Human Geography

University of Glasgow

United Kingdom, Glasgow

University RankQS Ranking

Apply Now!

Go to Official Website

Home/United Kingdom/Glasgow /University of Glasgow/Human Geography

University of Glasgow

United Kingdom , Glasgow

Key Facts

Program Level

PhD (Philosophy Doctorate)

Study Type

Full Time

Delivery

On Campus

Campuses

Main Site

Program Language

English

Start & Deadlines

Next Intake Deadlines19-Sep-2026

Apply to this program

Go to the official application for the university

Duration 4 year(s)

Tuition Fee

GBP 33,210 / year

Next Intake 19-Sep-2026

Human Geography

About

Our Human Geographers are ranked 1st in the UK for research publications and 1st in the UK overall for internationally excellent and world-leading research. (REF 2014) Research areas There are three main threads running through HGRG research:

Stressed Environments and Communities

Spatial Politics and Practices

Creative Geohumanities

Collectively, HGRG researchers have sought to explore the workings of power in its myriad forms and the different places through which it flows. We engage with differing critical theories of feminism, postcolonialism, posthumanism, post-structuralism, political economy and historiography, enabling work that asks significant questions about the configuration of contemporary geographies, or that shapes knowledge of past communities and environments. HGRG is involved in guiding key disciplinary debates and forging conceptual advances, variously through:

editorial roles in high-profile journals and book series (including: Progress in Human Geography, Urban Studies, Environment and Planning A; Cultural Geographies and Political Geography)

authorship of key research companions, edited volumes and monographs

editorial input or contribution to major reference texts such as the Dictionary of Human Geography, the Encyclopaedia of Human Geography and Geographers Biobibliographical Studies.

HGRG researchers also lead interdisciplinary initiatives with colleagues in:

urban studies

health research

international development

creative and contemporary arts

the School’s companion research group, Earth Systems research.

The HGRG is committed to engaging with local communities and broader publics, and to forging transnational solidarities between the Global North and South. Our research practice, whether operating through sustained fieldwork or deskwork, enables progressive forms of activism and intervention in daily struggles and public campaigns. Our critical analysis is designed to speak back constructively to user-groups, and differing policy fields (urban, alternative economic and health). Our commitment to creatively, engaging research takes shape through collaborations with artists, composers, and curators in exhibition settings, public spaces and contested landscapes. The School first engaged with Athena Swan in 2012-13 and currently holds a Silver Award.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

2.1 Honours degree or equivalent

Required documentation

Applicants should submit:

Transcripts/degree certificate
Two references
A one-page research proposal
CV

English Program Requirements

For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)

6.5 with no subtests under 6.0
Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test
IELTS One Skill Retake accepted.

Common equivalent English language qualifications accepted for entry to this programme:

TOEFL (ibt, my best or athome)

79; with Reading 13; Listening 12; Speaking 18;Writing 21
Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements , this includes TOEFL mybest.

Pearsons PTE Academic

59 with minimum 59 in all subtests
Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Cambridge Proficiency in English (CPE) and Cambridge Advanced English (CAE)

176 overall, no subtest less than 169
Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of start date. Applicants must meet the overall and subtest requirements using a single test.

Oxford English Test

Oxford ELLT 7
R&L: OIDI level no less than 6 with Reading: 21-24 Listening: 15-17
W&S: OIDI level no less than 6

Trinity College Tests

Integrated Skills in English II & III & IV: ISEII Distinction with Distinction in all sub-tests.

University of Glasgow Pre-sessional courses

Tests are accepted for 2 years following date of successful completion.

Alternatives to English Language qualification

Degree from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)
- students must have studied for a minimum of 2 years at Undergraduate level, or 9 months at Master's level, and must have complete their degree in that majority-English speaking country and within the last 6 years
Undergraduate 2+2 degree from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)
- students must have completed their final two years study in that majority-English speaking country and within the last 6 years

For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use these tests to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level programmes. The University is also able to accept UKVI approved Secure English Language Tests (SELT) but we do not require a specific UKVI SELT for degree level programmes. We therefore still accept any of the English tests listed for admission to this programme.

Pre-sessional courses

The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We also consider other BALEAP accredited pre-sessional courses: