The University of Birmingham offers supervision for the degree of Ph.D. in Computer Science in many research areas of computer science.
Our research is ranked 3rd across all UK universities according to the latest UK-wide Research Excellence Framework. Education is ranked 7th in the UK for computer science, according to 2023 tables. While pursuing excellence in research and education, we also aim to optimise our positive impact on society—examples include collaborations with industry partners and charities, commercialisation activities and an extensive wider participation programme. To support its aims, the School offers a vibrant, open and intellectually stimulating research environment.
We are looking for highly motivated and well-qualified graduates to join us to work towards a doctorate.
Applying for PhD
Your first step is to decide what research direction you want to pursue and to identify one or more potential supervisors among our faculty members. To help you find the right research direction and guide you through our application process, we offer the following two approaches to apply for our PhD programme.
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Explore our advertised PhD opportunities. We offer a number of well-defined research ideas, which are regularly advertised on this page.
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Propose your own research interests. We offer the opportunity to indicate your research direction and motivate your interest to work with our faculty members.
You can apply for one of our advertised projects or propose your own research interests. Whichever option you choose, our PhD program will give you the opportunity to pursue original research under the guidance of our faculty members. To be accepted onto our PhD programme, you must be enthusiastic about continuing to study computer science and must demonstrate engagement with one of our research themes. You must identify one or more potential supervisors and demonstrate your interest in their research domain. You are welcomed to contact potential supervisors informally before applying.
Apply
Further information
The University has many resources available to assist you in applying to study with us, for more information please the university's research support page.