PhD Economics / Overview

Year of entry: 2025

Degree awarded
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Duration
4 to 5 years depending on point of entry
Entry requirements

Streams: The 1+3 stream consists of one year of PhD level teaching followed by 3 years of research. The 1+1+3 stream consists of one year of MSc teaching followed by the 1+3 stream.

High level of performance: At a minimum, applicants must achieve an average of 65% in coursework with no unit marks below 55%, for both the undergraduate and postgraduate taught degrees as well as a 65% mark for the dissertation. Typically, offer holders exceed these standards significantly. Applicants may be required to achieve higher grades and meet additional requirements (see how your application is considered).

Degree Requirement : The economics training applicants have received should be equivalent to that offered at the University of Manchester. Applicants with degrees in quantitative fields other than economics will be considered on a case-by-case basis . We do not normally consider applicants whose previous studies have been in non-quantitative fields. Our criteria are:

  • 1+1+3 Stream: applicants must demonstrate high-level performance in a degree equivalent to a BSc or MA in Economics from the University of Manchester.
  • 1+3 Stream: applicants must demonstrate high-level performance in a degree equivalent to the training provided in the MSc phase of our PhD programme.

Competition for places on this programme is very high and meeting the minimum entry requirements does not guarantee an offer of admission. Additionally, we reserve the flexibility to determine the appropriate stream (1+3 or 1+1+3) for each applicant. Even if an applicant technically meets the minimum requirements for the 1+3 stream, we may choose to admit them to the 1+1+3 stream based on our academic judgment.

Full entry requirements

How to apply

Apply online

Please ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered.

Application Deadlines

Admission to the PhD programme is highly competitive, so please allow as much time as possible to prepare your application, browse our research pages and academics' profiles, and familiarise yourself with the application process and any important deadlines.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, but you must submit your application before the deadline below to be considered. You will not be able to apply after this deadline has passed.

  • For September 2025 entry: 30 June 2025

It should be noted that the deadlines for funding competitions will often be earlier than the deadline shown above. For internal studentships from the School of Social Sciences, the application deadline is the same as the programme deadline above. However, we reserve the right to close the competition at any stage if all awards have been allocated, so we recommend that you apply as early as possible. If you intend to apply for external funding sources (e.g. ESRC NWSSDTP), you must submit your programme application far enough in advance of the relevant external funding deadlines, which are usually much earlier than the programme deadline listed above.

Programme options

Full-time Part-time Full-time distance learning Part-time distance learning
PhD Y N N N

Programme overview

  • Join a vibrant and active research hub, with weekly seminars in macroeconomics, economic theory and applied economics.
  • Benefit from staff with expertise across all areas of economics.
  • We host prestigious events such as the Annual Conferences of the Royal Economic Society and the Summer Meeting of the European Economic Society and the Econometric Society.
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Economics - PGR Virtual Open Week Session (September 24 entry)

Open days

Our virtual week took place October 2024 – to find out about future sessions to explore postgraduate research opportunities across the university, please visit our study fairs and events page.

To stay up-to-date with future events and recorded sessions in the Faculty of Humanities, please join our postgraduate research .

Fees

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2025, the tuition fees are as follows:

  • PhD (full-time)
    UK students (per annum): TBC
    International, including EU, students (per annum): £22,000

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

Scholarships/sponsorships

There are a range of scholarships, studentships and awards available to support both UK and overseas postgraduate researchers, details of which can be found via the links below.

To apply University of Manchester funding, you must indicate in your application the competitions for which you wish to be considered .

All external funding competitions have a specified deadline for submitting your funding application and a separate (earlier) deadline for submitting the online programme application form, both of which will be stated in the funding competition details below.

You will need to be nominated by your proposed supervisor for a number of our scholarships. Therefore, we highly recommend you discuss these funding opportunities with your supervisor first, so they can advise on your suitability and ensure you meet nomination deadlines.

For more information about funding, visit our to browse for scholarships, studentships and awards you may be eligible for.

Contact details

School/Faculty
Contact name
Humanities Doctoral Academy Admissions
Telephone
+44(0)161 275 1200 OPTION 1
Email
Website
School/Faculty

See:

Programmes in related subject areas

Use the links below to view lists of programmes in related subject areas.

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