Politics and History
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
History at Brunel has established a substantial body of cutting-edge research across broad themes such as modern and contemporary history with special focus on the rise and fall of empires, regimes, nations and states; the history of political thought; and war and conflict including military history from the ancient to the modern period, counterinsurgency, peace-building, and border conflict. The impact of our research is achieved through extensive networks involving other researchers and scholars, engagement with civil society actors and advice to the policy-making community.
Politics and International Relations at Brunel has established a substantial body of cutting-edge research across broad themes such as the history of political thought with a special interest in theories of violence and revolution; the political structures and processes of advanced capitalist states, especially Britain, the US, Asia, countries within the EU, and the EU itself; intelligence and security studies with a key focus on the institutions and processes of intelligence gathering; war and conflict including military history from the ancient to the modern period, counterinsurgency, peace-building, and border conflict; and international relations, including specialisms in the modern Middle East and the politics of intervention.
Find out about the exciting research we do in this area. Browse profiles of our experts, discover the research groups and their inspirational research activities you too could be part of. We’ve also made available extensive reading materials published by our academics and PhD students.
Learn more about research in History and Politics / International Relations.
Browse the work of subject-relevant research groups
- International History
- International Relations
- Performance, Politics and Violence
- Institute of Communities and Society
- Magna Carta
- Intelligence and Security Studies
- Comparative Politics, Public Policy and Political Thought
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
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%.
Qualification, course duration and attendance options
- PhD
- full time36 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- part time72 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- MPhil
- part time24 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- full time12 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
Course contact details
- Name
- Enquiries
- enquiries@brunel.ac.uk
- Phone
- +44 (0)1895 265599