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Our four-year integrated PhD Government follows the MA Politics programme for year 1 before beginning the PhD study programme within the department in year 2. By opting for our four-year Integrated course, you will benefit from guidance and training to develop the research mind set needed for your PhD studies. On the first year of your studies, you will receive training in research methods, followed by advanced research training and as your course progresses, expert supervision to reach your full potential, as well as access to top quality research facilities.

A PhD at Essex makes you a member of a department that has always been the highest-rated Politics department in the UK (REF2014, mainstream universities, THE 2014).

We are renowned especially for our expertise in the areas of:

• Political Behaviour
• Comparative Politics
• Ideology and Discourse Analysis
• International Relations
• Conflict Resolution
• Political Theory

Whatever the field, Politics at Essex is all about moving from opinions to evidence. Always seeking out cause and effect, in our research, we cast light on important questions across the political range and some that you may never have ordinarily connected to Politics or government.

Our PhD programme provides you with advanced research training and supervision by globally leading scholars. We work with you to analyse and explain significant political outcomes such as war and peace, transitions to democracy, the way governments shape the economy, or the results of the elections.

Your future

Our department provides several training opportunities and support services to aid your studies and to help prepare you for employment:

• Professional Development Seminar: First-year PhD students are invited to a seminar focusing on writing and presenting a research proposal for your thesis, developing confidence in the presentation of academic papers, learning how to write and submit journal articles, and developing skills in time management and the use of technology.
• Research Design Seminar: We offer a research design module to our PhD students to sharpen their skills to develop high-class research.
• Weekly discussion seminars: Each of the department’s research divisions hosts a weekly research discussion workshop, where students discuss their progress with their peers and members of staff.
• Skills training: The Essex ESRC Doctoral Training Centre offers training courses for doctoral students, including both advanced subject-specific training and a transferable skills programme.
• Teaching opportunities: Our department offers paid opportunities for both Graduate Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants.

Many of our graduates’ secure post-doctoral research or teaching positions within universities. For example, recent graduates are now research fellows and academic staff at Oxford, University College London, Glasgow, Munich, Mannheim, ETH Zürich, Amsterdam, and Duke University in the US.

Other graduates go on to enjoy influential careers in British, European, and international politics. This includes working as political lobbyists or researchers for MPs and MEPs. Our graduates also work in the civil service and in local government, for the World Bank, the United Nations, NATO, YouGov, or in the armed forces, finance, and business.