The School of Humanities, based in our historic Regent Street building in the heart of London, offers a dynamic and multidisciplinary research environment.
Our well-established PhD programme brings together a vibrant community of over 50 research-active academics and around 50 doctoral researchers, working at the forefront of innovative and impactful research across a wide range of disciplines.
Our areas of research include
- Arabic Studies
- Contemporary Chinese Studies
- Creative Writing
- English Language
- English Literature
- French and Francophone Studies
- History
- Linguistics
- Museums, Galleries and Heritage Studies
- Spanish and Latin American Studies
- Translation Studies
- Visual Culture and Cultural Studies
As a Humanities doctoral researcher, you will become part of an intellectually rich and supportive international community. You will be actively involved in a lively programme of seminars, workshops and events – most of which are public-facing – and will become a member of one or more of our research centres and groups, depending on your area of study. These thriving research communities foster collaboration, critical dialogue and the development of cutting-edge scholarships. A full list is provided at the bottom of this page.
How to apply
For queries about any aspect of the application process, or to discuss where your research idea might fit within our specialisms, please contact Dr Sara Dominici via email at [email protected] in the first instance.
You can find more information about study options on our Mode of study page.
PhD via MPhil
The majority of students will apply via the PhD via MPhil route. You can read more about the application process and entry requirements on our How to apply page.
PhD by published work
If you intend to apply for a PhD by Published Work please refer to the information on our PhD by published work page as the application process differs from the normal MPhil/PhD. Before applying, you should first make contact with the relevant academic for an informal discussion of your publications. You should only submit a formal application at this stage.
Apply now
Apply for the following subjects using the ‘Apply Now’ links below. You'll be able to select your subject area in the 'Supporting Information' section of the application form.
- English Literature
- English Language
- Creative Writing
- History
- Linguistics
- Modern and Applied Languages
- Museums, Galleries and Heritage Studies
- Visual Culture
September 2027 start
| Mode of study | Apply now |
|---|---|
| Full-time | Apply nowApply for MPhil/PhD full time with a January 2026 start date |
| Part-time | Apply nowApply for MPhil/PhD part time with a January 2026 start date |
| PhD by Published Work part-time | Apply nowApply for MPhil/PhD by published work with a January 2026 start date |
January 2028 start
| Mode of study | Apply now |
|---|---|
| Full-time | Apply nowApply for MPhil/PhD full time with a January 2026 start date |
| Part-time | Apply nowApply for MPhil/PhD part time with a January 2026 start date |
| PhD by Published Work part-time | Apply nowApply for MPhil/PhD by published work with a January 2026 start date |
Studentships
The Graduate School and each of the academic schools at the University of Westminster are committed to doctoral programmes which encourage and make possible excellent research. As part of this, we are committed to offering a range of studentships.
Find out about all current studentships being offered across the university on our Studentships page.
Research groups and centres
We host, or contribute to, several research institutes and centres:
- Contemporary China Centre
- Heritage Connections Group
- Hub for Migration, Exile, Languages and Spaces (HoMELandS)
- Institute for Modern and Contemporary Culture
- Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Westminster – email Dr Liz Harvey-Kattou [email protected]
- Westminster Forum for Language and Linguistics
- Westminster: Identities, Societies, Histories – email Dr Katja Seidel [email protected]