School of Social Sciences PhD Studentship (Psychology)

Level: Postgraduate research (campus-based; full-time)

Entry date: September 2025, January 2026 or May 2026

Location: Edinburgh, Dubai or Malaysia

Closing date: 15^th July 2025, 11:59pm (UK time)

The School of Social Sciences at Heriot-Watt University is offering a full-time PhD Studentship in Psychology to be taken up during the 2025-26 academic year. The studentship includes a tuition fee waiver and an annual stipend currently set at £20,780. The duration of the studentships is 3.5 years. The School also offers a research support allowance of £2,250 over the registered period of study. In addition, full-time scholarship holders are normally offered an opportunity to undertake paid teaching support each academic year. Depending on the affiliation of the supervisor, the studentship can be taken up in the Department of Psychology or in the School’s new Department of Methodology & Research Development, and at either our Edinburgh, Dubai or Malaysia campus.

Applicants should get in touch with a prospective supervisor for an informal discussion prior to submitting their application. For further details of our faculty, please consult our research profiles.

Entry Criteria and Application

Applicants should have an undergraduate degree with a minimum classification of 2:1 in Psychology or a closely-related field. A Master’s degree is desirable for all projects, and essential for some (follow the links above for further details). In addition, candidates for whom English is a second language should meet the University’s minimum English-language requirements. If you have not already studied a degree programme that was taught and examined in the medium of English, the minimum overall IELTS score is 6.5 with no score lower than 6.0 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

Please note that possession of the minimum qualifications does not guarantee shortlisting for interview.

Applicants should submit their application via www.hw.ac.uk/study/apply/uk/postgraduate.htm

When completing the online application form, please indicate that you are applying to the ‘SoSS 2025 Psychology PhD scholarship’ in the field that asks how you will fund your studies, and include the name of your prospective main supervisor in the field that asks who your supervisor will be.  When creating your application, please select your preferred start date (either September 2025, January 2026 or May 2026) and campus (Edinburgh, Dubai or Malaysia).

Applicants should supply:

1. A full Curriculum Vitae.
2. Copies of full academic transcripts from all previous academic degree courses and copies of degree certificates for degrees already awarded. If you are currently pursuing a degree course please provide all available marks to date.  If your degree is from a non-UK institution, please provide evidence of the UK equivalency of your qualification.
3. A brief covering letter outlining why you want to study for a PhD at Heriot-Watt University, and what makes you an excellent candidate.
4. An outline research proposal (max. 1500 words). You are free to structure your proposal as appropriate for your project, but you should ensure that the following areas are covered: (a) background and rationale; (b) proposed methods (including consideration of ethics and open research practices); (c) anticipated outcomes/contributions; (d) plans for dissemination (including impact); (e) references list (not included in word count).  Prospective supervisors can provide informal guidance and feedback on a draft of your proposal.

Interviews will be conducted via video conferencing (e.g. Teams or similar). Interview support for those with disabilities will be available where required (e.g. a BSL interpreter).

If you have any general queries about the applications process, please contact soss.pgradmissions@hw.ac.uk

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