Types of degree
Before you decide on a project, you’ll want to make sure you’ve chosen the science and engineering postgraduate research path that works best for you.
We offer several different types of research degree here at Manchester, all of which provide an opportunity to build skills and experiences that will help you to achieve your personal and career development goals.
In the Faculty of Science and Engineering these options are;
- Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT PhD): four-year research degrees which combine research with training
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD): three to four-year programmes of supervised research, with a wide range of science PhDs and engineering PhDs available.
- Engineering Doctorate: specialised engineering programmes which incorporate a taught component and industry collaboration.
- Master of Philosophy (MPhil): typically a 12-month programme assessed by the submission and examination of a shorter thesis than that required for a PhD.
- MSc by Research: a 12-month programme including subject-specific taught course units, research skills training and research project(s).
Look through a full list of our postgraduate research options across The University of Manchester >>
A focus on... Centres for Doctoral Training
If collaborating across research areas and with other institutions sounds like your kind of thing, CDT PhD study might be for you. CDTs allow us to provide funded PhD opportunities combined with valuable practical training, and are hosted both within and outside of Manchester.
Manchester based CDTS
- Advanced Biomedical Materials CDT
- Ecology and evolution (BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership)
- Graphene NOWNANO (CDT IN Science and Application of Graphene and Related Nanomaterials)
- Integrated Catalysis (iCAT) CDT
- Isotope geochemistry, cosmochemistry and planetary science (STFC)
- Mathematics and Data in Scientific and Indutrial Modelling (MADSIM)
- Nuclear Energy - GREEN (Growing skills for Reliable Economic Energy from Nuclear) CDT
External CDTs
A focus on... Dual Awards
Want to carry out some of your research in a different country? We partner with a range of international universities, including many which host joint scholarships with us.
Our research projects offer places at such prestigious institutions as China’s Tsinghua University, the University of Melbourne, the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, and the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore.