PhD Marine Sciences

• Overview

• This full time or part time doctoral programme is suitable for people who have a particular research question or topic in mind, and wish to explore this through independent study in order to produce an original contribution to the subject. If you aspire to a research career this is usually the most appropriate research degree to undertake.

  Potential applicants should first identify a member of academic staff who may be a suitable supervisor, and contact them by email to discuss possible directions for a research proposal. The research proposal must be agreed by the supervisor before an application to study can be made. You must also ensure that appropriate funding is in place, to cover both fees, and the cost of the research.

  You will be guided by a small team of academic experts, led by your main supervisor (Director of Studies).

  You will be expected to fully engage with skills development and training and to present your research in a range of scholarly contexts, including seminars.

  A PhD is assessed via submission of a written thesis and a viva voce (an oral examination).

  For full details of what doing a PhD entails at the University of Plymouth, please visit our Postgraduate research degrees pages.

  Core modules

  A relevant research skills module (following discussion with your supervisor), either

  MAR513 Research Skills and Methods

  or

  BIO5131 Postgraduate Research Skills and Methods

  If you do not already have a masters degree, you may be interested in one of our masters level research degrees – for instance, our ResM in Marine Sciences (which enables a transfer directly into the PhD programme if you are making excellent progress), or else an MPhil degree. Further details about the University’s research degree awards .

Applicants are expected to have either a good 2:1 or first class honours undergraduate degree in an appropriate subject, and typically to have also completed a masters level qualification to a high standard (e.g. at 'merit' or 'distinction' level). If you do not have a masters level qualification, you may wish to consider an appropriate ResM such as ResM Biological Sciences or ResM Marine Sciences . Students who are making exceptional progress in a ResM programme may sometimes progress directly into our PhD programme without having to complete the masters, depending on the availability of funding.

Potential applicants for both ResM and PhD programmes should first identify a member of academic staff who may be a suitable supervisor, and contact them by email to discuss possible directions for a research proposal. The research proposal must be agreed by the supervisor before an application to study can be made. You must also ensure that appropriate funding is in place, to cover both fees, and the cost of the research.

Applicants must have discussed a research topic with a prospective University of Plymouth supervisor in advance, including agreement about possible sources of funding for the project. Find out more about our research groups, their members and interests via the School of Biological and Marine Sciences research page before applying. The research group leaders will be happy to answer your questions about potential supervisors and research topics.

Please contact Dr Mick Hanley with any additional queries.

If English is not your first language, you must have proficiency in written and spoken English (normally a minimum test score of 6.5 for IELTS, or equivalent). Given the nature of the programme, you’ll be expected to read and engage with complex theoretical texts and debates for which fluency in English is essential.

For more general guidelines and application requirements, please visit the research degree applicants page.

In addition to completing the online application form (which includes space for a personal statement), you must also upload a research project proposal. Your research proposal should outline your research topic, your key aims and the research question/problem you are addressing, a brief literature review, your proposed methodology, and an explanation of why this topic is significant or important.

Your personal statement should briefly explain why you have chosen to apply to our programme and what you feel you can offer our research community.

Complete your application and upload supporting documents to the Doctoral College by completing our online application form.

We're here to help. Please contact the Doctoral College and we'll be happy to assist you.

More information and advice for applicants can be referenced in our admissions policy which can be found on the student regulations, policies and procedures page. Prospective students are advised to read the policy before making an application to the University.

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