Selection for research programmes occurs throughout the year. Students wishing to start in October would normally apply no later than April in the year of entry to allow enough time to process applications and obtain visas if appropriate.
Funding
Those applying for funding from the College or Department should ensure that they are aware of all funding deadlines and processes . The Department has one selection process for all the scholarships that are administered by the College, including the Imperial President's Scholarships, Imperial CSC Scholarships, and the Departments own scholarships. Submitting a PhD application via the College does not mean you will be automatically considered for scholarship funding. Full information can be found on the following webpage- Department and College Scholarships
Step 1: Identify a suitable project and supervisor
- Visit the research and academic staff pages of our website to help identify topics of interest and potential supervisors. Contact your preferred supervisor(s) directly, to discuss potential projects and funding options. Online applications should only be submitted after the potential academic supervisor has expressed sufficient interest in your application.
* Please note that applications for our research programmes received without prior consultation with a supervisor or through one of our open schemes, will take longer to process and are unlikely to be accepted.
Step 2: Prepare your application
- Prepare transcripts of study, which you normally request from your University. Transcripts should include all modules you have undertaken and the marks you have been awarded in each element of assessment. If they are not in English, please include a translated copy. Always ensure that you include a copy of the University Marking Scheme.
- If English Language is a requirement, please ensure that you have familiarised yourself with the qualifications accepted by the College and the expected level of achievement in each.
- Identify two individuals to act as referees on your behalf.
- Prepare an up-to-date CV
- Prepare a brief personal statement/research proposal, preferably in conjunction with your potential supervisor.
Step 3: Make your application
Apply now
The below research degrees are available within the Department:
- Civil and Environmental Engineering Research (PhD)- Full time and part time
- Civil Engineering Research (Occasional)
When completing the online application form, please ensure you include:
- brief details on your secondary education;
- how you propose to fund your studies (if via scholarship funding, please ensure that you provide details of those you have applied to and the date you will expect a response);
- the expected or final outcome of your degree(s) of study.
You are required to provide email contact details of your referees. These must be professional email accounts, as we do not accept reference letters submitted from private (gmail, yahoo, etc) accounts. Please also ensure your referees are aware of this requirement. Where the referee does not have a professional email account, then a standard reference letter on original official letter-headed notepaper will be an acceptable alternative. Such letters should be sent directly to the College - Registry Admissions (Engineering), Sherfield Building, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
After you have applied- The process and progress of your application
Following submission of the online application:
- You will receive an email acknowledgement that your application has been successfully submitted.
- Within a few of days you will receive a reference number, this is an 8-digit number starting with a single 0, and is referred to as your College Identifier Number (CID), this number must be quoted in all correspondence.
The Departmental Process:
Your online application will be received by the Department Research Office, where it will be held until it is considered complete. A completed application will include:
- Both of your references - it is your responsibility to ensure that these are received
- Transcripts (partial or complete) of all degrees you have undertaken, or are currently undertaking
- Personal statement/research plan
- CV-Resume
The completed application will then be sent on to the potential academic supervisor your have named for consideration. Please note that some applications do not pass a preliminary screening, and it is possible for a decision to be returned to the College at this stage. If a potential supervisor(s) is interested in your application, they will arrange an interview with you and another member of academic staff.
Please allow at least 12 weeks for your application to be processed. Processing times can exceed this at particularly busy periods of the year, and if your application is not complete e.g. delay with referees submitting a reference, no supervisor identified prior to application.
Decisions are reported to, and processed by, the College Admissions Office. Notifications are sent by email.
Queries on the status of an application can be directed to civilphdadmin@imperial.ac.uk