Department of Geography | PhD Geography

PhD Geography at Durham University

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Our doctoral programme is an exciting opportunity to pursue independent research at the frontline of knowledge. Our students gain expertise in a specific field of knowledge and advanced research skills relevant to positioning the impact of their research in a broader context. They also build transferable skills in project design and management, writing for academic audiences, and skills for communicating beyond the academy. Our program is geared to build your career from day one, including through opportunities for teaching through face-to-face and online modes of delivery.

We are committed to supporting you throughout all aspects of your programme of study. Each student is supported academically by a supervisory team, and our students participate in a diverse forum of intellectual debate. We open the process of research, and our PhD students actively engage work on everything from work-in-progress to presentations by invited speakers. Our doctoral community is itself active in defining and leading research activities, such as seminars and workshops.

Our postgraduates come from all walks of life, and they head into an equally wide range of rewarding careers. Many of our postgraduate students pursue advanced degrees on leave from existing careers to which they return in business or government. Others pursue PhD studies to further establish themselves in their fields of expertise or shift gears into new interdisciplinary fields to pursue research in the Institute of Hazard, Risk & Resilience, Durham’s Energy Institute or the Institute for Medical Humanities.

Our programs are designed to prepare you for diverse opportunities through career development and communication workshops. Many of our PhD graduates choose to pursue academic careers within geography and many others move into adjacent fields. Many others choose to apply their research skills in business, civil society and government. The time you spend with us is designed to equip you for what comes next, and postgraduates benefit from our extensive networks of national and international expertise.

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