PhD Urban Studies at University of Glasgow

Programme overview

Interdisciplinary doctoral research in Urban Studies, assessed by a thesis of 70,000-100,000 words and a viva voce.

Duration: 3 years full-time; 5 years part-time | Location: Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

What you will study

Research strengths include big data, GIS, transport modelling and urban analytics; educational inequalities; housing, planning, real estate, regeneration and urban design; public policy and health inequalities; smart cities and cities in the developing world; and governance, communities and participation.

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Application information

Entry requirements

Usually a Master's degree with a significant component in Urban Studies, Planning, Real Estate, Geography, Urban and Social Policy, Urban Analytics or a related social sciences field; candidates will also usually be expected to have a 2.1 honours degree. Required documents: academic transcripts and degree certificate(s), CV, research proposal, two references and named supervisor information. International applicants from non-English-speaking countries: IELTS Academic 7.0 overall with no subtest below 6.5 (General Training not accepted); TOEFL iBT 98 overall for tests from 21 January 2026 (96 overall with minimum 23 in Reading, Listening and Speaking and 24 in Writing for earlier tests); PTE Academic (test centre) 70 overall with minimum Reading 62, Listening 62, Speaking 75, Writing 68. Other accepted tests are also listed for the programme.

Domestic applicants: GBP 5,238 a year (2026/27). 2027/28 UK fee to be confirmed; 2026/27 fee was GBP 5,238. Part-time is half the full-time fee. Page-level fee for the programme listing. Source

International applicants: GBP 28,275 a year (2027/28). Annual full-time tuition; part-time is half the full-time fee. Page-level fee for the programme listing. Source

Intake: September

Duration: 3 years full-time; 5 years part-time

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