Overview
Introduction
This programme offers the chance to undertake a substantial piece of work that's worthy of publication and which makes an original contribution to the field of international history. You'll begin on the MPhil, and will need to meet certain requirements to be upgraded to PhD status.
The Department of International History at LSE is one of the UK's leading centres of historical research. With its emphasis on the international and transnational context of historical developments, we provide a supportive, but challenging environment for those individuals interested in undertaking a research project leading to a PhD in international history. The department currently has about 20 faculty engaged in innovative research who are ideally placed to supervise research students on a wide range of subjects. We can offer a comprehensive range of special areas for research, ranging from the early 16th century to the late 20th century.
Each year we receive a large number of applications from prospective PhD students from across the globe. The department currently has over 35 graduate research students, from virtually every corner of the world, who provide a vibrant and friendly community at the heart of the PhD process. You'll benefit from partaking in research training alongside your academic research, attending and participating in workshops and specialised research seminars, and from access to an unparalleled diversity of archival resources in London. Our graduates teach in some of the best university departments in Britain and overseas, or work in the media, civil service or private and voluntary organisations.
Entry requirements
Taught master’s degree (or equivalent) in a related discipline with at least 67 per cent overall and in the dissertation.
Please select your country from the dropdown list below to find out the entry requirements that apply to you.
Overseas
English language requirements
The English language requirement for this programme is Research. Read more about our English language requirements.
Competition for places at LSE is strong. So, even if you meet the minimum entry requirements, this doesn't guarantee you an offer of a place.
However, please don’t feel deterred from applying – we want to hear from all suitably qualified students. Think carefully about how you can put together the strongest possible application to help you stand out.
Programme content
In addition to progressing with your research, you're expected to take the listed training and transferable skills courses. You may take courses in addition to those listed, and should discuss this with your supervisor.
At the end of your first year, you'll need to satisfy certain requirements and if you meet these, will be retroactively upgraded to PhD status.
Year 1
Year 2
Browse the latest programmes of the International History Research Student Workshop and the International History Research Seminar and the Cold War Research Seminar.
Year 3
Browse the latest programmes of the International History Research Student Workshop and the International History Research Seminar and the Cold War Research Seminar.
Year 4
Browse the latest programmes of the International History Research Student Workshop and the International History Research Seminar and the Cold War Research Seminar.
For the latest list of courses, please go to the relevant School Calendar page.
A few important points you’ll need to know:
We may need to change, suspend or withdraw a course or programme of study, or change the fees due to unforeseen circumstances. We’ll always notify you as early as possible and recommend alternatives where we can.
The School is not liable for changes to published information or for changing, suspending or withdrawing a course or programme of study, due to developments in teaching practice, regulatory requirements that require us to comply, lack of demand, financial unviability of a course, or due to circumstances beyond our control, such as the loss of a key member of staff or where a location or building becomes unavailable for use.
Places are limited on some courses and/or subject to specific entry requirements so we cannot therefore guarantee you a place.
Changes to programmes and courses may be made after you’ve accepted your offer of a place – normally due to developments in the discipline or as a consequence of student feedback. We may also make changes to course content, teaching formats or assessment methods but these are made to improve the learning experience.
For full details about the availability or content of courses and programmes, please take a look at the School’s Calendar, or contact the relevant academic department.
Some major changes to programmes/courses are posted on our updated graduate course and programme information page.
Why study with us
Discover more about our students and department.
Meet the department
History is a wide ranging and challenging subject to study. It seeks to understand the past and to make sense of the present, adding an important dimension to the understanding of many aspects of human society. The department is world renowned in its field, offering a unique perspective on the history of relations between states, peoples and cultures. We pride ourselves on giving students the benefit of ground-breaking research throughout our teaching programmes.
Our degrees will give you a broad international perspective on the past. We give attention both to domestic and international issues and many of the courses we offer deal with major events in the history of international relations.
Since the behaviour of countries in the international arena cannot be understood without a knowledge of their distinct social, political, economic and cultural characteristics, we provide courses covering major aspects of the history of ideas and mentalities.
LSE was founded in 1895 originally as an institute of higher education for graduate students. The department reflects this tradition and takes its responsibility for undergraduate teaching and supervision very seriously. We admit nearly as many undergraduate students as master's students. We have one of the most cosmopolitan undergraduate communities in London and one of the most vibrant and dynamic.
Learn more about our programmes, research, public events and people.
Who's who
Professor Joanna Lewis
Why LSE
University of the Year 2025 and 1st in the UK in 2025 and 2026
Times and The Sunday Times - Good University Guide 2025 and 20261st in London for the 14th year running
The Complete University Guide - University League Tables 20265th in the world for the study of social sciences and management
QS World University Rankings by Subject 20266th in the world for leading the way in social and environmental sustainability
QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2026Your application
Overview
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.
We carefully consider each application and take into account all the information included on your form, such as your:
- academic achievement (including existing and pending qualifications)
- statement of academic purpose
- references
- CV
- outline research proposal
- sample of written work.
Applications which demonstrate a pre-existing level of language competence required to complete the PhD will be favoured.
See further information on supporting documents.
You may need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency. See our English language requirements.
Please note that LSE allows part-time PhD study only under limited circumstances. If you wish to study part-time, you should mention this (and the reasons for it) in your statement of academic purpose, and discuss it at interview if you're shortlisted.
Contact us
If you have any queries which are not answered here, please contact the department's PhD Programme Admissions Advisor.
When to apply
The application deadline for this programme is 27 May 2026.
However, if you’d like to be considered for any funding opportunities, you must submit your application (and all supporting documents) by the funding deadline.
See the fees and funding section below for more details.
Fees and funding
The table of fees shows the latest tuition fees for all programmes.
You're charged a fee for your programme. Your tuition fee covers registration and examination fees payable to the School, lectures, classes and individual supervision, lectures given at other colleges under intercollegiate arrangements and, under current arrangements, membership of the Students' Union. It doesn't cover living costs or travel or fieldwork.
Home
Home student fee (2026/27)
The fee is likely to rise over the full duration of the programme. The School charges home research students in line with fee levels recommended by the Research Councils.
Learn more about fee status classification.
Overseas
Overseas student fee (2026/27)
The fee is likely to rise over the full duration of the programme in line with the assumed percentage increase in pay costs (ie, four per cent each year).
Learn more about fee status classification.
At LSE, 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). We assess your fee status using The Higher education (Fee Limit Condition) (England) Regulations 2017.
Scholarships, studentships and other funding
We recognise that the cost of living in London may be higher than in your home town/city or country and we provide generous scholarships to help both home and overseas students.
For this programme, students can apply for LSE PhD Studentships. To be considered, you’ll need to submit your application (and any supporting documents) before the funding deadline.
Funding deadlines
Deadline for the LSE PhD Studentships and ESRC funding: 14 January 2026.
In addition to our needs-based awards, we offer scholarships for students from specific regions of the world and awards for certain subjects.
Registered PhD students in their final writing up stages can apply for financial support from LSE. Read more about the in-course financial support for final stage PhD students scheme.
LSE's Postgraduate Travel Fund assists research students who are presenting at conferences related to their degree. Read more about the Postgraduate Travel Fund.
LSE PhD students can apply for funding to undertake research for two to three months at one of our institutional partners. Read more about the Partnership PhD Mobility Bursaries.
External funding
Additional funding opportunities may be available through other organisations or governments. We strongly recommend you investigate these options as well.
Further information
Learn more about fees and funding, including external funding opportunities.
Learning and assessment
How you learn
If your application is accepted by the School, you'll be assigned an academic supervisor within the department. The teacher who will be assisting you is responsible for providing advice on selecting a topic, on the use of historical sources, on the writing process, and on how to successfully complete a thesis in history. Your supervisor is your first port of call on academic matters throughout your time in the Department, although he or she may advice you to consult other members of staff or members of other departments within the School for specific queries. The Research Student Advisor in the Department, who heads the research student programme, may also be consulted by all research students on questions relating to their programme.
Your supervisor is your main guide through this learning process. You and your supervisor share responsibility for transforming your efforts into a successful thesis. If you're to have a productive relationship with your supervisor, at your first meeting you must work out together a detailed plan both for the first year and for the completion of your thesis. Although this plan may, by agreement, be changed later on, it's essential for the supervision process that you keep your supervisor regularly informed of your progress. It's also very important that you follow your supervisor’s advice on key aspects of the thesis. Your supervisor will have much experience both in research and writing, and it's by following her/his advice that you'll be able to complete successfully and on time. You'll be required to keep an electronic Supervision Logbook, in which you'll record all substantive items discussed at meetings with your supervisor. This record will require the approval of your supervisor. At the end of the year a copy of the electronic Logbook will be submitted to the Doctoral Programme Director and retained in the Department’s archives.
For a list of potential academic supervisors please see the People section.
The doctoral thesis is the core of the training at the PhD level. For most students, the thesis is the first major piece of writing you have put together, and it takes much preparation to complete successfully. You need to learn, first of all, about the ways historians interpret the past, and about how to find your own voice within the profession. You also need practical knowledge about how to prepare and organise for such a substantive undertaking as writing a thesis in history. You have to learn about how archives work, and about how to carry out research in them. And, perhaps most important of all, you have to learn how to construct and argue for the key hypotheses of your work based on your original research, so that the thesis becomes an important addition to academic knowledge in the field.
The department has developed a well-functioning framework in order to guide you through to the completion of your thesis within four years. While your supervisor will be your main guide throughout the process, there are a number of seminars available in the department, at LSE, and in the University of London Institute for Historical Research that will be relevant to your work, from sessions on how to write a thesis to seminars that discuss overall historiographical developments in specific areas of international history. The PhD programme at LSE includes an international history workshop (compulsory for first-year students), which helps prepare you for the research and writing process and introduces key methodological and historiographical topics. We also strongly encourage you to make use of the many opportunities that exist within the School and in London to receive further specialist training and to discuss your work and your interests with renowned experts in the field.
How you're assessed
Progression and assessment
All research students admitted to the department are initially registered for the MPhil degree in their first year. After eight months of study, students who want to be registered for a PhD have to submit the materials required for the upgrade. Most of the work the students undertake with their supervisors during the first year of study is geared toward passing the upgrade exercise.
Students registered for the MPhil/PhD in International History are required in their first year to attend the department's research training programme HY501 – International History MPhil/PhD Research Training Workshop. The purpose of this workshop is to familiarise new MPhil/PhD students with the practical research and writing skills necessary for the preparation of a first-rate PhD thesis in history, and to discuss some general methodological and theoretical issues in international history as a research field. Students are also advised to attend relevant seminars organised within the School or in other colleges of the University of London.
In order to be upgraded from MPhil registration to PhD, you must prepare a dossier for submission (three hard copies) in the Spring Term of your first year of study, if you're a full-time student starting in the Autumn Term. The review process is designed to determine whether the student will be able to meet the requirements of a PhD, and whether the chosen topic will be suitable for a doctoral dissertation. The department uses the Code of Practice as a determinant of the general responsibilities of research students and their supervisors. All students should make an effort to familiarise themselves with its contents.
After the first year, we require you to formally report on your progress at least twice a year. If your progress is deemed unsatisfactory by the Doctoral Programme Director or supervisor your position will be assessed and you will not be allowed to continue in the programme.
The department expects that research students will submit their theses within four years and the reviews of your progress are geared to achieving that goal.
Graduate destinations
Overview
Our graduates teach in some of the best university departments in Britain and overseas, or work in the media, civil service or private and voluntary organisations.
LSE history students continue to have one of the best rate of employability and earnings after graduation in the UK. The Complete University Guide 2020 places History at LSE sixth overall for job prospects. Guardian's University 2021 League Tables placed History at LSE in second place for percentage of graduates who find graduate-level jobs, or are in further study at professional or HE level, within 15 months of graduation. The 2019 report on Graduate Outcomes Subject by Provider from the Department for Education places History at LSE top of the table with earnings superior to any other university in the UK, with 2010-11 LSE graduates' median salary at £43,200 five years after graduating.
A report on relative labour market returns, also from the Department for Education, which calculated the difference in earnings by subject and university choice throughout Britain five years after graduation, ranked History at LSE number one in June 2018. The report illustrates the average impact the different universities and subjects would have on the future income of an individual. History at LSE averaged a lifetime earnings boost of £14,000 for men and £15,000 for women when compared with studying history at any other university in the UK, including Oxford, St Andrews, Cambridge, KCL and UCL.
Further information on graduate destinations for this programme
Career support
From CV workshops through to careers fairs, LSE offers lots of information and support to help you make that all-important step from education into work.
Many of the UK’s top employers give careers presentations at the School during the year and there are numerous workshops covering topics such as job hunting, managing interviews, writing a cover letter and using LinkedIn.
See LSE Careers for further details.
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