PhD/MPhil Data Visualization

Students will pursue a structured programme of research comprising a minimum of two component research projects, a review of visualization research and practice, and a synthesising narrative. The component research projects will ordinarily be undertaken with either external organisations (commercial, not-for-profit or academic) or internal academic units.

Students will document and develop their research in interactive digital notebooks in line with best practice in data visualization research and submit their notebooks as digital theses for examination.

For full details about the City St George's PhD programme structure, please see the Doctoral College pages.

Entry requirements

Applicants should have a record of high academic achievement. The minimum requirement is an upper second-class or first-class honours degree or Master’s degree in a relevant subject, or an equivalent overseas qualification.

We will also consider, on a case-by-case basis, applications from individuals with extensive professional experience in the area of their proposed research.

English requirements

Proof of English language proficiency is required for applicants whose first language is not English. We require a minimum IELTS overall score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each of the four components.

Please note that the UK Border Agency currently requires us to confirm that you are at level B2 or above in all components of English before issuing visa documents.

For more information see our English language proficiency requirements at City St George's.

Visa requirements

If you are not from the European Economic Area / Switzerland and you are coming to study in the UK, you may need to apply for a visa or entry clearance to come to the UK to study.

The way that you apply may vary depending on the length of your course. There are different rules for:

• Students on courses of more than six months
• Students on courses of less than six months
• Students on a pre-sessional English language course.

For more information see our main Visa page.

Some applicants may require an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) certificate before joining a course. ATAS is a certificate issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), which gives you security clearance to study certain postgraduate programmes at City, University of London.

Non-EEA students who choose to study certain subjects at MSc or MEng or PhD level in the UK have to apply for and receive clearance under the ATAS scheme regardless of if they are required to apply for a Student visa or not.

For more information see Applying for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

Fees for doctoral candidates are charged annually and cover registration, supervision and examination.

Fees are subject to review each year and may vary during your period of registration. Where applicable, fees for City St George's programmes will be subject to inflationary increases in each academic year of study commencing in September. Our policy for these increases is set out in our terms and conditions of study.

You may request to transfer to writing-up once you have completed your minimum period of candidature, your research activity and/or data collection, and you no longer require supervision. There is a writing up fee of £300.

Support for PhD study

Fully funded scholarships are available through the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Diversity in Data Visualization. See the DIVERSE CDT pages for details.

Prospective students are encouraged to explore doctoral Grants and funding opportunities such as:

• School of Science & Technology Doctoral Studentships
• Research Council studentship awards, if available.

Our bursaries are non-repayable sums of money granted by the University, usually based on need.

Our loans are repayable sums of money granted by the University or other body.

Our scholarships are when the University pays towards your Study fees. You may also be eligible for further funding.

Postgraduate Doctoral Loans

The Government has introduced a new Postgraduate Doctoral Loans scheme which can provide a loan of up to £25,000.

This will be over three years to support study for a doctoral degree.

A Postgraduate Doctoral Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study. It can be used alongside any other forms of support you may be able to receive.

For more information, please see our Postgraduate Doctoral Loans page.

Additional expenses

Some of our degrees may involve additional expenses which are not covered by your tuition fees. Find out more about additional expenses.

City St George's has a well-established structure and processes to support your research.

Supervision

All research students are appointed a supervisory team consisting of at least two supervisors. One of these will be designated as the first point of contact with personal responsibility for ensuring that effective supervision is provided.

Training

The supervisory team will discuss training requirements with the candidate when study is commenced. We may recommend that a candidate takes a number of taught modules. You can benefit from the specialist Masters courses in the Department of Computer Science.

Research Environment

Research students are provided with a desk, PC and bookshelves in a shared office space and have access to shared printing facilities. Specialist facilities, such as the Interaction Lab at City St George's, are also available where relevant to the research topic.

All research students are strongly encouraged to contribute to our dynamic research environment and to attend regular research seminars and meetings.

The Doctoral College can provide more information about graduate degrees.

We accept applications throughout the year, and no later than 16 July for the October entry. Please check DIVERSE CDT for earlier deadlines if applying through that route.

Please see the requirements section above for eligibility criteria.

If you are applying for a specific scholarship or studentship, please make this clear within your application. Your scholarship/studentship will then be considered alongside your application. Please note, individual scholarships and studentships may have specific application deadlines.

It is essential that you contact a member of staff in the department you are interested in. Here you can discuss your ideas for research (research proposal). Unfortunately, we will not be able to consider your application without this pre-requisite.

Details of relevant academic staff can be found on our department pages.

You are advised to submit your application at least 12 weeks before your proposed start date in order for us to consider and process your application.

Once you have identified a supervisor who will accept to guide through your research, please submit an application.

Supporting documents

To apply online, an applicant will need to submit the following supporting documents:

• Research proposal. The Research Proposal should be a maximum of 3 sides A4. See guidance on writing your research proposal
• Copies of degree certificates and transcripts – original will be requested before an offer is made
• Official work e-mail addresses (not private ones) for two referees (one of which must be an academic)
• Proof of English language proficiency (if applicable)
• Evidence of sponsorship (if applicable).

For further application enquiries please contact our PGR enquiries team.