Ageing and Later Life

Award Award	Duration Duration	Start dates Start dates	Application Application
PhD or Professional doctorate PhD or Professional doctorate	PhD: Full-time: 3–4 years Part-time: 6–8 years Professional doctorate: Part-time: 4–8 years PhD: Full-time: 3–4 years Part-time: 6–8 years Professional doctorate: Part-time: 4–8 years	October October	November to January November to January

Research in ageing and later life has a distinguished history within the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care’s Centre for Ageing and Biographical Studies (CABS), which involves current and emeritus staff, doctoral students and associated academics from other institutions. CABS was established in 1995 as a centre for gerontology and biographical research. The founder members believed that the experience and aspirations of older people should be at the core of research and teaching on ageing. This includes involving older people in various ways as research partners, participants and advisors. Since 1995, our research has expanded to include quantitative, qualitative, action research and mixed methods.

Research in this area is wide-ranging and interdisciplinary, with a strong emphasis on qualitative and participative research methods that address experiences of ageing. Our research also relies significantly on quantitative methods to study disease patterns and health inequalities in later life and throughout life. Projects have been supported by a variety of funders, including Research Councils, the British Academy and Leverhulme, the Academy of Medicine (Global Challenges Research Fund), the Department of Health, local authorities such as Milton Keynes Council, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Sir Halley Stewart Trust and many other charities and voluntary organisations.

Recent projects include work on where and how older people live, sexuality and ageing, design of kitchens to suit older people's needs, the needs and aspirations of older people living with dementia and with vision impairments, multiple morbidities, and health inequalities across the life course; diabetes and depression in later life; social isolation and loneliness; care and caring; and disability in later life. Some examples of current projects include investigating how older people learn about and use technologies (ICTs, wearables, haptics, online learning), sexuality in later life, poverty, and inequalities among older people in the UK, Europe, Africa and Asia, and comorbidities.

Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) and an MA or research methods training at MA level (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: £12,705 per year Full-time: £12,705 per year
Part-time: £2,503 per year Part-time: £2,503 per year	Part-time: £6,353 per year Part-time: £6,353 per year

UK fee UK fee	International fee International fee
Full-time: £3,811 per year Full-time: £3,811 per year	Full-time: £9,676 per year Full-time: £9,676 per year

Some of our research students are funded via the Faculty or The Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership; 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.

An image to illustrate the Ageing and later life research topic

Where do you live?

Entry requirements

Potential research projects

Current/recent research projects

Potential supervisors

Fees and funding

PhD fees

Professional doctorate fees

Links

How to apply

Explore

Undergraduate

Postgraduate

Policy