Frequently Asked Questions: MPhil/PhD

All prospective research students must apply using the graduate online portal. We welcome applications for research programmes that complement the academic interests of our staff at LSE. For this reason, we recommend that you take a look at our staff research interests before applying.

More information on how to apply for the MPhil/PhD Gender can be found on the prospectus page. The School has also provided a step-by-step guide on how to apply for a PhD at LSE.

.Please see the LSE website for guidance on what to include in your application.

The deadline for apply for our MPhil/PhD programme can be found on the LSE Gender website and on prospectus page. Please note the date will likely change each year so applicants should double check to ensure they have the correct date.

More information on when to apply can be found on the LSE website.

Entry requirements for the MPhil/PhD Gender programme can be found on the prospectus page.

You may also be required to meet our can read about our English language requirements. More information on this can be found on the LSE website.

We follow the same language requirements for a postgraduate degree. Graduate programmes at LSE are demanding and you will need to demonstrate that you have a high level of English language proficiency before you embark on your studies.

More information on this can be found on the LSE website.

Unfortunately, because of the high volume of enquiries, faculty are not normally able to reply to requests for help with research applications or provide comments on PhD proposals. Please contact gender.phd@lse.ac.uk if you have any queries regarding the MPhil/PhD Gender programme.

No. It is not necessary to find a supervisor in the department before you apply. If successful, you will be ‘matched’ with your main Supervisor who will guide you through the various stages of your research and form the consistent point of contact during your time in the Department.

We recommend having a look at our faculty webpages to see the range of research interests and specialisms in the department and familiarise yourself with complimentary faculty expertise before applying.

Please note that not all faculty will be able to take on new students each year and LSE Fellows cannot supervise PhD candidates.

Applicants are assessed based on previous qualifications, referees' reports, whether the research proposal demonstrates a good grasp of the chosen field, and whether we can provide appropriate supervisory expertise.

If your application is identified to be of high quality by the Gender Studies PhD Committee, you will be invited for an interview.

Nominations of successful applicants will be forwarded to a School Panel for a final decision.

Yes, there is an application fee. Information on this can be found under the ‘Application assessment fee’ section on the Supporting Documents webpage.

A proportion of the application fee income that we receive each year is used to give financial support to LSE students.

LSE’s has been designed to improve the educational experiences and student outcomes of BAME candidates at PGR level.

As part of the initiative, the application fee will be waived for all self-identifying BAME applicants of UK nationality who apply to LSE. All self-identifying BAME applicants will be automatically included in the scheme unless they use the opt-out option on the online application.

There is no separate MPhil programme. First-year students are registered as MPhil students only as part of their PhD programme. Once they pass Major Review at the end of their first year, they upgrade to PhD status.

Find out the status of your application here.

For anything related to your application, you should contact Graduate Admissions. More information on how to do this can be found on the LSE website.

You can find out more about the interview process via the LSE website.

If you are shortlisted for interview, you will be contacted in January or February. Candidates put forward for scholarship funding can expect outcomes communicated in May.

You can find the latest tuition fees for all programmes here. Your tuition fee does not cover living costs or travel or fieldwork.

Your tuition fees, and eligibility for any financial support, will depend on whether you’re classified as a home or overseas student (known as your fee status). LSE assesses your fee status based on guidelines provided by the Department for Education.

All completed applications received by the deadline will be considered for funding including ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP), LSE PhD Studentship and LSE China Scholarship Council (CSC).

There may be through other organisations or governments, and we recommend you investigate these options as well. More information can be found on the LSE website.

LSE PhDs are examined under LSE research degree regulations.

More information about the structure of the MPhil/PhD Gender programme can be found on the prospectus page.

You can read about the LSE PhD Journey from registration to graduation here.

Students are expected to complete their PhD thesis within four years of registration and an MPhil within two years.

LSE’s PhD model is designed for full-time funded students, and we strongly recommend full-time registration. We do not recommend attempting to pursue a PhD while in full-time employment.

Exceptions for part-time study are only considered for people with specific circumstances such as caring responsibilities or health/disability adjustments.

No, this is not available.

You can find out more about our current PhD cohort and their research on our people page.

Our PhD programme has been running since 1994 and we have awarded over 70 PhDs since 1999. A full list of our previous PhD candidates and their dissertation titles can be found here.

Email gender.phd@lse.ac.uk.

Please note that we are unable to give any kind of informal assessment of your suitability for applying to a programme or speculate on your chances of obtaining an offer.