How to Apply

Entry Requirements

Taught degrees: the standard requirements for entry into the programme are a 2.1 (with an overall average of 65% or above) or GPA of 3.5, or equivalent. A first degree in History or a related subject is required. For international or EU applicants, please refer to the 'Information on your Country' webpages or contact Recruitment and Admissions for advice.

Research degrees: for doctoral research we would normally require a good performance, with an overall average and Dissertation of 65% or above, at Master's level or equivalent. As entrance requirements for other research degrees vary, please contact the Programme Co-ordinator.

For international students whose first language is not English: we require IELTS of 7.0 (with no component under 6.5) or equivalent (Band A)

Learn more about Durham's English language requirements

Application Process

The application process requires you to select the programme, study mode and intake you want to apply for, and to upload the required supporting documents. If you are applying for a research degree, it is strongly recommended that you discuss your research proposal with a prospective supervisor before submitting a formal application. The easiest way to identify a suitable supervisor is to explore our research clusters or academic staff webpages. Please feel free to email staff directly, they are usually happy to discuss potential research proposals with prospective students. If you are unsure who would be the most appropriate supervisor, or if you are unable to identify a suitable contact, please email the Director for Postgraduate Research, who will be happy to help.

Documents Required

For PGT programmes, please see the individual course page for information about what you need to upload

For PGR programmes, please visit the Research Degrees page and select your chosen programme. From there, you can select your preferred intake and study mode and begin your application. Please upload all supporting documentation, requested in the bullet points below:

• Two academic references - please ask your referees to upload their references directly to the portal. They will receive a notification with a link to submit their reference after you have submitted your application. If you experience any problems with this, references can also be emailed directly to artsandhumanities.pgrteam@durham.ac.uk 
• An academic CV - this should be no longer than 2 A4 pages and should contain information about your academic achievements to date and any related work experience you have
• A sample of written work - up to 2,500 words for MA programmes, up to 5,000 words for the PhD programme
• A 750-word outline of your intended research - concentrating on the research problem you will address, the research context in which it is located, and the methods, critical approaches, and sources you will use. You can upload this as part of the online application form
• Academic transcripts and certificates - if available, a copy of the transcript and/or certificate from your undergraduate degree and/or postgraduate programmes, if the degree has already been attained. Please note that although we will accept unofficial transcripts for courses still being studied, these transcripts should be on University letter headed paper. If the transcripts and certificates are not in English, we require the original and a certified translation. 

College Preference

If you wish to study on a full-time programme you must become a member of one of our Colleges or Societies, as well as being accepted by a department. You can indicate preferences on your application but you will be sent further information from the Colleges Office, if you are made an offer.

Deadlines

The department will consider applications for places on postgraduate programmes throughout the academic year, and you can start your PhD either in October or January. The MA by Research and Taught MA programmes only have an intake in October. The application deadline for overseas students is 8 weeks from the intended start date to allow sufficient time to process the application and Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) and 4 weeks for Home students.

There are some studentships and bursaries available to fund or to contribute to the costs of postgraduate study. If you wish to be considered for these, you must make sure that you apply by the relevant deadlines - usually in January or February (see Funding and Fees for more information). Please indicate when you apply for which (if any) of these schemes you wish to be considered for.

Interview

As part of the application process you may be requested to attend an interview. This will most likely be through Microsoft Teams. Please indicate on the application form which dates you would be available for interview.