Politics

Study a PhD in Politics at Liverpool and you’ll be joining a vibrant and international department, offering PhD supervision in subjects across British politics, political science, international relations, comparative politics, and political theory. Staff in theDepartment of Politicsare world-leading experts in their respective research fields and are happy to share and impart their knowledge through training and mentoring PhD researchers. They publish in high-impact academic journals, publish and edit books and collections, engage with national and international decisionmakers and policymakers in national governments and international organisations, and disseminate their views and analysis of current events through national and international media outlets. Join us as a PhD researcher in politics and you’ll be mentored to join this international and vibrant world of research, analysis, networking and knowledge exchange. Through regular events, workshops, training and conferences, you’ll be part of this community and learn to navigate and contribute to its production of knowledge. All Politics PhD researchers are assigned two supervisors, a primary and a secondary supervisor, who will mentor, train and guide you through regular meetings, readings of draft chapters, and support for endeavours like attending conferences or preparing publications. In your first year, you’ll also attend training sessions in research methods and research design. This grounding in essential research skills will ensure you develop the tools needed to undertake independent research successfully. PhD researchers are encouraged to develop their own proposals butideally,they reflect and fit with theexpertisewe can offer for supervision. The below listindicatesthe core areas of staffexpertise, but the list is not exclusive. The Department of Politics is a thriving community of academic staff that boast a wide range of specialisms mapped against four research clusters. Each member of staff and eac

IELTS: 6.5 overall, with no component below 6.0 TOEFL iBT: If you took a TOEFL test on or before 20 January 2026, you’ll need 88 overall, with minimum scores of listening 19, writing 19, reading 19 and speaking 20. If you took a TOEFL test from 21 January 2026 onwards, when a new scoring system was introduced, you’ll need 4.5 overall, with 4 or above in all components. TOEFL Home Edition not accepted. Pearson PTE Academic: 61 overall, with no component below 59 Your most recent IELTS score: Pre-sessional English course length 6.0 overall, with writing at 6.0 and no component below 5.5: 6 weeks 5.5 overall, with writing at 5.5 and no component below 5.0: 10 weeks 5.5 overall, with no more than one component at 5.0: 12 weeks 5.5 overall, with no component below 5.0: 20 weeks 5.0 overall, with no more than one component at 4.5: 30 weeks 4.5 overall, with no more than one component at 4.0: 40 weeks

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no component below 6.0

International students: Full-time place, per year - £25,350; Part-time: £12,650

UK students: Full-time place, per year - £5,238; Part-time: £2,619

UK/Home: Full-time place, per year - £5,238; Part-time: £2,619

International: Full-time place, per year - £25,350; Part-time: £12,650

Year round

Rolling admissions - check project listing

• Liverpool, United Kingdom