Postgraduate research

Research is at the heart of everything we do including our teaching and work with business and the community. As a research-led university, we are committed to the development and transfer of knowledge and the creation of an educational environment that encourages the scholars and scientists of the future to excel.

Exeter can offer challenging and exciting opportunities together with a supportive environment in which to pursue research at the cutting edge of your area of interest.

Research degrees

The University offers three types of postgraduate research degree:

• Masters by Research (MA or MSc);
• Master of Philosophy (MPhil);
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

For more details about our extensive postgraduate research opportunities visit our Postgraduate Study site, where you can access a full index of our Research degrees.

For a detailed directory of all our specialist areas of research, see our Directory of research activity. If you want to find out more about the research interests of individual members of academic staff, see our Staff profiles directory.

Postgraduate funding opportunities

We receive significant funding from the UK Research Councils and annually we offer various PhD studentships across a wide range of subject areas. Studentships are usually available during the Winter and Spring months and we recommend visiting our funding database to view current awards available. Here you can search by subject area to pinpoint awards.

More general sources of funding such as the research councils, or teaching and research assistantships at the University, are outlined on our Funding for PhD students pages.

How to apply

You can apply online for all our research degrees through a secure electronic system, making the whole process quicker, easier and more efficient. Visit our Postgraduate Admissions section to find out what you need to do.