Located in the heart of London, the School of Social Sciences has an active research culture to which our well-established doctoral research programme makes a vital contribution.
The School incorporates well-established research programmes in politics and international relations, psychology, sociology and criminology, being home to three research centres:
- Centre for Social Justice Research (CSJR) (Sociology and Criminology)
- Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) (Politics and International Relations)
- Westminster Centre for Psychological Sciences (WCPS) (Psychology)
Research in the School across these fields has an international reputation for excellence, as was confirmed by the 2021 Research Excellence Framework. Please visit the web pages for these centres (via the above links) for more information about their areas of research and doctoral supervision.
Watch a panel of former PhD students discussing their experiences in the video below.
How to apply
If you are currently working on a PhD proposal and would like to find out more about potential supervision, please select one of the above three research centres to write to that fits most closely with your research topic.
- Centre for the Study of Democracy: [email protected]
- Centre for Social Justice Research: [email protected]
- Westminster Centre for Psychological Research: [email protected]
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.
Hear more about how to apply for a PhD in Social Sciences in the video below.
Apply now
Apply for the following subjects
Apply to our research degrees using the links below.
- Criminology
- Politics
- Psychology
- Sociology
You'll be able to select your subject area in the 'Supporting Information' section of the application form.
January 2026 start
| Mode of study | Apply now |
|---|---|
| Full-time | Apply nowApply for MPhil/PhD full-time course with a January 2026 start date |
| Part-time | Apply nowApply for MPhil/PhD part-time course with a January 2026 start date |
| Distance Learning | Apply nowApply for MPhil/PhD by distance learning with a January 2026 start date |
| PhD by Published Work | Apply nowApply for MPhil/PhD by published work with a January 2026 start date |
September 2026 start
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 other studentships being offered across the University on our Studentships page.
Subjects in which PhDs are available
Find out more about research based in the School of Social Sciences:
Centre for the Study of Democracy (politics and international relations)
- Contemporary democratic theory and practice
- Critical international theory
- Gender and sexuality
- Governance, complexity, resilience
- Post-colonial politics, development and emerging powers
- Security, violence and justice
- Social and cultural lives
Find out more about the Centre for the Study of Democracy.
Centre for Social Justice Research
- Prisons, probation, criminal justice, convict criminology
- Gender studies, queer theory, sexuality, embodiment
- Race and racism, policing, religion, social class
- Leisure studies, public space, gentrification
- Media activism, social movements
- Migration and border regimes, terrorism studies, trafficking, organised crime
- Family studies, young people, juvenile justice
- Sex education and sexual harm
- Education, critical pedagogies, prisoner education
Psychology
- Stress, health and wellbeing
- Learning and development
- Brain, cognition and perception
- Identity, self and society
- Forensic and investigative psychology