PhD Political Science

The School of Politics and International Relations welcomes postgraduate research students and visiting research fellows to undertake research in the following areas: British Politics,European Politics, International Relations and Political theory.

The School has long established expertise in British politics, including in:

Parliamentary politics;
Political parties;
Gender and Representation;
Public policy; Electoral politics;
Constitutional and legislative affairs;
Foreign policy 

Research in British Politics is undertaken in collaboration with the Mile End Institute. This is a major policy centre established at Queen Mary University of London, building on the foundations of the predecessor organisation, the Mile End Group. The institute draws on a large pool of expertise from the Schools of History and Politics and brings together policymakers, academics and diverse local communities to address the major political challenges in the UK.

Staff active in research British Politics include:

The School has long-established strengths in regional and country studies (central and eastern Europe, French politics, southern Europe and Iberian politics) and sectoral analysis (media, environment, financial services and welfare). This has led to two distinct research strands on Europe:

The Centre for European Research (CER) was established in September 2011 to develop and support these research strands. The CER functions as both a conventional research centre (hosting seminars, lectures and a visiting speaker programme) as well as a hub for public and private sector consultancy and research. The CER currently hosts two highly successful and prestigious publications: the Taylor and Francis journal East European Politics (formerly Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics) is edited by Prof Adam Fagan and Mediterranean Politics (2016 impact factor 1.117 for 2016) is co-edited by Dr Sarah Wolff. In 2016, the CER co-hosted the UACES 46th Annual Conference, a three day event which hosted a multitude of panels and research papers on contemporary European Studies.

Subject areas covered by the CER include: Comparative European Politics, British politics, EU internal and external policies, with a special focus on relations between Europe and the Mediterranean, the Western Balkans, EU migration policies, EU Justice and Home Affairs, EU environmental policies, EU Economic and Social policies, EU-Islam, any topic investigating the BREXIT as well as British immigration politics, movement parties and elections (France and Britain).

Staff active in the CER:

The School has particular strengths in critical approaches to International Relations. Subject areas covered include: conflict and (post) conflict regulation; nationalism and cosmopolitanism; US foreign policy; imperialism; globalisation and global governance; comparative politics of the developing world (especially Africa, the Balkans; Latin America, Middle East, south-east Asia); security; social movements; international political economy; international political theory.

The School supports the Global Politics Unbound research group (GPU) directed by Jef Huysmans. Global Politics Unbound is an interdisciplinary research group within Queen Mary University of London’s School of Politics and International Relations. Its aim is to lead debates on transformations of global politics by pushing the boundaries of conceptual, empirical and methodological research in International Relations and cognate disciplines.

Staff active in research in International Relations include:

The School has a long tradition of research in critical political theory and the history of political philosophy. The School is also home to the TheoryLAB. Established in 2013, the TheoryLAB explores the points of convergence and connection between different kinds of critical theory within, and beyond, the study of Politics. Dr Lasse Thomassen is the Director of TheoryLAB.

Subject areas covered: international political economy; international political theory; the history of modern political thought; continental political philosophy; race and racism; liberalism; ethics; human rights; citizenship; migration; political ideologies; toleration; the New Left. Expertise on thinkers includes: Arendt; Derrida; Dewey; Foucault; Hegel; Kant; Marx; Nietzsche; Schmitt;

Staff active in research in Political Theory research include:

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£35,150 Per Year

International student tuition fee

4 Years

Duration

Jan 2025

Start Month

Dec 2024

Application Deadline

Upcoming Intakes

  • January 2025
  • April 2025
  • September 2025
  • September 2026

Mode of Study

  • Full Time