21 PhD programmes offered by the university

The Department of Economics at Royal Holloway University of London is one of the top economics departments in the country with a wide range of expertise, including labour economics, development economics, microeconomic theory, and experimental economics.

The Physics department at Royal Holloway University of London is a vibrant and dynamic centre for Physics research with research activity traceable back to the establishment of the institution in the late 1800s. 

Computer Science at Royal Holloway University of London is one of the world's leading centres of research in various areas of theoretical and applied computer science.

At Royal Holloway University of London, we are one of the largest and most diverse History departments in the United Kingdom. We offer expert supervision in a wide range of subject areas, both in geographic and chronological terms - from the Reconstruction South of the US to colonial Tahiti, and from ancient Rome to contemporary Britain.

The Department of Psychology at Royal Holloway University of London is a dynamic and varied research community covering the cognitive and neural underpinnings of social interaction, learning, memory, and language, through to more applied research topics in forensic, health, and developmental psychology.

The Department of Drama, Theatre and Dance at Royal Holloway University of London is an ideal place to undertake PhD research.

The Department of English at Royal Holloway University of London offers expertise across the full chronological and specialist range of English literary study, forging a reputation as one of the most dynamic departments of English in the UK.

The Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway University of London is one of the leading centres of research in the UK. Its research environment was classified as world leading and internationally excellent in terms of originality, significance and rigour.

The Philosophy programme at Royal Holloway University of London offers a broad range of research supervision, with academic staff working both the Anglo-American and European traditions, as well expertise in the history of philosophy.

We are one of the country’s leading media departments, working across both theory and practice and with growing interest in the digital. This Media Arts programme is offered at Royal Holloway University of London. 

The School of Business and Management at the Royal Holloway University of London is associated with the pursuit of research excellence across three research centres and three research themes. Whilst the majority of students pursue qualitative methods some students pursue mixed methods or quantitative methods.

The Department of Geography at Royal Holloway University of London is in the top tier of UK departments and has notable research concentrations in Quaternary science, social, cultural, and historical geography, the geohumanities, geopolitics and security, development studies and sustainability.

Academic staff in the Department of Mathematics at Royal Holloway University of London carry out pioneering research which is making an impressive impact on the world stage.

As well as specialist one-to-one tuition for the duration of your PhD, you will enjoy the additional support of a dedicated Research Advisor. The Languages, Literatures and Cultures programme is offered at the Royal Holloway University of London.

The Information Security Group (ISG) at Royal Holloway University of London is a world-leading interdisciplinary research group dedicated to research and education in the area of information (cyber) security.

The Department of Music at Royal Holloway University of London is consistently rated as one of the top research departments in the UK with an international reputation of high distinction.

Internationally recognised for the quality of teaching and world-leading research, the Department of Biological Sciences at Royal Holloway University of London is a dynamic and friendly place to study. 

The multidisciplinary Department of Law and Criminology at the Royal Holloway University of London is home to applied, theoretical and doctrinal research across Criminology, Forensic Psychology, Law, Social Work, and Sociology.

The multidisciplinary Department of Law and Criminology at Royal Holloway University of London is home to applied, theoretical and doctrinal research across Criminology, Forensic Psychology, Law, Social Work, and Sociology.

We have more than 30 PhD Politics students at Royal Holloway University of London pursuing cutting-edge research, and undertaking advanced training, in the areas of new political communication; elections, public opinion and parties; comparative politics; politics of Africa, Asia and the Middle East; and international relations.