Study both a Masters and a PhD

An Integrated PhD provides a route into research study if you do not have a Masters degree, or have very little research training. It enables you to spend your first year completing Masters-level training, followed by a full-time PhD. The PhD element of the course will allow you to study your chosen subject in depth, whilst being supervised by one or more members of our academic staff.

Integrated PhDs are different from standard PhDs in a few ways.

• An Integrated PhD combines both taught study (in your Masters year) as well as independent research (during the PhD element of the course).
• An Integrated PhD should take longer to complete (because it includes the Masters year).
• Integrated PhDs are designed for students who have not previously completed a Masters course but are particularly interested in pursuing research study.

The following Departments all offer Integrated PhDs.

Faculty of Social Sciences

• Department of Economics
• Department of Government
• Department of Language and Linguistics
• Department of Sociology
• Essex Business School

Faculty of Science and Health

• School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering
• School of Health and Social Care
• School of Life Sciences
• School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science
• Department of Psychology

Our Faculty of Humanities does not currently offer any Integrated PhDs, but does still offer a wide range of Masters and PhD courses.

Discover our Integrated PhDs below.

An Integrated PhD can take anywhere from 4-8 years to complete, depending on your study mode. The initial Masters year can only be studied full-time, which will take you a year to complete. When you begin the PhD element of the course, this will take you a further 3-4 years studying full-time, or 6-7 years studying part-time.

All of our Integrated PhDs are taught and supervised from our Colchester Campus, except for three Essex Business School courses, which are based at our Southend Campus. These are:

• Integrated PhD Business Administration
• Integrated PhD Management Studies
• Integrated PhD Entrepreneurship

During your PhD element of the course, you will undertake a large, independent research project and you will be examined by viva. Short for 'viva voce', the viva is an oral examination in which examiners (usually two) pose questions to the candidate about their thesis. The assessment of your Masters year will depend on the specific course you are studying, but this is usually a combination of coursework, a dissertation and examinations.

Upon successful completion of the entire course, you will gain a PhD.

We have a wide range of funding sources available for postgraduate students - from loans and discounts to bursaries and scholarships. Visit our fees and funding page to learn more about the different options that may be applicable to you.

If you require a student visa to study in the UK, then we will issue a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) to you when you have met the requirements for this. The CAS will allow you to make a single visa application for a student visa which will cover the full duration of the Integrated PhD course.