How to Apply

Before Applying

It is essential that you identify and contact a potential supervisor as early as possible and no later than 2 months before you intend to make your application.

This is to ensure that they are interested in, available and appropriate to supervise your project, to give you adequate time to jointly develop a research proposal, and for them to agree to become your supervisor(s). They will also be able to help identify a second and sometimes third supervisor whose expertise would be of benefit to the project.

Applications submitted without a named supervisor/s and supervisory input to the research proposal will be at a severe disadvantage.  A list of current staff and their research interests can be found here: Staff Research Interests - Durham University

The Application Process

Applications for doctoral research, whether seeking funding support or not, are made online via the Durham University postgraduate portal.

Finding the Archaeology Application Portal

After registering an account at the above web-link, you will be taken to a dashboard.

Click 'Create New Application', to open a search menu. Type 'Archaeology' into the course name and press search.  You will now see a list of archaeology postgraduate courses. Navigate to the 3rd screen.

Enter the academic year and mode of study from the drop-down menus and click 'Apply to PhD – Archaeology'. This opens the application form.

Please fill in the details required on each page and press next.  You can also navigate through the different pages by using the menu to the left.  Once a section has been completed, the red cross will be replaced by a green tick. You can save and return later at any point.  Once you have successfully filled in your details and uploaded any required documents you can submit your application.

There are two parts of the application that require further explanation:

Supporting Documents:

Whether or not you intend to apply for funding you need to attach a research proposal to your application. This should be 750 words maximum, except if you are applying for a China Scholarships Council scholarship, which requires a 2,000-word proposal. You should develop your proposal with your intended supervisor, as highlighted above. Please use the following headings in the proposal: 1) Research Questions, 2) Research Context and 3) Research Methods. If you are applying for a funding award, please use the same research proposal you are using for that.

If you already have funding or are not intending to apply for funding, then your application is complete. As soon as you submit, your application will be directed to the relevant departmental contact for consideration by the Director of Postgraduate Research and the proposed supervisors. You will be informed of the outcome of your application as soon as possible.

Funding

If you have already secured a source of funding, please enter the details here. If you intend to apply for funding from the AHRC Northern Bridge competition, then you should also complete the NB Nomination Form and submit it separately by email (see link to further information, below). Applicants for the China Scholarship Council scholarships need not upload any further documents at this stage. Your proposed supervisors will have to be well-versed in your project and familiar with you in order to process your acceptance to the programme rapidly.

• The AHRC Northern Bridge Funding Process
• China Scholarships Council Funding Process
• Other Funding Routes