A-Z

About the project

Postgraduate research

Education (School of Social & Environmental Sustainability) PhD

Based at the School of Social & Environmental Sustainability, Dumfries Campus. We draw on local and global links to be a world leader in addressing contemporary educational issues.

Our Online Application Form and Applicant Self Service will be unavailable from 08:00-14:00 (GMT) on Thursday 29 October for essential maintenance. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

• PhD: 3 years full-time; 5 years part-time; Thesis of 70,000 - 100,000 words

Overview

Our Education, Language, Policy and Sustainability research group draws on local and global links to:

Researchers benefit from links to the Robert Owen Centre for Educational Change, which aims to promote more equitable education systems through theory-driven, applied research. And the Centre for Research and Development in Adult and Lifelong Learning, which conducts inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary research and development activities in adult education.

Our research group also benefits from interdisciplinary links within the School. Interests include migration, learning for sustainability and community-based education and pluralist methodologies. Our strong link with Dumfries and Galloway Local Authority provides research capacity to address the unique challenges of the South of Scotland region. We also maintain a focus on enactment and evaluation of world leading research interventions with relevance to communities across the globe.

All research students have two supervisors, providing complementary expertise. You will receive training in Dumfries. Training opportunities will also be available in Glasgow for:

• be a world leader in addressing contemporary educational issues
• make a difference for society’s most vulnerable and educationally disadvantaged.
• Research Design
• Qualitative Methods
• Quantitative Data Analysis
• Introduction to Social Theory for Researchers
• Applied Qualitative Methods
• Generalised Linear Models

Study options

We particularly welcome research proposals in the areas of:

In addition, we welcome applications from PhD students interested in the intersection of Education, Tourism, Sustainable Development and Environmental Science. Our PhD (Interdisciplinary Studies) option allows students to enrol for co-supervision on topics that span the different subject areas within the school.

• PhD: 3 years full-time; 5 years part-time
• Languages learning
• Second language acquisition
• Science of reading
• Learner motivation
• Values education
• Religious, moral and philosophical education
• Sociolinguistics of education and policy
• Education policy analysis
• Digital and information literacy
• Science, technology, engineering and maths education
• Practitioner voice in research and policy
• Participatory action research
• Multi-agency practice
• Learning for sustainability

Entry requirements

Our regular standard of admission is usually a Master's degree or a 2.1 honours degree.

Required documents Applicants should submit: Academic Transcripts and Degree Certificates CV Research Proposal Two References Named Supervisor information

Required documents

Please contact and discuss your application with a suitable supervisor before submitting an application. You should develop the application with the supervisor. Applicants for Education PhD/MPhil (based in Glasgow) are also required to provide a signed Provisional Supervisor Agreement Form. Applicants to Education (Interdisciplinary Studies) PhD (based in Dumfries) need not provide this form.

• Academic Transcripts and Degree Certificates
• CV
• Research Proposal
• Two References
• Named Supervisor information

English language requirements

For applicants from non-English speaking countries, as defined by the UK Government , the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic and Academic Online (not General Training)

• 7.0 overall with no subtest less than 6.5
• IELTS One Skill Retake Accepted
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

TOEFL (ibt, my best or athome)

• 96 overall with Reading 23; Listening 23; Speaking 23; Writing 24
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements, this includes TOEFL mybest.

Pearsons PTE Academic

• 66 overall with no subtest less than Reading 60; Listening 59; Speaking 59; Writing 74
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Cambridge Proficiency in English (CPE) and Cambridge Advanced English (CAE)

• 185 overall, no subtest less than 176
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Oxford English Test

• 8 overall with Reading and Listening no less than 7 and Writing and Speaking no less than 8
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

LanguageCert Academic SELT

• 75 overall with two subtests at 75 and no subtest less than 70
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Password Skills Plus

• 7.0 overall with no subtest less than 6.5
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Trinity College Tests

• Integrated Skills in English II & III & IV: ISEIII Pass with Pass in all sub-tests
• Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

University of Glasgow Pre-sessional courses

Tests are accepted for 2 years following date of successful completion.

Alternatives to English Language qualification

For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use these tests to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level programmes. The University is also able to accept UKVI approved Secure English Language Tests (SELT) but we do not require a specific UKVI SELT for degree level programmes. We therefore still accept any of the English tests listed for admission to this programme.

• Degree from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English) students must have studied for a minimum of 2 years at Undergraduate level, or 9 months at Master's level, and must have completed their degree in that majority-English speaking country within the last 6 years.
• students must have studied for a minimum of 2 years at Undergraduate level, or 9 months at Master's level, and must have completed their degree in that majority-English speaking country within the last 6 years.
• Undergraduate 2+2 degrees from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English) students must have completed their final two years study in that majority-English speaking country within the last 6 years.
• students must have completed their final two years study in that majority-English speaking country within the last 6 years.

Pre-sessional courses

The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We would strongly encourage you to consider the pre-sessional courses at the University of Glasgow's English for Academic Study (EAS) Unit. Our Pre-sessional courses are the best way to bring your English up to entry level for University study. Our courses give you:

For more detail on our pre-sessional courses please see:

We can also consider the pre-sessional courses accredited by the below BALEAP approved institutions to meet the language requirements for admission to our postgraduate taught degrees:

• direct entry to your University programme for successful students (no need to take IELTS)
• essential academic skills to help you study effectively at University
• flexible entry dates so you can join the right course for your level.
• Pre-sessional courses
• Heriot Watt
• Kingston Upon Thames
• Middlesex University
• Manchester University
• Reading University
• Edinburgh University
• ST Andrews University
• UCL
• Durham

2025/26

Fees are based on the annual fee for full-time study. Tuition fees for part-time study will be charged at half the full-time annual fee.

Irish nationals who are living in the Common Travel Area of the UK, EU nationals with settled or pre-settled status, and Internationals with Indefinite Leave to remain status can also qualify for home fee status.

• UK: £5,005
• International & EU: £26,580
• Fee status and policies

Alumni discount

We offer a 20% discount to our alumni on all Postgraduate Research and full Postgraduate Taught Masters programmes. This includes University of Glasgow graduates and those who have completed a Junior Year Abroad, Exchange programme or International Summer School with us. The discount is applied at registration for students who are not in receipt of another discount or scholarship funded by the University. No additional application is required.

Possible additional fees

Depending on the nature of the research project, some students will be expected to pay a bench fee (also known as research support costs) to cover additional costs. The exact amount will be provided in the offer letter.

• Re-submission by a research student £540
• Submission for a higher degree by published work £1,355
• Submission of thesis after deadline lapsed £350
• Submission by staff in receipt of staff scholarship £790

Funding

Opportunities for postgraduate funding are available through the Scottish Graduate School of Social Sciences and other grant funded programmes. Applications from self-funded students are also welcome.

Fully funded scholarships

• ESRC Doctoral Studentship - What works in supporting secondary school non-attenders? An evaluation of careers provision in Scotland’s National Digital Academy for students not in in-person attendance.
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Doctoral Studentships
• James McCune Smith (JMS) PhD Scholarship
• China Scholarship Council (CSC) PhD Scholarships
• Sanctuary PhD Scholarship

Support

The College of Social Sciences Graduate School draws together internationally recognised scholars and respected practitioners to offer a range of research programmes.

Our programmes are based on thorough training in research methods and we encourage you to take part in numerous exciting seminars, conferences and events. We offer modern library, IT services and a wide-range of support services.

Our Researcher Development Programme will support you to plan your professional development over the course of your PhD and ensure your employability.

Identify potential supervisors

All Postgraduate Research Students are allocated a supervisor who will act as the main source of academic support and research mentoring. You may want to identify a potential supervisor and contact them to discuss your research proposal before you apply. Please note, even if you have spoken to an academic staff member about your proposal you still need to submit an online application form.

You can find relevant academic staff members with our staff research interests search .

Required documents

Our Online Application Form and Applicant Self Service will be unavailable from 08:00-14:00 (GMT) on Thursday 29 October for essential maintenance. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

• Academic Transcripts and Degree Certificates
• CV
• Research Proposal
• Two References
• Named Supervisor information

Contact us

• If you have any questions about your application before you apply contact School of Social & Environmental Sustainability at dumfries-admin@glasgow.ac.uk
• If you have any questions after you have submitted your application: contact our Admissions team

International students

• Advice on visa, immigrations and the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) can be found on our International student pages

Our research environment

• Discover how we support and develop postgraduate researchers

Induction

• Getting started with PGR development: how postgraduate researchers are welcomed into our community

Postgraduate researcher blogs

• A community blog, written by and for postgraduate researchers at the University of Glasgow

Research areas