England

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Accessibility statement
An image to illustrate the History research area
The History discipline covers a broad range of the political, social, economic and cultural history of the UK and the rest of Europe from the late Middle Ages to the 21st Century, with additional expertise in colonial and post-colonial history. It has particular strengths in policing and crime (embedded in the International Centre for the History of Crime, Policing and Justice), 20th-century international and global history,(supported by the University’s multidisciplinary Ferguson Centre for Asian and African Studies), and British and Irish history. We welcome applications from students interested in studying full- or part-time for a PhD in early modern, modern, and contemporary history.
Most of our research students are based away from our Milton Keynes campus, but are resident in the UK; for details of residence requirements for different modes of study see Full-time study and Part-time study.
The University’s library offers outstanding access to one of the UK’s largest collections of online resources, and our postgraduate students benefit from access to collections of both primary and secondary source materials, online journals, periodicals, and other online publications.
The Open University houses an important archive of material for police history collected from individuals and organisations from the police service.
Graduates of our PhD programme thrive in a wide range of different sectors. Many of our graduates teach in universities across the UK and overseas, while others have pursued careers in the media, the heritage sector, the civil service, or in private and voluntary organisations.
Explore specific areas of research, current and prospective projects, entry requirements, fees and funding, available supervisors, how to apply and contact details for advice.
British and Irish history since the 18th century
Early modern Britain and Europe
Empire and postcolonial studies
The history of crime, policing and criminal justice
War and peace in the 20th century
Consider linked topics from other research areas.
British comparative and EU politics
Global challenges and religious change
International relations and global politics
Political ideas
The state, citizenships and identities