PhD at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies
London, United Kingdom
DURATION
3 up to 6 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Request the earliest start date
TUITION FEES
GBP 6,130 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning, On-Campus
* home, full-time | £15500: international, full-time. fees vary depending on mode of study and fee status. please visit our website for updated fees
Introduction
Undertaking doctoral research allows you to develop in-depth knowledge while making a meaningful contribution to your chosen field.
With guidance from our expert supervisors, you'll carry out extensive independent research culminating in a thesis of up to 100,000 words. Broadly speaking the focus of research degrees has increasingly been on the humanities and cognate social sciences, particularly on the subjects of human rights, globalization and development, politics, and Commonwealth history.
This degree presents the opportunity to gain expertise in your area of interest while also honing a range of transferable skills. On completing this course, you'll be well prepared for specialist career paths both within academia and beyond.
The Institute of Commonwealth Studies
The Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS) is the only postgraduate academic institution in the UK devoted to the study of the Commonwealth. The Institute has been supervising interdisciplinary doctoral degrees for over half a century.
The focus of research degrees has increasingly been on the humanities and cognate social sciences, particularly on the subjects of human rights, globalization and development, politics, and Commonwealth history.
You'll pursue academic interests in the friendly and supportive environment of the Institute, where your research will be enhanced by the outstanding libraries of the University of London, including the Institute’s prestigious collection. The Institute offers a unique scholarly environment and you'll be able to draw on the wide-ranging expertise of our staff.
The School of Advanced Study
The School of Advanced Study at the University of London brings together eight internationally renowned research institutes to form the UK's national center for the support of researchers and the promotion of research in the humanities.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Our students fund their studies in a variety of ways including scholarships, bursaries, and fellowships, as well as government loans and postgraduate loans.
We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries that you don't need to pay back and are awarded based on personal circumstances or academic achievement. Funding at the postgraduate level is competitive so it’s a good idea to plan financially before starting your course.
- The London Arts and Humanities Partnership Studentship
- University of London Scholars Awards
- Yusuf Ali Scholarship offered by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies
- Stefania Barichello International Travel Bursary
- JB Trapp Scholarship offered by the Warburg Institute
- Rubinstein Scholarship offered by the Warburg Institute
Curriculum
Course structure
The degree can be taken full-time over three years (or a maximum of four) or part-time over five years (or a maximum of six), with entry in either October or January.
You'll initially be registered for our MPhil and then, providing your progress has been satisfactory, be upgraded to our Ph.D. program.
The primary activity of the Ph.D. program is the writing of a thesis of up to 100,000 words. There is no formal coursework, but you will be expected to participate in a weekly seminar on Work in Progress and to present a paper every year from your second year onwards. In your first year, you are required to attend a weekly class on Techniques of Scholarship. You're also encouraged to participate in the regular seminars held at the Institute during the academic year.
After submission of the thesis, you will attend an oral examination conducted by an internal examiner, from the University of London, and an external examiner, normally from another British university. Graduates are awarded a University of London degree.
Distance Learning
The School of Advanced Study offers students with an appropriate topic and level of local resources the opportunity to undertake a Ph.D. by distance learning. These students are required to attend our London campus at set intervals to complete an intensive research training module, for upgrade, and for the viva but will otherwise study at their location. This option is available to UK, EU, and international students on the same basis as our on-campus Ph.D. programs (three years full-time, six years part-time). Fees are the same as for our on-campus Ph.D. programs. Please note that not all institutes and supervisors offer this option and that some topics are not appropriate to be studied this way.
Subject areas
The Institute of Commonwealth Studies(Opens in a new window) offers doctoral research supervision in the following broad areas:
- Human rights
- Ecocide, environmental destruction, and human rights
- Genocide studies
- African politics, governance, and development
- Ethnicity: conflict and accommodation in plural societies
- Protection of refugees
- Minority and Indigenous rights protection
- Dynamics of armed conflict and forced displacement
- Twentieth-century British and Commonwealth History
- Globalization, security, and conflict
- The Commonwealth as an international organisation
- British Imperial history, including decolonization
- European colonialism from a comparative perspective
- Post-colonial legacies in the Commonwealth and beyond
- Non-governmental public actors, civil society, and development
- British and Commonwealth intelligence communities
Before submitting an application you are advised to contact a member of the Institute's academic staff who has interests in your proposed field of study to discuss your proposal.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
The Human Rights Consortium(Opens in new window) (HRC) at the School of Advanced Study brings together multidisciplinary expertise across a range of areas within human rights, including environmental justice, ecocide and genocide studies, indigenous rights, international refugee law, and securing rights for LGBTI people worldwide. The HRC acts as a national and international collaborative centre to support, promote, and disseminate academic and policy work in human rights and hosts several seminars and research-led conferences on different themes in human rights throughout the academic year.