How to apply

It is highly advisable to identify and approach at least one supervisor regarding your PhD proposal before submitting your application. You are not obliged to do so and failure to do this will not prejudice your application. Please note that for a variety of reasons, colleagues may not always be able to reply to your emails. Please be thoughtful in your approach to them and provide as complete a research proposal as possible, prepared according to our guidance found in these pages prior to contacting supervisors, to maximise the chances of a meaningful engagement. You may look at the profiles and research interests of staff in the School of Law, by using the University’s Supervisor Search tool.

All applications must be submitted via the online application form.

Once you have submitted your application, a decision is usually made within 4-8 weeks. It can take longer at busy times. When we've made our decision, it will appear in your online application. If you have secured external funding that requires an offer by a specific date, please allow enough time for this when you apply.  Please note that we are unable to respond to individual queries about the outcome of applications.

In the School of Law, we interview all external applicants (normally online) prior to making an offer. Interviews last around 30 minutes, and are typically held with members of your intended supervisory team and sometimes one of the Directors of Postgraduate Research. We use them to explore your study and research skills and your proposed research topic: its quality, coherence and fit with research interests within the School of Law.

Research proposal

Applicants should provide an outline research proposal of approximately  3000-4000 words in length. The proposal should be clear and concise, but should also give an adequate overview of the research questions,  theoretical framework, methods, and background of the proposed research, including gaps in knowledge, originality and significance of the research. Please make sure you read the writing a PhD research proposal guidance before submitting your application.

In particular we will read your proposal to judge whether you can make a coherent argument for a feasible research project, explaining the originality of the project and the relationship between its research questions, theoretical frameworks and methods.

Deadlines and starting dates

We accept applications at any time of year, although please note that most University of Sheffield-based PhD scholarships have application deadlines in January (which means that you need to be discussing your project ideas with potential supervisors as early as possible (e.g. in the summer before you apply), but definitely before Christmas.

If successful in your application, you will usually be expected to start your studies at the beginning of October.

International applicants should take account of the time needed to obtain the necessary documentation, permissions and visas, which can take several months.

Entry requirements

Qualifications required

We typically require successful applicants to satisfy the following minimum requirements:

• A minimum 2.1 in an undergraduate degree (or equivalent qualification);
• A minimum Merit grade in a postgraduate taught degree (or equivalent qualification);
• A minimum mark of ‘65’ in a dissertation, thesis, or other independent research project as part of a postgraduate taught degree (or equivalent mark); and
• For international students who need to prove English-language qualifications, a minimum overall IELTS score of 7.0 with at least 6.5 in every component (or equivalent scores in another accepted English-language qualification).

The three academic requirements are usually required but can be set aside with good enough reasons. For instance, we might admit a student with a First-class undergraduate degree and evidence of experience of independent research without a postgraduate taught degree. A student with an exceptional postgraduate degree could use that to offset relatively weak undergraduate marks.

Completed a postgraduate degree without an independent study component? 

We are also aware that not every postgraduate taught degree involves an independent study/dissertation component, including a wide range of US Master’s degrees. Where an applicant cannot show evidence of previous assessed independent study, they should include a written sample of work in their application, demonstrating their ability to research a topic and write critically about it. This might be a piece of coursework submitted for an assessment, a published article in a newspaper, blog, or periodical, or some other extended piece of written work. The sample of work should demonstrate your ability to:

• identify relevant and meaningful sources to support the argument in the piece of work for yourself, rather than being an analysis of a source or set of sources selected by someone else;
• engage critically with sources to develop an argument. This does not mean criticising these sources, necessarily, but an ability to think for yourself, to assess the quality of the argument presented in your sources, and to present this fairly and in good faith to your reader as part of your argument; and
• present a sustained and nuanced argument on a particular topic, avoiding bias and misrepresentation, engaging with counter-arguments, and providing a clear and rigorous defence of the position taken, which can be followed by a reader who has not necessarily previously read the sources to which you refer.

In all cases, academic qualifications will be considered in the round with the rest of the applicant’s profile and application. Where you do not meet the terms of our standard offer, you might consider including an explanation of why you are capable of undertaking academic research in your supporting statement, to provide additional evidence for your assessor. This is particularly useful for non-standard research pathways.

Academic and practice backgrounds

The interdisciplinary nature of criminology means that we welcome applications from a wide range of subject/disciplinary backgrounds for criminology PhDs. These typically include law, criminology, sociology, anthropology, psychology, geography, political science, social policy, history and other disciplines. Those applying for law PhDs typically have a background in law at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level.

We will also consider candidates with substantial relevant practitioner-based experience but less in the way of academic qualifications (e.g. legal or criminal justice practitioners).

Bridge programme for international applicants

We also offer a bridge programme at the English Language Teaching Centre (ELTC) which aims to help selected applicants to gain the required academic skills to produce a successful application proposal and familiarise themselves with what it means to do a doctorate in the UK Higher Education system.

Information about the bridge programme for international applicants