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How to apply for a Research Programme

Applying for a Postgraduate Research Degree

Applications for research degrees differ substantially from applications for taught courses such as Masters degrees. Although the application form is the same, the way in which you approach your application can make all the difference.

As with all of our courses, you can apply to fund yourself through a PhD/Mphil at Bangor, or you may already have sourced external funding (e.g. from your employer or government), and we warmly welcome all expressions of interest in so doing. However, rather than simply filling in an application form, there are a few steps that you can take in order that your application stands a greater chance of being successful.

All PhD/Mphil students require supervision from at least one academic member of staff at the University, and if you are considering a PhD/Mphil, you will already have a good idea of the specific area or theme that you want to research. In order to ascertain that we hold sufficient expertise in your chosen topic to provide supervision, you should first look at our staff pages. This will provide you with a breakdown of each staff member’s area of academic focus.

Once you have found a member of staff whose research interests broadly accord with your own, you should contact them directly with a concise research ‘brief’ that outlines your proposal and ask whether s/he would consider supervising your project. If the academic expresses his/her interest, you may then further discuss your ideas and develop a full PhD/Mphil research proposal.

At this stage, you should formally apply online for the PhD/Mphil programme. You should fill the form out thoroughly, including academic references, your research proposal and the name of the academic member of staff under whose supervision you intend the research to be conducted.

Your research proposal

A good research proposal is essential if you are applying for a PhD or MPhil. The proposal should include:

  1. Overview – give a brief abstract of the subject area you wish to research and include information on the key theoretical, policy or empirical debates that will be addressed.
  2. Planning – you need to demonstrate that you are aware of the research timescales and have a plan in place to conduct your work. You need to demonstrate that the research is manageable in the given time period.
  3. Literature references – you need to show that your planned area of research has not been studied before. Provide references to key articles and texts relevant to your area of study.
  4. Methodology – you need to show that you are aware of the methodological tools available and have identified which ones would be suitable for your research.

More advice about preparing a research proposal

Funded PhD studentship opportunities arise frequently throughout the year, and are advertised as specific opportunities for which you must formally apply. 

The application process for funded PhD studentships may differ according to the academic School in which the studentship opportunity is held, so please check the relevant School’s homepage and follow the application advice therein.

If you are unsure of any part of the application process, please contact the individual School for advice, or e-mail postgraduatestudy@bangor.ac.uk.

View our latest postgraduate studentships

Application Guidance

Home/EU students: apply online yourself with the help of our Guidance Notes on online application for Home/EU students. 

We strongly recommend you read these before you start to apply online. 

Apply online 

Need help applying? Home/EU students please contact: 

Postgraduate Admissions: 

Admissions Office  
Bangor University  
Gwynedd  
LL57 2TF 

Students: can apply through our Online Application Portal. Refer to the Guidance Notes for help filling the form. 

Agents: if you are an agent applying on behalf of the student, then you can apply here. We also have Agent Guidance notes you can refer to that explain the process in detail. 

More information about how to apply as an international student can be found on our International Education Office webpage. 

Need help applying? International students please contact: 

International Education Office: 

International Education Centre  
Bangor University  
Gwynedd  
LL57 2DG 

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Check Your Application Status

You can check the status of your application by logging into our Bangor Direct Applications system. If you have any difficulties with the Bangor Direct Applications system or if you have any questions about your application, contact:

Admissions Office:

International Admissions Office:

Already Applied for a Postgraduate Course?

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