We've set the country or region your qualifications are from as United Kingdom.
The PhD in Game Design offers a unique opportunity to develop innovative and impactful research within the expansive and continually growing field of digital games.
Situated within the culturally vibrant city of Liverpool and housed within the Department of Music, our PhD in Game Design will connect you to a rich network of regional talent and industries and provide access to state-of-the-art facilities.
Our subject area approaches the study of games from a holistic and multidisciplinary perspective. Postgraduate research students in Game Design draw upon the knowledge and experience of specialists in various departments across the University’s internationally renowned research community.
While you’re welcome to apply for and start this PhD year-round, most of our applications are received by 15 May each year and we encourage you to begin your studies in October, where possible.
The research themes below exemplify the kind of topics that would be suitable for this programme.
As a postgraduate researcher, you’ll participate in the full range of the Department of Music’s research activity, from presenting papers at research seminars to the potential opportunity to work as a teaching assistant within the Department, with pedagogical training and support provided. There’s a vibrant weekly postgraduate forum involving research, careers and teaching support for all postgraduate researchers, as well as a series of research seminars involving guest speakers from a variety of relevant disciplines and sub-disciplines.
You’ll be encouraged to attend and submit work to national and international conferences, such as British DiGRA and the European Conference on Games-Based Learning. There could also be opportunities where you’re invited to actively participate in relevant research groups across the university, such as the Music, Technology, and Interaction research group.
While this Game Design PhD is managed by the Department of Music, potential supervisors may include staff from different departments across our Liverpool campus as well as international staff in partner institutions (for example, XJTLU) depending on the nature of the proposed research. Your primary supervisor will need to be from the Department of Music.
Potential supervisors in the Department of Music may include (but are not strictly limited to):
If you’d like any help finding a supervisor, please email pgarts@liverpool.ac.uk.
You may need the following documents to complete your online application:
Finally, register and apply online. You'll receive an email acknowledgment once you've submitted your application. We'll be in touch with further details about what happens next.
Your tuition fees, funding your studies, and other costs to consider.
Full-time place, per year - £5,238
Part-time place, per year - £2,619
Full-time place, per year - £25,350
Part-time place, per year - £12,650
Fees stated are for 2026/27 and may be subject to change for academic year 2027/28. The University may administer inflationary rises to international fees in subsequent academic years as you progress through the course.
We understand that budgeting for your time at university is important, and we want to make sure you understand any costs that are not covered by your tuition fee. This could include buying a laptop, books, or stationery.
Find out more about the additional study costs that may apply to this degree, as well as general student living costs.
If you're a UK national, or have settled status in the UK, you may be eligible to apply for a Postgraduate Doctoral Loan worth up to £30,301 to help with course fees and living costs.
There’s also a variety of alternative sources of funding. These include funded research opportunities and financial support from UK research councils, charities and trusts. Your supervisor may be able to help you secure funding.
We've set the country or region your qualifications are from as United Kingdom.
We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries that could help pay your tuition fees and living expenses.
If you’re awarded this prestigious scholarship, you’ll receive significant funding to support your postgraduate research. This includes full payment of your PhD fees and a cash bursary of £23,000 per year while you study. One award is available in each academic year.
If you’re a UK student, either born in or with strong family connections to Merseyside, you could be eligible to apply for financial support worth up to £12,000 per year for up to three years of full-time postgraduate research (or up to five years part-time pro-rata).
Apply to receive tailored training support to enhance your sporting performance. Our athlete support package includes a range of benefits, from bespoke strength and conditioning training to physiotherapy sessions and one-to-one nutritional advice.
Facilities within the Department of Music include practice rehearsal spaces, a Solid State Logic (SSL) studio, iMac suites, and an electronic music research studio. You’ll also have access to the Game Design and Audiovisual Music Suite in the Rendall Building, which houses high-spec gaming PCs, virtual and augmented reality equipment, and dedicated spaces for collaborative work.
The dedicated postgraduate study room in the Department of Music is a hub for our PhD community. It offers designated desk spaces and computers, in addition to a couple of hot desks for those who want an occasional study space.
Postgraduate researchers are supported in their career development generally via our departmental PGR Forum sessions, as well as the University’s PGR Development Network. An annual Development Needs Analysis process encourages conversation with supervisors to help target development opportunities. Paid teaching opportunities are often available within the department, ranging from running seminars or delivering occasional lectures to offering tutorials and marking work.
The University of Liverpool, in partnership with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, is a member of the Game Changers initiative which facilities regular communication and collaboration between local game development studios and our academic programmes. This valuable connection allows our Game Design students and postgraduate researchers to meet and interact with industry professionals via guest lectures, feedback sessions, and various events around the city. These include conferences, industry mixers, and game expos.
Once you graduate after completing your PhD, you’ll gain free access to Prosper to help you unlock your potential and kickstart your postdoctoral research career.
Prosper provides structured career development and support, designed specifically for postdocs, in close collaboration with employer partners and principal investigators.
Opportunities include coaching, workshops, webinars and a buddy scheme designed to help you realise the next step in your career journey.
You can also access online resources including the Prosper portal so you can manage your personal and professional development at your own pace.
As a postgraduate researcher at the University of Liverpool, you have access to an exciting portfolio of development opportunities, designed to support your ongoing success and help you realise your ambitions.
These development opportunities, available through The Academy’s PGR Development Hub, are suitable for all subject specialisms. You might be just commencing your research or in the final stages of completing your PhD.
An initial Development Needs Analysis will encourage you to reflect on your abilities. This exploration of your personal, professional and career development needs will form the foundation of a bespoke development plan you’ll agree with your supervisor.
The aim is to immerse yourself in new experiences, engage in development opportunities designed exclusively for postgraduate researchers, and reflect on your progress.
Our campus Career Studio is a space for students and graduates to drop into and talk to a career coach. Career coaches are highly trained to help no matter what stage you are at in planning for your future career.
You can access tailored guidance and support to find and apply for full-time and part-time roles, placements, internships and graduate schemes. You will also find the help you need if you have a start-up idea or want to create a business plan. You can explore the world of work, prepare for job interviews, and access careers events and workshops.
The Career Studio is open Monday to Friday from 10am-5pm, simply drop in at a time that works for you.
These are the trailblazers, the leaders, the true originals. Our postgraduate researchers are shaping their future, and the future of the world we live in, advancing knowledge with each discovery.
Discover the qualifications you'll need to apply for this course.
You’ll need a UK undergraduate degree, or international equivalent, in a subject relevant to game design, at 2:1 or above. Applicants with a joint honours degree are encouraged to apply.
We would usually consider a taught master’s level qualification to be an important precursor to research.
You should send an outline of your proposed research topic and a sample of your written academic work with your application. An interview typically forms part of the selection process.
We look at candidates not simply in the light of conventional profiles, but with regards to individual qualities. Mature students with non-traditional backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
You'll need to demonstrate competence in the use of English language, unless you’re from a majority English speaking country.
We accept a variety of international language tests and country-specific qualifications.
International applicants who do not meet the minimum required standard of English language can complete one of our Pre-Sessional English courses to achieve the required level.
| Qualification | Details |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 7.0 overall, with no component below 6.5 |
| TOEFL iBT | If you took a TOEFL test on or before 20 January 2026, you’ll need 100 overall, with minimum scores of listening 21, writing 21, reading 21 and speaking 23. If you took a TOEFL test from 21 January 2026 onwards, when a new scoring system was introduced, you’ll need 5 overall, with 4.5 or above in all components. TOEFL Home Edition not accepted. |
| Pearson PTE Academic | 69 overall, with no component below 61 |
Do you need to complete a Pre-sessional English course to meet the English language requirements for this course?
The length of Pre-sessional English course you’ll need to take depends on your current level of English language ability.
If you don’t meet our English language requirements, we can use your most recent IELTS score, or the equivalent score in selected other English language tests, to determine the length of Pre-sessional English course you require.
Use the table below to check the course length you're likely to require for your current English language ability and see whether the course is available on campus or online.
| Your most recent IELTS score | Pre-sessional English course length | On campus or online |
|---|---|---|
| 6.5 overall, with no component below 6.0 | 6 weeks | On campus or online |
| 6.0 overall, with writing at 6.0 and no component below 5.5 | 10 weeks | On campus or online |
| 6.0 overall, with no component below 5.5 | 12 weeks | Online |
| 5.5 overall, with no component below 5.5 | 20 weeks | On campus |
| 5.5 overall, with no component below 5.0 | 30 weeks | On campus |
| 5.0 overall, with no more than one component at 4.5 | 40 weeks | On campus |
If you’ve completed an alternative English language test to IELTS, we may be able to use this to assess your English language ability and determine the Pre-sessional English course length you require.
Please see our guide to Pre-sessional English entry requirements for IELTS 7.0 overall, with no component below 6.5, for further details.
Have a question about this research opportunity or studying a PhD with us? Please get in touch with us, using the contact details below, and we’ll be happy to assist you.