Geography and Planning

We have been awarded ESRC recognition for 1+3 and +3 PhD programmes.

Thus, first-year PhD students can gain the opportunity to undertake a scheme of study directly related to research training in planning, environment and housing.

First year PhD students will be expected (depending upon prior learning and experience) to undertake some or all of the MSc in Social Science Research Methods. Distinct routes through the course in planning, housing, sustainability, transport and regeneration are available.

A series of shared offices are available for PhD students and each full-time student has access to computer facilities.

Our research structured around the following broad themes:

• Sustainable consumption and production systems
• Poverty, social justice and entitlement
• Regional, city-region and neighbourhood governance
• Innovation and regeneration
• Complexity, urban evolution and environmental systems
• Pedagogy, knowledge and the built environment

These themes are explored at multiple scales (supra-national, national, regional and local), in urban and rural spaces, and across different sectors (such as housing, environment, labour markets).

Research work is organised into five main groups with a number of crosscutting research centres.

Some of these focus work within research groups and others operate across research group boundaries.

We play a leading role in the Sustainable Places Research Institute, and play a leading role in the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (WISERD) other research centres include

• Animal Geographies Research Cluster
• Centre for Economic Geography
• Energy Research Cluster
• Informal Economy Research Observatory
• Research Centre for Sustainable Urban and Regional Food.

Research areas

• Environment
• Social and Cultural Geography
• Spatial Planning and Analysis in City Environments
• Urban and Regional Governance

Please see our research webpages for more information.

Funding

We have had ESRC-funded PhD studentships for UK and EU students in the past.

See our latest PhD studentships and projects and find out more about other funding opportunities.

Tuition fees

Students from the UK

Get the latest information on postgraduate fees.

Students from the EU, EEA and Switzerland

Get the latest information on postgraduate fees.

Students from the rest of the world (international)

Get the latest information on postgraduate fees.

The 2,000-word synopsis of the proposed research should include the following:

• aims and purpose of the research
• overview of the academic literature relevant to your field
• proposed methodology
• academic contributions of your research

This is to ensure, firstly, that the school has the necessary expertise to provide adequate supervision and, secondly, that the applicant has a researchable project in mind. Potential applicants are encouraged to identify at an early stage the degree of "fit" between their proposed research and the research interests of Planning and Geography staff. In order to do this, please refer to the research groups on sections on the School's website.

Applicants should normally hold a first or second class Honours degree (or equivalent) or a Masters degree in a discipline relevant to the particular area of research.

All candidates will be required to demonstrate competency in English language prior to arrival in the UK. We look for the following standard: IELTS minimum overall score of 6.5 with at least a score of 7.0 in the writing section, and no less than a score of 6.0 in other sections.

English language requirements