Geography PhD

Our research strengths in physical geography include:

• paleoclimatology
• landscape evolution
• applied geomorphology and natural hazards
• Quaternary geochronology
• glaciology
• water science

We carry out research through active collaboration with colleagues in Newcastle University and beyond. Our research takes us to a wide variety of environments across the globe, including:

• the UK
• Greenland
• Iceland
• Patagonia
• Turkey
• USA
• Tibet
• Japan

Examples of recent research projects include:

• new homonid discovery in South Africa
• Lake Suigetsu ultra-high-resolution palaeoclimate project
• impacts of recent catastrophic floods in the North of England
• impact of meltwater floods during the 2010 Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption in Iceland

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funds many of our research projects. We are also a member of the IAPETUS Doctoral Training Partnership.

Our Physical Geography PhD involves advanced study and research into a specific area. You'll undertake fieldwork or lab-based research in topics such as:

• flood impacts on natural and human systems
• fluvial geomorphology and sedimentology
• glacial outburst floods
• glacial geomorphology
• volcano-ice interactions
• tectonic geomorphology
• geoarcheology

Find out more about our physical geography research

Our research in economic geographies is theoretically informed and politically engaged. It covers the production, forms, experiences and impacts of uneven geographies of:

• commodities
• people
• finance
• knowledge
• technology
• intrastructure

Our team of internationally renowned researchers explore 'ordinary', diverse and/or ‘left behind’ economies and subjectivities. They also scrutinise orthodox socio-economic models and practices in the following contexts:

• western industrialised
• post-socialist
• post-colonial

Replace: Economic-geographical research constitutes much of the work in the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS).

Find out more about our economic geographies research

In power, space, politics our research focuses on the expression of political power across space and includes topics around:

• borders and boundaries
• critical geopolitics
• international development
• militarism and military geographies
• the politics of representation
• issues of resistance, justice and peace
• the geographies of memory and memorialisation

We conduct research on a range of scales. From the international and national to the individual, with reference to a range of global contexts. Our work is methodologically innovative, drawing on:

• interactional research
• ethnographic research
• discourse analysis
• participatory research
• visual research
• arts-based research
• trauma-informed research

This enables us to produce grounded, empirically informed reflections on the multiple ways in which concepts of power, space and politics intersect.

Find out more about our power, space and politics research

In geographies of social change we explore and extend an applied, critical and geographical understanding of social justice and transformation by researching:

• identity
• families and households
• health
• welfare and care
• infrastructures
• community

These lead us to connect with issues of:

• gender
• race
• ethnicity
• migration
• youth
• religion
• class
• size
• generation

Find out more about our geographies of social change research

Many of the research opportunities in geography are interdisciplinary and we are keen to encourage supervision across subject areas. For example, there are opportunities for joint supervision with Latin American researchers in the School of Modern Languages.

Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption, for example in response to Covid-19.

View our Academic experience page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2024-25.

See our terms and conditions and student complaints information, which gives details of circumstances that may lead to changes to programmes, modules or University services.

Depending on your modules, you'll be assessed through a combination of:

• Thesis
• Viva

We offer a wide range of projects for the thesis. These will be provided by our academics. You can also propose your own topic.

Our mission is to help you:

• stay healthy, positive and feeling well
• overcome any challenges you may face during your degree – academic or personal
• get the most out of your postgraduate research experience
• carry out admin and activities essential to progressing through your degree
• understand postgraduate research processes, standards and rules

We can offer you tailored wellbeing support, courses and activities.

You can also access a broad range of workshops covering:

• research and professional skills
• careers support
• wellbeing
• health and safety
• public engagement
• academic development

Find out more about our postgraduate research student support

From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK

Check the government’s website for more information.

Home fees for research degree students

For 2024-25 entry, we have aligned our standard Home research fees with those set by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The standard fee was confirmed in Spring 2024 by UKRI.

For 2025-26 entry, we will be aligning our standard Home research fees with those set by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The standard fee will be confirmed in Spring 2025 by UKRI.

As a general principle, you should expect the tuition fee to increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, subject to government regulations on fee increases and in line with inflation.

Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.

EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support. You will be eligible for a scholarship worth 15% off the international fee. 

If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance here.

Scholarships

We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See our searchable postgraduate funding page for more information. 

If you are an international student or a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland and you need a visa to study in the UK, you may have to pay a deposit.

You can check this in the How to apply section.

If you're applying for funding, always check the funding application deadline. This deadline may be earlier than the application deadline for your course.

For some funding schemes, you need to have received an offer of a place on a course before you can apply for the funding.