Software Engineering and Design

Award Award	Duration Duration	Start dates Start dates	Application Application
PhD (MPhil also available) PhD (MPhil also available)	Full-time: 3–4 years Part-time: 6–8 years Full-time: 3–4 years Part-time: 6–8 years	February and October February and October	January to April January to April

Our research in software engineering is concerned with how software is specified and developed in the real world. We have a large, active research group looking at requirement elicitation, analysis and specification, software architectures, and design.

We research software engineering in the human context: we want to understand how professionals develop software effectively, and how software changes over time in response to changing requirements. We research foundations, techniques, processes, and applications, using both formal and informal techniques drawn from mathematics, logic, and the social sciences. This diversity drives stimulating dialogues and cross-fertilisation of ideas.

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

UK fee UK fee	International fee International fee
Full-time: £5,006 per year Full-time: £5,006 per year	Full-time: £16,420 per year Full-time: £16,420 per year
Part-time: £2,503 per year Part-time: £2,503 per year	Part-time: £8,210 per year Part-time: £8,210 per year

Some of our research students are funded via Doctoral Training Partnership EPSRC and the STEM Faculty; others 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.

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