British comparative and EU politics

Qualifications Duration Start dates Application period
PhD
(MPhil also available)
Full time: 2–4 years
Part time: 3–8 years
February and October January to April
Qualifications
PhD (MPhil also available)
Duration
Full time: 2–4 years
Part time: 3–8 years
Start dates
February and October
Application period
January to April

Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at The Open University has an international reputation for research in the areas of British Comparative and EU politics. POLIS researchers work with regional and national governments, offer expert analysis in British national and international media, and work with international and non-governmental organizations and policy makers.

Within UK politics, supervision is available on the  British political system, political history, third sector and NGO politics, labour unions, social movements, and the politics of protest and dissent. 

In comparative politics we have an interest in British, French, German, Irish, Iranian, Latin American, South Asian and American politics, wider questions of global, regional and national governance. These include case studies and comparative research on democratisation, electoral systems, populism, political parties, transnational networks and citizen participation.

On the EU, we can supervise on EU legitimacy and participation, European civil society, UK-EU relations and Brexit.

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent). If you are not a UK citizen, you may need to prove your knowledge of English

Potential research projects

We welcome enquiries about PhD study in this subject area.

Students also have the opportunity to gain teaching experience via the FASS PhD Student Lecture Scheme and the new FASS Postgraduate Public Lecture Series.

Potential supervisors

Fees and funding

UK fee International fee
Full time: £4,712 per year Full time: £11,958 per year
Part time: £2,356 per year Part time: £5,979 per year

Research students can apply for funding via the Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership with Oxford and Brunel, or the Open-Oxford-Cambridge DTP in collaboration with Oxford and Cambridge universities. The Citizenship Studies pathway of the Grand Union DTP is hosted within the Department. Alternatively many of our students are self-funded.

For detailed information about fees and funding, visit Fees and studentships

To see current funded studentship vacancies across all research areas, see Current studentships.

Links

Montage of British and EU flags
 

How to apply

Get in touch

If you have an enquiry specific to this research topic, please contact:

Dan Taylor – Postgraduate Coordinator
Email: FASS-Polis-PG-Admissions
Phone: +44 (0)1908 654534/654435

Apply now

If you’re interested in applying for this research topic, please take a look at the application process.