Fully Funded Doctoral Programme in Economics (MRes+PhD)

Fully funded doctoral programme in Economics (MRes+PhD) at the University of Surrey 

We are happy to offer competitive scholarships for our leading doctoral programme in Economics. Our doctoral scholarships pay a stipend at UKRI level (£19,237 for 2024/25) and cover full tuition fees (UK/international) for 4 years, commencing in September 2025.

In addition, the scholarship offers:

• Paid research and teaching opportunities of up to £2,460 annually. In exchange for the optional £2,460, students deliver moderate amount of tutorial teaching/ marking/ research assistance providing our doctoral students with useful teaching and research skills.
• An annual research allowance of £750 to cover research expenses such as travel, conference fees, data access etc.
• We provide financial support for research visits to leading economics departments overseas during the PhD.

Our doctoral programme

Our joint MRes/PhD programme is designed for candidates with an outstanding background in Economics, who wish to engage in doctoral research in Economics. The MRes provides cutting-edge training in micro, macro, econometrics and research methods lasting one year and is, on successful completion, followed by the PhD programme lasting three to four years during which students take advanced PhD field courses and work on their research. A small number of places with direct entry into the PhD programme is reserved for applicants that hold a degree similar to our MRes.

An attractive feature of the MRes/PhD programme at Surrey is the relatively small cohort size of the programme. This guarantees an excellent match of the research interests of the students with leading academics as supervisors. A limited cohort size also allows for insightful interaction with the lecturers delivering the MRes and PhD courses.

Students will have the opportunity to present their research in the weekly research seminar and financial support to present in international conferences and for overseas research stays is available. The programme also provides tailored training to prepare our students for the academic job market placing them in the best economics departments in the UK and overseas.

Research Environment
The doctoral programme is embedded in a world-class research environment comprising of an international community of world-leading researchers covering micro theory, macro, econometrics, and applied micro. The economics department at Surrey was ranked in the UK’s top 10 for world-leading research in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 and 6^th for its research environment.

In the past, our students have been placed in research and teaching positions in leading economics departments in the UK and in Europe, including at the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, LSE, Texas at Austin, EUI, Glasgow, and East Anglia and in senior roles in central banks and international institutions across the world.

How to apply

Typically, applicants are expected to hold an undergraduate degree with first class honours in a relevant discipline and a master’s degree in a relevant discipline (or equivalent qualifications), but we also accept applications from outstanding candidates without a master’s degree.

For full consideration of our scholarships please apply by January 15. Funding will be allocated on a rolling basis until we exhaust funds. To maximise opportunity for external funding, we advise students to apply as soon as possible and/or to get in touch with the admissions officer, Dr Martin Foureaux Koppensteiner m.koppensteiner@surrey.ac.uk to discuss these opportunities.

For detailed entry requirements, please visit the MRes programme website.

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