History MPhil; PhD

Supervisory expertise in this area covers a broad geographical and chronological scope. It includes:

• maritime histories
• health and animal health and the environment
• agricultural and rural history
• land ownership and land reform
• urban environmental histories
• environmental history of the global Middle Ages
• working environments

Supervisors:

• Dr Scott Ashley
• Dr Rob Dale
• Dr Philip Garrett
• Dr Clare Hickman
• Dr Kristin Hussey
• Dr Jen Kain
• Dr Joseph Lawson
• Dr Shane McCoristine
• Dr Christina Mobley
• Professor Matt Perry
• Dr Feliz Schulz
• Dr Samiksha Sehrawat
• Professor Graham Smith
• Professor Annie Tindley

We can offer supervisory expertise on many aspects of health, medicine and disease. Particular strengths include:

• the histories of psychiatry
• trauma, and other ‘psy’ sciences
• the history of emotions
• disability history
• histories of sexuality and gender
• histories of health and migration
• reproductive health and rights
• medicine and war
• colonial history of medicine
• the history of death and bodies
• eugenics
• histories of science
• healthcare politics and inequalities

Supervisors:

• Dr Willow Berridge
• Dr Fergus Campbell
• Dr Rob Dale
• Professor Susan-Mary Grant
• Dr Clare Hickman
• Professor Violetta Hionidou
• Dr Jen Kain
• Dr Vicky Long
• Dr Shane McCorristine
• Professor Matt Perry
• Dr Luc Racaut
• Dr Lutz Sauerteig
• Dr Felix Schulz
• Dr Samiksha Sehrawat
• Professor Graham Smith

We offer supervisory expertise in the history of religious, political and radical ideas and ideologies. We focus on early modern Britain and Europe but also extending to other eras and regions. We can also supervise postgraduate research on:

• twentieth-century British politics and policy
• intellectual culture
• classical scholarship
• political education and participation
• print and visual culture
• stereotypes
• kingship and rulers

Supervisors:

• Dr Lindsay Aqui
• Dr Fergus Campbell
• Dr Nic Clarke
• Dr Katie East
• Dr Martin Farr
• Dr Philip Garrett
• Professor Rachel Hammersley
• Dr Simon Mills
• Dr Adam Morton
• Dr Luc Racaut
• Anne Redgate

Our supervisory expertise in this area highlights our commitment to historical justice and draws on our research strengths in:

• oral history and memory
• public history
• labour history
• histories of inequalities and activism.
• Other areas of supervisory expertise connected to this theme include:
• racism, race relations, slavery, abolitionism and segregation
• empire and post-colonialism
• conflicts, famines, exile and refugees

Supervisors:

• Dr Lindsay Aqui
• Professor Bruce Baker
• Dr Willow Berridge
• Dr Fergus Campbell
• Dr Sarah Campbell
• Dr Nic Clarke
• Dr Martin Farr
• Professor Susan-Mary Grant
• Dr Jack Hepworth
• Professor Violetta Hionidou
• Dr Ben Houston
• Dr Kristin Hussey
• Dr Joseph Lawson
• Dr Vicky Long
• Dr Christina Mobley
• Professor Matt Perry
• Dr Samiksha Sehrawat
• Professor Daniel Siemens
• Dr Claudia Soares
• Professor Graham Smith
• Professor Annie Tindley
• Dr Laura Tisdall

Our supervisory expertise in this area focuses on children’s care and welfare, emotions, rights and activism. We can also support postgraduate researchers interested in age and ageing.

• Dr Sarah Campbell
• Dr Vicky Long
• Dr Lutz Sauerteig
• Professor Graham Smith
• Dr Claudia Soares
• Dr Laura Tisdall

Find out more about areas of supervision for an MPhil and PhD in History

There are also opportunities for joint supervision with Latin American researchers in the School of Modern Languages.

Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to Covid-19.

View our Academic experience page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2025-26.

See our terms and conditions and student complaints information, which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.

An MPhil is available in all subject areas. You receive research training and undertake original research leading to the completion of a 40,000 - 50,000 word thesis.

Find out about different types of postgraduate qualifications

A PhD is a doctorate or doctoral award. It involves original research that should make a significant contribution to the knowledge of a specific subject. To complete the PhD you will produce a substantial piece of work (80,000 – 100,000 words) in the form of a supervised thesis. A PhD usually takes three years full time.

Find out about different types of postgraduate qualifications

Depending on your modules, you'll be assessed through a combination of:

• Thesis
• Viva

We offer a wide range of projects for the thesis. These will be provided by our academics. You can also propose your own topic.

Our mission is to help you:

• stay healthy, positive and feeling well
• overcome any challenges you may face during your degree – academic or personal
• get the most out of your postgraduate research experience
• carry out admin and activities essential to progressing through your degree
• understand postgraduate research processes, standards and rules

We can offer you tailored wellbeing support, courses and activities.

You can also access a broad range of workshops covering:

• research and professional skills
• careers support
• wellbeing
• health and safety
• public engagement
• academic development

Find out more about our postgraduate research student support

From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK

Check the government’s website for more information.

Home fees for research degree students

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.

EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support. You may be eligible for a scholarship worth 25% off the international fee. Search our funding database. 

If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance here.

Scholarships

We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See our searchable postgraduate funding page for more information. 

If you are an international student or a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland and you need a visa to study in the UK, you may have to pay a deposit.

You can check this in the How to apply section.

If you're applying for funding, always check the funding application deadline. This deadline may be earlier than the application deadline for your course.

For some funding schemes, you need to have received an offer of a place on a course before you can apply for the funding.