Entry requirements

The general University entrance requirement for registration for a research degree is normally a First or Upper Second Class Honours degree (1st or 2:1).

An interview will be required as part of the admissions process and will be conducted by at least two academic staff members remotely via MS Teams, Zoom, or face to face.

Applicants will be required to submit a personal statement and a research statement.
Please contact your proposed supervisor, where possible, to receive feedback and guidance on your research statement before submitting it. Learn how to prepare a research statement here.

Months of entry

January, April, October

Course content

Brunel Design has a well-established record of research excellence, with multidisciplinary, product-related design research grounded on strong engineering design traditions. Research activities within the design programmes at Brunel cover a wide-ranging and diverse field of topics. Academic staff involved within these programmes combine human-centred design for autonomous vehicles, ageing demographics and healthcare systems; from incorporating sustainability in design by developing cleaner electronics, design for 3D and 4D printing, and incorporating social responsibility; to using innovative design for creative industries and information architecture.

Research in Design is organised according to the following thematic priorities:

Human-Centred Design through inclusive design, design for ageing demographics, perception and enhancement.
Sustainable Design through social responsibility, cleaner electronics and advanced materials and manufacture.
Advanced Technologies through engineering methods, optimization techniques, computer-aided-design and other emerging technologies.
Products, services and digital design through design innovation management, open design, design entrepreneurship, creativity, the digital economy, digital production and interfaces, and Information Architecture.

The department’s scope of research includes but is not limited to:

Human Centred Design
Trust in autonomous vehicles
Inclusive Design and Design of Healthcare Systems
Perception Enhancement
Design and Sustainability - theory, methods and tools
Design for 3D Printing (Additive Manufacturing) and Printed Electronics
4D Printing / Shape Memory Materials for Additive Manufacturing
Social impact of Distributed Manufacturing Systems
Design Innovation Management
Digital Design, Interfaces and Digital Production
Open Design and Co-Design
Social Innovation
Pedagogy and Curriculum

Research students are welcomed as valued members of our thriving, research-intensive community in Brunel Design. Our doctoral researchers join the Made in Brunel team in annual final year project showcase and lead-up events. In addition, our yearly Design Doctoral Symposium, as well as social events, enable you to foster vibrant connections with the outside research community.

You will benefit from this integrated PhD programme immensely if you want to:

receive a more much guided and hands-on supervision of your learning and research process, especially if you come from more traditional teaching cultures
increase your chances for timely completion of your PhD programme in comparison to students taking traditional route PhD, cutting down the expenses associated with prolonged study
access to tailored, highly specialist research training not available as part of the support provided to traditional route PhD students
maximise your chances for a successful research analysis by applying practical assignments and training which are part of the integrated PhD directly to the research you do for your thesis
receive an official Postgraduate Diploma in Research in addition to your PhD award to certify the completion of skills training which may be required by employers in some countries if you wish to pursue an academic career

Information for international students

If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.

English language requirements

IELTS: 6.5 (min 6 in all areas)
Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
BrunELT: 63% (min 58% in all areas)
TOEFL: 90 (min 20 in all)

Fees and funding

UK students

£4,596

International students

£20,450

Brunel offers a number of funding options to research students that help cover the cost of their tuition fees, contribute to living expenses or both. Recently the UK Government made available the Doctoral Student Loans of up to £25,000 for UK and EU students and there is some funding available through the Research Councils. Many of our international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. Brunel alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.