PhD Area Studies

If you're ready to take your knowledge and expertise in Area Studies into a postgraduate research degree, Portsmouth is the perfect place to fulfil your ambitions.

Our research in Area Studies is exploring the fields of international relations, history, politics, economies, cultures, languages and geography across specific regions – and when you study for a postgraduate research degree with us, you'll have the chance to make your own contribution to the vital work we're doing.

From exploring the history of the American civil rights movement, investigating Europe's relationship with Russia, or seeking to understand the causes of conflict in West Africa, our research is helping us make sense of our increasingly connected – but fragmented – world.

Our research is breaking down barriers of poverty, disease, and civil turmoil caused by natural disasters and conflict – by investigating how aid workers, charities and non-government organisations (NGOs) can most effectively work within the cultures and communities of developing nations, and by understanding how gender, ethnicity or religion impacts the lives of people around the world.

In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), 100% of our research was rated as having outstanding or very considerable reach and significance. The University of Portsmouth is ranked as the top modern university in the UK for research quality in Area Studies.