Our research expertise ranges from the ancient to the modern across Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Read more about our expertise, doctoral training programme, and funding opportunities below. Applicants should identify and contact a potential supervisor in the first instance.
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences runs an extensive series of training courses designed to improve your skills and abilities during your PhD.
Meet our current doctoral students.
Find out what our students are researching.
Our students have organised an annual conference for more than 20 years.
EPOCH is a non-profit publication produced by doctoral students in our department.
From international conferences and research trips to first publications, find out what our PhD researchers are up to
Various sources of funding are available. These range from studentships funded by the AHRC and ESRC to University, Faculty and Department bursaries.
For information about funding opportunities, please visit the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences PhD Funding page.
To submit an application, simply create an account on the My Applications website and then select ‘Create a new application’ from your homepage once you are logged-in.
Using your account on the My Applications website, you are able to submit applications for the programme(s) which you wish to study, upload supporting documentation and provide us with information about referees.
If you are a current Lancaster student, or you have recently graduated from Lancaster, we can reduce the amount of information that you will need to provide as part of your application. You will need to provide only one reference and will not need to supply your Lancaster degree transcript. We will also pre-fill your personal details, ready for you to check.
If you use the My Applications website then you will be advised which documentation you need to upload or send to us. We can automatically contact your referees once you have submitted your application if you ask us to.
The supporting documentation screen will provide you with a list of required documents. These will usually include:
You can apply at any time of the year for PhD study, but we encourage you to start at one of the predefined start dates of October, January or April. In some circumstances, July start date will be considered.
If you wish to be considered for funding, are applying from overseas or require on-campus accommodation, we recommend you apply as early as possible.
If you would like more information before applying, please contact us.
If you have any queries during the application process, please Contact the admissions team.
The city of Lancaster and its surrounds are steeped in history. Explore the top historic sites to visit as recommended by members of the History Department, from Bronze Age stone circles to gothic churches, from Norman castles to Civil War fortresses, and from the mills of the Industrial Revolution to marvels of Art Deco architecture
Historic Lancaster
