Typically, students can complete a Ph.D. (called a DPhil at a few universities) in three or four years. It is fairly common for a student to start on a research master’s degree and then proceed to the university’s Ph.D. program, with time spent on the master's degree counting towards Ph.D. requirements.

The traditional British Ph.D. has less coursework and more independent research than its US counterpart. Increasingly, though, Ph.D.s in the UK include a taught research training component in the first year.

To earn a Ph.D., you will need to produce a thesis – 70,000 and 100,000 words – under the supervision of a tutor. As with the research master’s, when applying for a Ph.D. you should have strong background knowledge in the subject you want to study and a clear idea of what you want to research.

UK academics have recently launched the New Route Ph.D., which is a four-year program. New Route students undertake advanced independent research, but have more opportunities to take taught courses and study across disciplines than do traditional doctoral students. The program, offered at 34 universities, aims to prepare students for careers not just in academia but also in other public and private sector fields.