Understanding/Shaping Space and Society Through Playful Activities

PhDs and postgraduate research

Funding

Self-funded PhD students only

Project code

GEOG1321015

Faculty

School of Area Studies, History, Politics and Literature

Start dates

October/February

Closing date

Open all year round

On this PhD programme, supervised by Dr Tara Woodyer, you'll develop research that explores how play can be used as a tool for understanding or making changes to the world around us.

We're particularly interested in research that adopts a qualitative approach to this research theme.

Your research project could involve:

exploring how individuals or collectives, of any age, use play as a way of making sense of a particular aspect of the world around them
exploring how individuals or collectives, of any age, use play as a way of thinking about how society might be structured or function differently
using creative methodologies or modes of presentation

Fees and funding

Funding availability: Self-funded PhD students only.

PhD full-time and part-time courses are eligible for the UK Government Doctoral Loan (UK and EU students only).

2021/2022 fees (applicable for October 2021 and February 2022 start)

PhD and MPhil

Home/EU/CI full-time students: £4,500 p/a**

Home/EU/CI part-time students: £2,250 p/a**

International full-time students: £17,600 p/a*

International part-time students: £8,800 p/a*

PhD by Publication

External candidates: £4,407*

Members of staff: £1,720

All fees are subject to annual increase. If you are an EU student starting a programme in 2021/22 please visit this page.

*This is the 2020/21 UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) maximum studentship fee; this fee will increase to the 2021/22 UKRI maximum studentship fee when UKRI announces this rate in Spring 2021.

Bench fees

Some PhD projects may include additional fees – known as bench fees – for equipment and other consumables, and these will be added to your standard tuition fee. Speak to the supervisory team during your interview about any additional fees you may have to pay. Please note, bench fees are not eligible for discounts and are non-refundable.

Entry Requirements

General Admissions Criteria

A good first degree from an internationally recognised university (depending on the course, minimum second class or equivalent) or a Master’s degree in an appropriate subject
Exceptionally, equivalent professional experience and/or qualifications will be considered
English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0
All applicants are subject to interview

Make an enquiry

Applicants interested in applying for research funding should contact the supervisor to discuss available opportunities, before submitting an application.

How to Apply

To make an enquiry or to discuss this project informally with Dr Tara Woodyer, call +44 (0)23 9284 2507 or email tara.woodyer@port.ac.uk, quoting the project code GEOG1321015 and the project title.

When you are ready to apply, you can use our online application form. Make sure you submit a personal statement, proof of your degrees and grades, details of two referees, proof of your English language proficiency and an up-to-date CV

You can also visit our How to Apply pages to get a better understanding of how the PhD application process works.