department of Political Economy in the UK, with more than 70 faculty members who research and teach at the intersection of politics, economics, and philosophy. We welcome Postgraduate Research students interested in undertaking doctoral research in our unique interdisciplinary environment. Within our programmes, students can research both theoretical and empirical topics, using a wide range of quantitative and qualitative research methods.

Our PhD programmes

The Department of Political Economy offers four PhD programmes:

How to apply

Please read the following guidelines carefully before sending us your expression of interest. Please note that we will not consider applications unless these guidelines are strictly observed.

Step 1: Prepare your doctoral research proposal

To apply for one of our PhD degrees, you need to have a full doctoral research proposal. This proposal needs to address a relevant and original research question. It also needs to show that it is empirically feasible and that it can be completed within 3 years.

We expect your proposal to be up to 4,000 words, which does not include references/bibliography (appendices and substantive footnotes do count towards the word limit). There are many ways of structuring proposals but in one way or another your proposal should cover the following things: 

a) what research question you want to study;
b) why your research question is relevant and why it matters;
c) how you want to study your research question including (where relevant) theoretical framework, methodology/methods, case selection, dependent and independent variables, data sources, etc; 
d) how you expect your research question to improve what we already know about it. In other words, how your research will improve existing research on similar topics.

Step 2: Identify a potential supervisor 

Before applying for a PhD degree within the Department of Political Economy, you will need to identify one potential supervisor for your doctoral project.

To identify a prospective supervisor, you can examine the department’s academic profiles, which contain more information on the supervisory interests of our academic staff. You can also examine this list of supervisors who are interested to supervise new PhD students and the areas (and methods) of preferred supervision.

You might also wish to examine our research groups to narrow down which staff are likely to be most suitable. Note that each PhD student is requested to join at least one research group, and joining multiple research groups is encouraged. There are ten main research groups within the department, described in the research group webpage.

• Public Policy and Regulation for those who wish to conduct research on policy and regulatory responses to important political, social and economic issues, and (individual-level) responses to these policies;
• Quantitative Political Economy for those interest in researching politics and/or public policy using quantitative methods;
• Political Theory for those who want to write a thesis in political philosophy, the history of political ideas, or related fields;
• Political Economy of Peace and Conflict for those interested in the dynamics of armed conflict, political violence, and peace and development;
• Politics, Philosophy and Economics for those interested in interdisciplinary questions spanning these three disciplines;
• Comparative Politics for those who wish to research political institutions, representation and regimes;
• Global South for those interested in global political and economic trends, south-south comparisons, and political and economic developments in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia;
• Environment and Public Policy for those interested in on environmental issues and the energy transition.
• History and Political Economy for those who use the interpretative methods of political economy to conduct historical enquiry, and/or work on historical material to investigate political economy questions
• Centre for British Democracy for those interested in historical or contemporary developments in politics and economics within the UK.
  

If, after looking at the groups, you are still not sure which supervisor fits your research interest you can contact the Departmental PhD Director, Dr Rubén Ruiz-Rufino. 

Step 3: Contact a potential supervisor 

It is a requirement to contact one prospective supervisor prior to making an application to King’s, to see if they are available and interested in supervising your proposed research project. Please do not contact multiple prospective supervisors at a time. We will disregard applications that are simultaneously sent to multiple supervisors.

When you contact your potential supervisor, please make sure to include a) a copy of your research proposal and b) and fully updated copy of your CV. These are relevant documents that will be used by your potential supervisor to decide on the suitability and feasibility of your doctoral project.

At this stage, your potential supervisor may discuss with you details of your projects. You are strongly encouraged to modify and adapt your research proposal following the advice given by your potential supervisor.

Note that a supervisor expressing interest in supervising your PhD is a necessary first step but is not itself sufficient to ensure your acceptance onto one of our PhD degrees. 

Please note that all our PhD students are expected to have doctoral supervisors from the Department of Political Economy. In a minority of cases in which it is appropriate, students may need supervision from members of other departments. Please, indicate that this is the case when you engage in the conversation with your potential supervisor. Also consider that, in this case, the main supervisor will always be a member of the Department of Political Economy.

Step 4: Prepare your application

Once you have received confirmation from your potential supervisor that they are interested in your doctoral proposal and that they are happy to supervise your project, you are ready to send your application. 

You can begin by creating an account and application on the King's Apply registration page. Your application will need to include the following items. 

1. A full and, if possible, also revised, research proposal. We strongly encourage that you submit your original proposal once fully revised following discussion with your potential supervisor. Please also note that, at this stage, we might also ask for further revisions if we still think that your application is not ready.
2. A personal statement of up to 1,000 words: This should explain your motivation for undertaking the PhD and specify how you see it fitting into your broader life and career plans. You should also explain why the Department of Political Economy at King’s College London is the right place to conduct your proposed research.
3. Two supportive references: These should ideally both be academic, with at least one from a scholar who taught you on your Master's (your referees will be contacted by King's and asked to submit a reference electronically).
4. One or two samples of your written work: We would generally expect these to total between 5,000 and 10,000 words (e.g. two 2,500 word essays or one 10,000 word Masters dissertation would both be appropriate submissions of written work). You do not have to submit the original form of these samples of work (for example, if you submit an assessed essay from your Master’s degree, you could edit it further prior to including it on your application). These samples must be entirely your own work.
5. An up-to-date CV/resume: This should normally be no more than three pages, and include clear information on your educational qualifications and employment history.
6. A summary and/or transcript(s) of your academic performance so far (e.g 2:1 from Warwick in Economics, MA in Democracy and Governance from Georgetown with a GPA of 3.865). 
7. You will need to indicate the name of the supervisor with whom you have been discussing your project. As part of that conversation, a second co-supervisor will likely be added to the supervisory team. Please note that at a supervisory team form of two co-supervisors plus the option of adding a third supervisor is the default doctoral supervisory arrangement at the Department of Political Economy.

Step 5: Submit 

Once your application form on the King's Apply registration page is complete, and all the required documents listed above attached, you can submit your application.

Funding

Acceptance into a PhD program does not guarantee funding for studying and living in London. PhD students typically apply for scholarships to fund their studies, unless they are self-funded. The main funding scheme available to our students is the LISS DTP studentship. Since the yearly deadline for LISS-DTP is typically in January, prospective students interested in this funding route should aim to get in touch with a potential supervisor by November or December at the latest.

King’s Doctoral College also offers Joint PhD Scholarships, for joint PhD programs between King’s College London and some of its international partner universities. You can find general information regarding fees and funding for postgraduate programmes on the main King's website.  

Further information

Please visit King's Centre for Doctoral Studies to find out more about our postgraduate training facilities. If you have any questions, visit our FAQ page.