Psychology - PhD 36 months PHD Programme By University of Kent |TopUniversities
Subject Ranking

# 101-150QS Subject Rankings

Programme Duration

36 monthsProgramme duration

Tuitionfee

19,300 GBPTuition Fee/year

Application Deadline

29 Jun, 2026Application Deadline

Programme overview

Main Subject

Psychology

Degree

PhD

Study Level

PHD

Study Mode

On Campus

Study psychology at postgraduate level and you become part of a diverse, dynamic and supportive community in which to research and learn. Research conducted under this programme heading can be in any area of our expertise including Developmental Psychology, Organisational Psychology and Political Psychology.



A Master's by research degree focuses on research expertise and prepares you for professional work or PhD study. A PhD is a doctorate of philosophy based on mostly independent study.


Both research degrees are assessed formally on the basis of one piece of work, a dissertation (or thesis), that reports your original thought and research. You must also successfully complete all required training.


Choosing a topic

Although sometimes we have specific PhD research projects related to funding awards, most of our research students choose their own research topics. Once you have decided on the nature of your project, it is important to contact a staff member whose expertise matches your area of interest with a CV and research proposal to discuss your proposed project and potential supervisory arrangements. Master's by Research applicants should also follow this procedure.


You then work with your proposed supervisor on refining your research proposal which provides the starting point for your subsequent research.



Supervision

During your research, you are supported by your supervisory team, normally comprising one main supervisor and a secondary supervisor. Your will have agreed your main supervisor, based on their compatibility with your research interests, prior to registration. Typically, you have one formal meeting per month with your main supervisor to discuss your work and progress (bi-monthly for part-time students).



Training

Through the Graduate School, you have access to training in research-specific and broader transferable skills, including academic writing, career management and presentation skills.


PhD students in receipt of a teaching studentship (GTA), must also complete the Associate Fellowship Scheme (AFS). The AFS registration period is one year.


The Statistics and Methodology module from our taught MSc programme is available for doctoral students who have not already completed an advanced statistics and methods course. Master's by Research students are usually required to undertake this module.

Programme overview

Main Subject

Psychology

Degree

PhD

Study Level

PHD

Study Mode

On Campus

Study psychology at postgraduate level and you become part of a diverse, dynamic and supportive community in which to research and learn. Research conducted under this programme heading can be in any area of our expertise including Developmental Psychology, Organisational Psychology and Political Psychology.



A Master's by research degree focuses on research expertise and prepares you for professional work or PhD study. A PhD is a doctorate of philosophy based on mostly independent study.


Both research degrees are assessed formally on the basis of one piece of work, a dissertation (or thesis), that reports your original thought and research. You must also successfully complete all required training.


Choosing a topic

Although sometimes we have specific PhD research projects related to funding awards, most of our research students choose their own research topics. Once you have decided on the nature of your project, it is important to contact a staff member whose expertise matches your area of interest with a CV and research proposal to discuss your proposed project and potential supervisory arrangements. Master's by Research applicants should also follow this procedure.


You then work with your proposed supervisor on refining your research proposal which provides the starting point for your subsequent research.



Supervision

During your research, you are supported by your supervisory team, normally comprising one main supervisor and a secondary supervisor. Your will have agreed your main supervisor, based on their compatibility with your research interests, prior to registration. Typically, you have one formal meeting per month with your main supervisor to discuss your work and progress (bi-monthly for part-time students).



Training

Through the Graduate School, you have access to training in research-specific and broader transferable skills, including academic writing, career management and presentation skills.


PhD students in receipt of a teaching studentship (GTA), must also complete the Associate Fellowship Scheme (AFS). The AFS registration period is one year.


The Statistics and Methodology module from our taught MSc programme is available for doctoral students who have not already completed an advanced statistics and methods course. Master's by Research students are usually required to undertake this module.

Admission Requirements

3.3+
63+
80+
160+
6+
110+
Before making your application, you are required to contact and confirm supervision with a staff member within the School of Psychology. Please note, if this is not completed and noted on your application, our admissions team will not be able to process your application until supervision is confirmed. 

A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with:
a. Adequate level of academic achievement
A final degree classification (grade average) of at least a 2.1 or Merit in the UK system (the second highest classification after First/Distinction). Results from institutions in other countries will be assessed individually according to this standard.

Your existing degree does not have to be in psychology as long as the statistics training requirement is met (please see below) and your proposed supervisor and the Director of Graduate Studies (Research) are satisfied with the suitability of your academic background. If it is in a different subject, or if it is not accredited by the British Psychological Society, please ask your academic referee to complete our Pro-forma for graduate research programmes and email it to [email protected].

b. Statistics and research methods training in the social sciences
This programme includes a one-year statistics sequence which you must normally pass in order to receive your award. The teaching assumes that you are familiar with the following topics:

  1. Means and standard deviations
  2. Distributions, hypothesis testing and statistical significance
  3. t-tests
  4. Correlation coefficients
  5. Variables and measurement

Therefore, your existing degree transcript should note that you have taken and passed a minimum of one term each in statistics and social science research methods courses (or two terms of a joint statistics and research methods course).

It is possible to be exempted from the statistics training at Kent if there is sufficient evidence that you have already completed equivalent training in a previous qualification.

29 Jun 2026
3 Years
Sep

Tuition fees

International
19,300 GBP

Scholarships

Selecting the right scholarship can be a daunting process. With countless options available, students often find themselves overwhelmed and confused. The decision can be especially stressful for those facing financial constraints or pursuing specific academic or career goals.

To help students navigate this challenging process, we recommend the following articles:

More programmes from the university

French - PhD arrows

Go to Programme ::type_cta_button::

German - PhD arrows

Go to Programme ::type_cta_button::

History - PhD arrows

Go to Programme ::type_cta_button::

Italian - PhD arrows

Go to Programme ::type_cta_button::
PHD Programmes 315