The aim of our History PhD is to support you to become a fully-fledged independent researcher. You’ll prepare an original thesis under the expert guidance of two supervisors, becoming an expert in your chosen field.
The Department of History is part of the School of Histories, Languages and Cultures, one of the largest Schools in the University, exploring culture and society from the origins of humanity to modern day politics. We’re an interdisciplinary group of historians committed to an engaged approach to the global past.
We place particular emphasis on addressing historical injustices through our work on the Holocaust, medical racism, slavery, and colonial and postcolonial violence. From the rise of the far right to climate change, health care, library provision, abortion, religious intolerance and knife crime, we pride ourselves on using historical research to inform key contemporary debates.
The interests of our staff and postgraduate researchers reach from late antiquity right up to the present day, and encompass histories of Britain, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. We have some of the finest archive and library facilities in the country and regularly co-supervise interdisciplinary PhDs with colleagues from Archives and Records Management, Politics, Irish Studies, Music, Geography, Archaeology, Language, Cultures and Film, English and Criminology.
Students usually propose their own research topics, focusing on any field of historical study and any period in which the department has supervisory expertise. Recent projects have included:
From time to time, the department will also seek students wanting to work on specific themes. In recent years, these have included:
As a PhD student, you’ll form part of an active postgraduate research community within the Department of History, who hold Work-in-Progress seminars and organise an annual history postgraduate conference, which invites speakers from within and outside the University. You’ll have dedicated career development training from history staff, giving you guidance on subjects such as academic publishing and post-doctoral fellowships, as well as opportunities to apply for paid teaching experience on certain undergraduate modules.
The Department contributes to several highly active interdisciplinary research centres which offer further opportunities for collaboration, enrichment and career development, including:
PhD students in history have at least two supervisors with specialist expertise in their field of research, drawn from the Department of History and from historians in other departments across the University. To get started, we suggest reaching out to potential supervisors who will be happy to discuss your idea.
For general questions about finding a supervisor, please contact Postgraduate Research Enquiries: hlc-pgr@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 - £5,006
Part-time place, per year - £2,503
Full-time place, per year - £24,600
Part-time place, per year - £12,300
Fees stated are for the 2025-26 academic year.
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.
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 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 £17,000 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.
Our postgraduate researchers benefit from excellent facilities within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, including access to a dedicated study space and collaborative common room within the School of Histories, Languages and Cultures, enabling you to meet, and form interdisciplinary collaborations with other early career scholars during your time at Liverpool.
You’ll have ready access to the University of Liverpool’s outstanding holdings in arts, humanities and social sciences, including one of the UK’s most extensive collections of online primary source collections and databases through the Sydney Jones Library. The Department also has excellent links with a wide range of museums and other institutions on Merseyside and beyond, including National Museums Liverpool, the International Slavery Museum, the Bluecoat contemporary arts centre, the Athenaeum and Unilever Archives.
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.
Want to find out more about studying a PhD with us? Chat with our postgraduate research student ambassadors and ask any questions you have.
Discover the qualifications you'll need to apply for this course.
You’ll need a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree, and a UK master’s degree or international equivalent (preferably pass of 65% or above) in a relevant subject area.
Individual consideration will be given to mature students with significant or relevant experience and with professional qualifications.
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 | 6.5 overall, with no component below 6.0 |
| TOEFL iBT | 88 overall, with minimum scores of listening 19, writing 19, reading 19 and speaking 20. TOEFL Home Edition not accepted. |
| Pearson PTE Academic | 61 overall, with no component below 59 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 6.0 overall, with no component below 6.0 | 6 weeks | On campus |
| 6.0 overall, with no component below 5.5 | 10 weeks | On campus and online options available |
| 6.0 overall, with no more than one component below 5.5, and no component below 5.0 | 12 weeks | On campus and online options available |
| 5.5 overall, with no more than one component below 5.5, and no component below 5.0 | 20 weeks | On campus |
| 5.0 overall, with no more than one component below 5.0, and no component below 4.5 | 30 weeks | On campus |
| 4.5 overall, with no more than one component below 4.5, and no component below 4.0 | 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 6.5 overall, with no component below 6.0, 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.