PhD entry requirements

Applicants for admission will normally hold a Bachelors degree or equivalent qualification, and a Masters Degree or equivalent qualification.

The level of attainment for the Bachelors degree will normally be equivalent to that of a First Class or Upper Second Class Honours UK Bachelors degree.  For a Masters degree, we require an average grade of 60 or above; B or above; GPA of 3 or above.  (Note: Grading schemes of some institutions may vary - please provide an official grading scheme with your transcripts). 

Professional qualifications other than a Bachelor's Degree and/or relevant and appropriate experience may be taken into account for entry to a PhD programme.

MPhil entry requirements

Applicants must have a Bachelors degree or have been awarded a comparable qualification by an educational institution of university rank.  Again, we require a minimum result of a First Class or Upper Second Class Honours degree, as described above.

For ALL Postgraduate Research Programmes

If you are from one of the following countries and your first language is English, you will not be required to undertake the IELTS/TOEFL test for your application to the Postgraduate Research Programme:

  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Australia
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Bermuda
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Canada (excluding Quebec)
  • Cayman Islands
  • Channel Islands
  • Gibraltar
  • Grenada
  • Isle of Man
  • Jamaica
  • Malta
  • Montserrat
  • New Zealand
  • Republic of Ireland
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • St Kitts & Nevis
  • Trinidad & Tobago
  • UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland)
  • United States of America
  • US Virgin Islands

The minimum score required is:

  • IELTS: 7.0
  • TOEFL: 623 paper-based; or 106 internet-based

You will also be exempt from providing the IELTS/TOEFL score if you are a current student of, OR have graduated from, a UK institution or country where English is the first language (see the above list) within the last five years.

If you are uncertain if these exemptions apply to you, please contact the Postgraduate Research Programmes Office for clarification: pgresearch@mbs.ac.uk.

In exceptional cases, an IELTS score of 6.5 (or TOEFL 594 paper-based/97 internet-based) will be considered if you can demonstrate exceptional academic achievement.  Evidence of exceptional performance is: (a) distinction level performance in Masters qualifications, or (b) previous research output published in high quality academic journals.  Evidence of your exceptional achievements (such as transcripts, copies of articles) should be accompanied by a short supporting statement from you.  Without this supporting statement, your application will not be considered.

Please note that we do not accept English scores that are over two years old at the time of application to the programme. If you do not currently have a TOEFL/IELTS score report when you submit your application, please indicate the date that you will be taking the test.

PLEASE NOTE: Qualifications from non-UK institutions must be equivalent to UK qualifications.