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PhD in Economics

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This is the most advanced programme of graduate studies in Economics at Cambridge. Upon its completion, candidates are awarded a PhD degree for producing a thesis of high-quality, original, and publishable research over a period of four years (full-time) and seven years (part-time).

A good number of our PhD students receive full or partial funding for their studies, from a variety of funding bodies, such as the ESRC and the Gates Foundation .

Our PhD students receive high quality training on a variety of research methods and are exposed to cutting edge research conducted by our own Faculty members, as well visitors to the Faculty (via the Cambridge-INET Institute , seminars, PhD workshops, locally organised conferences, etc.). Faculty members can supervise a wide range of topics from six broadly defined research areas: microeconomic theory, macroeconomics, econometrics, applied microeconomics, economic history and alternative approaches to economics.

PhD students in Cambridge benefit from a high faculty-to-student ratio and therefore form close relationships with many Faculty members. They also forge strong links with our post-doctoral researchers, and they actively participate in the Faculty’s vibrant research life. They have access to a wide range of facilities, such as their own desk/office space in the same building as regular Faculty members, computing equipment, a variety of software and access to a wide range of databases.

PhD students are encouraged to attend academic conferences and showcase their research work in a variety of ways. Upon completions of their studies, many of our PhD students become academics, or researchers at international or government research institutions (see recent job market placements here ).

Explore here the profiles of our current PhD students.

To obtain the degree of PhD in Economics, students need to:

1. Obtain the Certificate of Postgraduate Study (CPGS) . If accepted for the PhD degree, you will be registered initially for the Certificate of Postgraduate Study (CPGS) in Economics. Students registered for the CPGS are required to:

• Attend the 'How to do Economics' lecture course. Other postgraduate courses in research methods are organised by the Schools of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Physical Sciences, and are available to all PhD students.  
• Undertake a minimum of four courses from PhD or MPhil Modules from at least two subject areas. You must achieve a pass mark (60%) on each component of the coursework. Students who fail any examinations will be called for a viva on the coursework.

• Write a research proposal (maximum length 10,000 words) that should include a review of the relevant literature, a research question, and outline of a research design and methods. The expectation is that this proposal will be for a piece of research that could form the basis of one chapter of a PhD dissertation. You will be given an oral examination on this piece of work and must perform to a satisfactory standard.  
• Attend (a) one of the three research workshops (on microeconomics, macroeconomics or econometrics) at which research students present both their own work and recent papers in the literature - assessment of workshops will be arranged by course organisers; (b) attend at least one of the Faculty's general seminars in which papers are given both by outside speakers and Faculty members;  
• To be registered for the PhD submit an acceptable piece of research (first year chapter) of not more than 20,000 words. The piece of research submitted must be of a standard that would enable it to form the basis of one-third of your eventual PhD thesis. This means that it must contain research that could be expanded upon to constitute one-third of the PhD thesis.

2. Once upgraded to PhD status, a student concentrates on her or his PhD dissertation. In general the thesis format is either in the form of a book divided into chapters, or of three or more connected articles; in either case, the Faculty has a strict limit of 60,000 words. As research progresses, there will be opportunities to present work in progress at research workshops attended by Faculty members and research students. PhD students will also be required to attend research seminars given by outside speakers and Faculty members. 

Upon completion and submission of the PhD thesis, students do an oral examination (viva) with two examiners, one internal to the University of Cambridge (not the supervisor or research advisor), and one external (from any other University in the UK or the rest of the world).

After a successful thesis defence, the examiners recommend awarding the degree of PhD.

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Cambridge is an outstanding place to work on Anglophone literature. Students and scholars benefit from world-class libraries, and from each other. The PhD cohort is diverse and large in number. No particular area or approach is preferred. Faculty members who act as supervisors and advisors for doctoral theses work on a great variety of topics and in varied ways. Proposals of all kinds are therefore welcome: from little-known as well as canonical authors, innovative and interdisciplinary perspectives, and more traditional thematic, theoretical, cultural, and literary-historical perspectives. Regular postgraduate training sessions offer guidance at every stage of the process - from first-year assessment to learning to teach to applying for jobs. In addition to the formal training, there are excellent opportunities for the sorts of enriching conversations and collaborations that emerge informally, between fellow PhDs, MPhils, and Faculty members. Some of these take place under the auspices of the student-run Graduate Research Forum. Regular Research Seminars focus on particular periods and fields (for instance, Medieval, Nineteenth Century, Postcolonial and Related Literatures); these combine internal and invited speakers, and encourage discussions and relationships between the entire research community. The Faculty also puts on occasional conferences on all manner of topics; like the research seminars, many of the most successful and exciting ones are conceived of and run by PhD students.

MPhil students in English Studies who wish to continue to the PhD must apply for admission through the University's admission processes, taking funding and application deadlines into consideration. Readmission is not automatic and each application is considered on its own merits. The expected standard for continuation is an overall mark of at least 70 in the MPhil course, including at least 70 for the dissertation. Other conditions may be imposed.

The University hosts and attends fairs and events throughout the year, in the UK and across the world. We also offer online events to help you explore your options:

Discover Cambridge: Master’s and PhD study webinars - these Spring events provide practical information about applying for postgraduate study.

Postgraduate Virtual Open Days - taking place in November each year, the Open Days focus on subject and course information.

For more information about upcoming events visit our events pages .

Key Information

3-4 years full-time, 4-7 years part-time, study mode : research, doctor of philosophy, faculty of english, course - related enquiries, application - related enquiries, course on department website, dates and deadlines:, michaelmas 2025.

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Easter 2026

Funding deadlines.

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2025, Lent 2026 and Easter 2026.

Similar Courses

• English Studies MPhil
• Literature, Culture and Thought (Taught) MPhil
• Literature, Culture and Thought (Research) MPhil
• Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Korean Studies) MPhil
• Asian and Middle Eastern Studies by Research (Korean Studies) MPhil

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The PhD degree is the Department of Earth Sciences' principal research degree for postgraduate students. As a large and integrated department, the expertise and current research of our staff spans the breadth of Earth Sciences. We have 37 academic staff who are available to supervise PhD students. 

We welcome research enquiries from students who are currently working toward, or have acquired, first degrees in: Earth Science subjects, physics, chemistry, mathematics, material science, biology, or other related subjects.

The Department of Earth Sciences is a partner in two Doctoral Training Programmes (outlined below), who award research-council-funded studentships. Other studentships are available through different funding sources. 

If you wish to find out more about a project or the Department, or want to discuss devising your own project with us, then please contact a relevant member of academic staff —you can discover their interests on our Research pages .

Cambridge CREATES DTP

Environmental science is at the heart of our most pressing societal challenges: climate change and the need for secure energy; biodiversity loss in the context of food production and land use pressures; natural and climate-induced hazards in the face of growing vulnerability.

The Cambridge Research Experience and Advanced Training for Environmental Scientists ( CREATES ) Doctoral Landscape Award (DLA) unites the University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey as hosts for PhD training and projects, working with a wide range of collaborative partners. Its aim is to nurture and train environmental scientists from a variety of backgrounds, creating diverse cohorts of interdisciplinary, problem-solving environmental science postgraduates qualified to take up a broad spectrum of careers. DLA is the new terminology for Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs), and CREATES is our new programme, which we hope will take in 5 cohorts of students, with the first cohort starting in October 2026. CREATES follows on from C-CLEAR which recruited 6 cohorts of students. Various departments of the University of Cambridge, as well as the British Antarctic Survey, are members of CREATES and eligible to host PhD students. Students will apply to work in broad areas with a named lead supervisor and will co-develop detailed PhD projects with full supervisory teams (and potential CASE partners) on arrival.

Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe (LCLU)

The Department is offering several studentships through the University’s Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe.  For full details see the LCLU page  

These studentships are available for home (UK) students starting October 2025 meeting the widening participation criteria set out by the LCLU.

Students should apply to the department as usual through the postgraduate admissions portal  and note on their application their interest in one of the LCLU projects offered by academics in Earth Sciences, alongside DTP and other available projects they have identified.  

Cambridge AI4ER CDT

The Cambridge UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in the Application of Artificial Intelligence to the study of Environmental Risks ( AI4ER )  offers around ten 4-year UKRI-funded PhD studentships each year to start in October. The programme comprises a one-year MRes (two terms taught, one term research), and a three-year PhD to apply AI methodologies.

A wide range of projects will be available under the broad themes of:

• Weather, climate, and air quality
• Natural hazards
• Natural resources (food, water and resource security, and biodiversity)

For more information on this Centre for Doctoral Training, including training structure and applying to the course, please visit the  AI4ER CDT pages .

Fully-funded studentships are also available at the  BPI Institute , and through the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Nuclear Energy Futures .

We are also happy to devise projects with you, particularly if the projects outlined above are not of interest and you have interests that we share. Explore our  Research pages to see which members of academic staff you would like to work with, and then contact them directly.

DTP studentships will be funded by UK research councils. Other studentships available in department will be funded by industry and several Cambridge Colleges. 

We also have a number of CASE awards, which involve direct links with industry partners.

Applications

Before applying, applicants are advised to contact the relevant member of academic staff for their chosen project to discuss your research interests.

To make a formal application for a PhD studentship, please go to the  University's Applicant Portal . When you complete the on-line application, you will have to indicate a college choice—it may help to discuss this choice with your prospective supervisor before submitting your application.

If you are applying from outside the UK, then please read our  PhD (Overseas Students)  page.

For questions related specifically to a project, please contact the relevant supervisor directly.

For more general information, please contact our  Postgraduate Admissions .

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