178 PhD programmes offered by the university

This Education EdD programme from The Open University UK is an innovative programme of part-time study designed for professionals working in the field of education and related areas who want to extend and deepen their knowledge and understanding of contemporary educational issues.

Language learning is a key topic in the School of LAL, with a focus on access, social justice, policy-related and political dimensions, and pedagogies. This Language(s) Learning, Teaching and Assessment degree at 

The Philosophy discipline at The Open University UK welcomes applications for graduate work in the History of Philosophy; in particular, ancient philosophy, 19th- and 20th-century German philosophy, late-19th- and 20th-century French philosophy, and the history of philosophy of science.

The Learning Analytics and Learning Design research group is part of the Educational and learning technology research theme at The Open University UK.

The Pure Mathematics Group in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at The Open University UK is made up of the Combinatorics and Algebra Group and the Dynamical Systems Groups.

Our work on Theoretical Condensed Matter and Biophysics at The Open University UK follows a common thread of modelling complex systems consisting of many interacting objects.

Earth System Modelling and integrated assessment modelling at The Open University UK are about investigating the future of the Earth system and the response to ongoing climate change.

Early modern period research is under The Open University UK’s Medieval and Early Modern Literature Group. We have wide-ranging expertise in social, political, religious and cultural developments of the medieval and early modern periods. 

Work in Reproduction, Sexualities and Sexual Health at The Open University UK ranges from research into experiences of pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood, to the experiences of men who pay for sex.

A key area of specialist interest in the Art History discipline at The Open University UK is the History of Architecture and Design, in the early modern and modern periods.

The History and Political Economy of Business and Finance is a research cluster based in The Open University UK Business School.

Much of our Cities, Politics, Infrastructures research at The Open University UK works closely with local government, NHS, third sector organisations and activists, often adopting creative and participatory approaches to open up geographical research to wider publics and constituencies.

The Materials Engineering Group at The Open University UK has an international reputation for its research activity in the fields of residual stress measurement and analysis, high-temperature materials behaviour and materials characterisation through the High Temperature Testing research group. 

The question of whether life exists beyond Earth is eons old, yet it is only relatively recently that space missions have been launched to help answer this. This Governance and Ethics programme is offered at The Open University UK.

There are complex connections between conflict, security, and development. The securitisation and militarisation of various global regions, and aspects of everyday life, intersect with and impact many development issues. This Conflict, Security and Development phd programme is offered at The Open University UK.

Climate Change and Ecosystem Services research at The Open University UK seeks to monitor and quantify climate-related change for a range of Earth’s systems, while increasing predictive capability through the development of Earth system models of intermediate complexity.

The Materials Engineering Group at The Open University UK is internationally renowned for its work on the development and application of novel techniques for the measurement and analysis of Residual Stress.

Religions are deeply implicated in global challenges and in processes of change in cultural, social, political, ecological and economic spheres. This Global Challenges and Religious Change programme is offered at The Open University UK.

The Philosophy discipline at The Open University UK welcomes applications for graduate work in History of Philosophy of Science.

Environmental Acoustics research at The Open University UK is carried out by PhD students working individually or in collaboration with the Group’s other PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and academic staff.