PhD in Human Geography

The studentship funded by the ESRC covers tuition fees and an annual tax-free living stipend in line with UKRI minimum rates (currently £20,780 for 2025/26). Students also have access to a Research Training Support. The Geography Department at Swansea is a vibrant and dynamic place for doctoral studies, and we host a large contingent of both domestic and international PhD students. The Human Geography staff at Swansea have a long history of successfully training PhD students for careers in the academy, as well as the public, private and third sectors. Our staff have a wide range of expertise, including in social theory, and cultural, urban, political, environmental, rural, and economic geography. We emphasise research that is both theoretically sophisticated and empirically situated. Many of us are actively recruiting PhD students and we encourage you to explore our staff webpages and get in touch with potential PhD supervisors who may align with your interests. As part of the ESRC supported Welsh Graduate School in the Social Sciences, the Human Geography pathway is founded on longstanding institutional links between Swansea’s Department of Geography, Aberystwyth’s Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, and Cardiff’s School of Geography and Planning. All three departments collaborate extensively in funded research ventures, PhD supervision, and broader postgraduate training in cutting edge theories and methods of human geography. PhD training is provided through a coordinated programme of standalone and residential workshops dedicated to advances in Human Geography Theory, and an annual cohort-building postgraduate conference with participation from across the pathway. The pathway also sponsors a peer-reviewed journal, Agoriad, with PhD students serving as editors. Should PhD students wish, they will have a chance to gain paid teaching experience, including as demonstrators or assisting with fieldtrips and seminars.