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Edge Hill is home to a thriving and dynamic research culture and offers a range of full-time and part-time research degrees.

Our research programmes are organised and run centrally through the Graduate School who coordinate the training, supervision and support of research students.

Staff in all subject areas across the University are engaged in research and there are a number of research institutes which bring together staff from different departments, alongside visiting professors and professionals from external organisations. This range of expertise ensures that research degrees can be pursued in the majority of subjects offered by Edge Hill.

Is a research study route right for you?

A research degree is ideal if you are looking to:

  • explore a subject of interest in-depth
  • acquire extensive and specialised research skills
  • contribute to knowledge in an area you are interested in
  • enhance your career prospects
  • pursue a career in academia or research

Studying a postgraduate research degree will enable you to immerse yourself in a subject you are passionate about or allow you to independently explore a gap in your area of research. It will also enable you to engage with students in a tailored research degree development programme, allowing you to enhance your insight into other research areas.

Students work on Macbooks in the University library.

Course options

  • Masters by Research (MRes) programmes are highly flexible courses that provide a short and intensive research experience in a subject area of interest. Covering both practical and theoretical aspects, they are underpinned by the development of  knowledge and skills to design, conduct, evaluate and disseminate your own research in your chosen discipline.
  • Alternatively, or perhaps on completion of an MRes or postgraduate taught course, you may wish to study for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Professional Doctorate and position yourself at the cutting edge of knowledge. PhD and Professional Doctorate qualifications are awarded to students who have completed individual programmes of research and written and successfully presented a thesis reporting the results.
Masters by Research (MRes)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Professional doctorate

Tuition fee reduction for Edge Hill graduates

Edge Hill University graduates joining our research degrees in academic year 2022/23 may be eligible for a reduction in tuition fees.

If you are joining an MRes or LLM, you could receive a 50% reduction if you completed your final year of undergraduate or PGCE study at Edge Hill University in academic years 2019/20, 2020/21 or 2021/22.

If you are joining a PhD or Professional Doctorate, you could receive a discount of 50% if you completed your final year of MRes or postgraduate taught study at Edge Hill University in academic years 2020/21 or 2021/22. A discount of 20% may be available if you completed an MRes or postgraduate taught study with us in academic year 2019/20.

This offer is available to eligible UK students, EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status, and Irish nationals. Please see our Money Matters 2022/23 guide for postgraduate students to find out more.

A graduate collects their alumni bag after attending their graduation ceremony.

Next steps

If you are interested in joining a research degree at Edge Hill University, you will need to apply directly using the online application form for your preferred programme, mode of study and intake date. Please refer to individual course pages to access the relevant application form.

To visit our stunning campus, you can book your place at an open day. You can also discover the University from home by browsing our virtual open day pages.

To request a postgraduate prospectus, please visit www.edgehill.ac.uk/study/requestprospectus.

For further information about any of our research opportunities, you can get in touch with the Graduate School by calling (+44) 01695 650925 or emailing [email protected].

Book your place at an open day
Two students carry books as they walk past students working at computers in the University library within the Catalyst building.