This page contains the information that you will need if you are interested in applying for postgraduate studies (MPhil or PhD) with the Geography Department. If you are interested in pursuing the Masters in Research in Human Geography, please visit the MRes page.

Please note that we do not offer MPhil or PhD degrees by distance learning, and that we only accept part-time students under certain circumstances. For more details please see the Postgraduate Programme page.

Admissions process

The first step in thinking about a MPhil or PhD is to identify a topic that you would like to research. You might do this from your previous study, professional life, personal interests, or by looking through the research interests of our academic staff. In order to find out about the kinds of work we do, and to see whether any individual members of staff have interests within your proposed research area, please start by browsing our three research ‘collaboratories’ as well as our academic staff profiles.

Please note that our expertise is generally concentrated in the field of human geography, although we can also cover interdisciplinary (social and natural sciences) environmental research in conjunction with colleagues from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Department of Life Sciences in the Faculty of Science. We regret that we are unable to supervise projects in physical geography (but please enquire about opportunities in this area with the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department).

We request that prospective applicants approach us with an outline of a proposed research topic. What we would like to see as a proposal is 3-6 sides (A4) covering:

1. precise topic of study
2. research question(s)
3. background and context
4. research methods
5. selected bibliography

This proposal should be sent in the first instance to the Postgraduate Admissions Tutor (contact details at the bottom of this page), who will consider your proposal in consultation with relevant colleagues, and contact you in due course.

If your proposal is of an acceptable standard, and comprises a topic that can be supervised by the department, we will encourage you to submit a formal application to the University’s Research School. The application process also requires a research proposal, and we may be able to offer you some feedback on your outline. At this stage, we will also discuss possible funding options with you. Download the application form (Word document)

If you would like more general information about studying for a research degree at the Open University, please consult our Research Degrees Prospectus.

If you have a query that is not addressed here, please write to:

Postgraduate Admissions Tutor
Department of Geography
The Open University
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA
United Kingdom

Email: SocSci-Geog-PG-Admissions@open.ac.uk

Key Links

• Department Research Student Handbook (PDF document)
• Postgraduate Research Degree Study webpage

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