phd in statistics lse

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LSE Statistics PhD Scholarship

The Department of Statistics is delighted to offer one LSE Statistics PhD Scholarship to a new student on the MPhil/PhD in Statistics programme starting in the 2022/23 academic session. This scholarship will cover tuition fees in full for three years and provide a maintenance stipend for four years of £18,000 per year.

The successful candidate will be selected on the basis of outstanding academic merit and research potential. 

How to apply

To be considered, you must submit a complete application for admission (including references, proposal, marked work etc.) by the deadline below. More information on the Department of Statistics web pages .

• application deadline: 14 January 2022

For more information on how to apply for admission, visit  how to apply  for a place on a PhD programme.

Fees and funding Scholarships, studentships, loans and tuition fees

How to apply The application process, UCAS and when to apply

Undergraduate fees and funding Details on available scholarships, bursaries, loans and tuition fees

Graduate fees and funding Details on available scholarships, bursaries, loans and tuition fees

Contact us Get in touch with the Financial Support Office

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Application process

Applying for a phd, introduction.

Known as a research degree, the PhD is usually a four year (full-time) or five to seven year (part-time) course of independent and original research which is supervised by an academic specialist in the subject area. 

You will contribute new research in the form of a thesis suitable for publication which is usually around 100,000 words. It is examined by two examiners, one internal and one external who read your work and then ask you to defend it in an oral exam, the viva voce. 

PhDs are traditionally research based, although the integrated PhDs, also known as New Route PhDs, combine research with more vocational training. Increasingly taught courses are compulsory in the first year. 

Professional doctorates are useful for students interested in careers outside academia and consist of a taught core and incorporate both professional practice and academic knowledge. They are available in education (EdD), engineering (EngD or DEng) and business (DBA). 

Why do a PhD?

People complete PhDs for a variety of reasons: 

love of a particular part of their subject

springboard into a new career

access to excellent resources/training useful for non-academic careers

as a pre-requisite for academic careers.

As well as planning then conducting research and writing the thesis, PhD students will often teach undergraduate or master’s students, support more senior academics in their research work, publish articles, attend and present at conferences, work with business or other organisations to explore the value of their research in other fields outside academia (impact), collaborate with organisations or individuals (knowledge exchange) and contribute to their field in voluntary capacity (for example, as a reviewer, event organiser, network co-ordinator). 

When can I do a PhD?

You can do a PhD if you have at least an Upper Second relevant first degree or a relevant master’s. You must have in-depth knowledge of your subject area and be able to present a comprehensive research proposal. Some people start the PhD straight after completing a master’s, other people work outside academia for a few years and then apply for the PhD. 

Before starting a PhD you could apply for a job as a graduate research assistant where you would support the research of an academic in your department, teach, take part in laboratory work and complete your own research. You could also consider completing a PhD part-time whilst in a job. 

Researching into PhDs

Choosing the right programme takes time and research. It is important to apply to departments that specialise in your topic. Check the research quality assessed in the  Research Excellence Framework  (REF 2014) and also the quality of the teaching in the department via the  Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)  ratings. 

Talk to people who know the field about where they recommend is a good place to study. 

You can apply in one of two ways. You create the topic yourself, pitch it at your preferred institution in a Research Proposal and hope to gain funding via the institution. Alternatively, you can apply to work on a topic which has been agreed between a funding council and an institution and then advertised as a PhD position. If you are accepted funding will be assured. 

We recommend you take time to: 

ask for help from a current or recent academic tutor 

think about the people whose work you like, or who you read regularly, look at their department 

speak to the PhD administrator in departments that you think interest you 

use information on  Find a PhD

book on to a   LSE Careers further study event  

talk through your options with a careers consultant 

use the LSE Careers blog ,  So you’re thinking about a PhD? 5 tips for prospective PhDs .  

Making an application

Read the  LSE guidance on applying for a PhD .  

You will need to write a research proposal, personal statement and have a CV. 

The referees you choose are important as they will write about your academic achievements and potential. Get in touch with them early and ask for their advice too. 

Search  programmes with spaces at LSE . 

Useful publications in the LSE Careers physical library

Your PhD Companion, Stephen Marshall and Nick Green, 2004.

The PhD Application Handbook, Peter Bentley, 2006.

How To Get a PhD: third edition, Estelle Phillips and Derek Pugh, 2001.

Useful online information

Prospects.ac.uk:  postgraduate study and research . 

Find a PhD . 

The Fulbright Commission  for applications and funding in the USA.

Related pages

Watch our latest session on thinking about doing a phd, explore our further study events, book a one-to-one appointment to discuss your application.

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LSE PhD Studentships

It was a huge honour to receive funding from such a prestigious institution

For 2024 entry, LSE will be offering studentships to new PhD students, in 2023 this was 88, in the form of LSE PhD Studentships, LSE DTP  ESRC Studentships  and London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP)  Studentships.

The awards are open to high calibre students of all nationalities studying across all research areas at the School.

Eligibility

LSE PhD Studentships are tenable for four years and cover full fees and an annual stipend, which for 2024 entry is £21,237. They are available for UK and international students undertaking research in any LSE discipline, with annual renewal subject to satisfactory academic performance.

These awards will be made solely on the basis of outstanding academic merit and research potential. This relates both to your past academic record and to an assessment of your likely aptitude to complete a PhD in your chosen topic in the time allocated.

How to apply

Academic departments nominate students for consideration by a School panel for all PhD funding opportunities they may be eligible for. There is no separate application for any of these studentships.

To be considered for this funding, you must submit your complete application for admission to LSE by a specific date. This date differs by academic department. Refer to the individual programme page for the relevant deadline information.  Find your graduate programme .

• deadline for the research programme in the Law School for 2024 entry: 1 December 2023
• deadline for the research programme in the Department of Economics for 2024 entry (including PhD Studentships and ESRC funding: 14 December 2023
• funding deadline for first round of PhD Studentships and for ESRC funding for 2024 entry: 15 January 2024
• London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP) PhD Scholarships  deadline: 26 January 2024, 17:00 GMT
• funding deadline for second round of PhD Studentships deadline for 2024 entry (some departments only): 25 April 2024

Find out about ESRC Studentships .

More information on how to apply for a place on a PhD programme .

Student stories

"I received an LSE PhD Studentship, which covers both my tuition and living expenses. It was a huge honour to receive funding from such a prestigious institution and without this support it would have been impossible for me to pursue my PhD."

Katherine Furman East London, South Africa MPhil/PhD Philosophy LSE PhD Studentship

ESRC Studentships Scholarships for PhD study and master's linked to a PhD

How to apply The application process, UCAS and when to apply

Undergraduate fees and funding Details on available scholarships, bursaries, loans and tuition fees

Graduate fees and funding Details on available scholarships, bursaries, loans and tuition fees

Contact us Get in touch with the Financial Support Office

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LSE Statistics PhD Open Day

We are pleased to invite you to our  PhD Open Day  on  Monday 28 November . The day will run from 10.15am until 5.00pm for in-person attendees and from 10.15 to 2.30pm for online attendees. This is an exciting opportunity to engage with our academic staff and find out more about undertaking a PhD in Statistics; we would love to see you there!

Academic staff from our four research groups ( Data Science ;  Probability in Finance and Insurance ;  Social Statistics ;  Time Series and Statistical Learning ) will provide introductions to these areas of research, followed by talks by previous PhD students about their studies and subsequent careers, plus a guidance session on writing the research proposal for your PhD application.

For more details about this event and to sign up, visit:  https://www.lse.ac.uk/Statistics/Prospective-Students/PhD-MPhil/PhD-Open-Day

For detailed information about our PhD Programme, please visit our website at  https://www.lse.ac.uk/Statistics/PhD

Statistical Science

MPhil/PhD Statistical Science

The Statistical Science research programme at UCL aims to develop research students who can eventually make original contributions to the subject. Students are initially registered for the MPhil degree. No sooner than one year, they are transferred to the PhD degree with retrospective effect if they show a capacity for original work. The typical length of the PhD programme is three years for full-time students and five years for part-time students; an MPhil might be achievable in less.

• MPhil/PhD Statistical Science prospectus entry
• Research student profiles

The admissions process for the MPhil/PhD in Statistical Science operates on a rolling basis, with no fixed deadline for applications. Candidates should apply at least two months in advance of their intended start date.

The MPhil/PhD is accessible to students with, or expecting to achieve, a minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree, or a UK Master’s degree in statistics, mathematics, computer science or a related quantitative discipline. Overseas qualifications of an equivalent standard are also acceptable.

• Academic equivalencies

In addition to the academic requirements above, all students whose first language is not English must be able to provide recent evidence that their spoken and written command of the English language is adequate. For the MPhil/PhD in Statistical Science, applicants much reach at least the UCL standard level. Further information on this requirement is available at the link below.

• English Language qualifications accepted by UCL for graduate study

In applying for admission to the MPhil/PhD programme, candidates are expected to prepare an outline proposal of their work. This is crucial in identifying potential supervisors. Thus, candidates should peruse the research interests of staff before applying. A list of staff members currently accepting applications for PhD supervision is given below, including an indication of their current research interests and a link to their personal webpage.

It may be helpful to contact a potential supervisor before submitting a formal application. For more information on how to contact potential supervisors and write a research proposal please see UCL's guidance document . Applications on which no potential supervisor has been specified will still receive consideration, however, in such cases it would be especially important to demonstrate in your reasons for applying that your academic interests align with the Department's active research areas .

Unlike the taught Statistics MSc programme, the MPhil/PhD has no required curriculum. However, students are expected to agree on a customised programme of study with their supervisor, which may involve specialisation courses (either at UCL or at the London Taught Course Centre) or independent reading. Attendance at research seminars is encouraged, and students who have been upgraded to PhD status are required to present their research in a separate seminar stream once per year. Finally, the UCL Graduate School has its own requirements for training courses.

• London Taught Course Centre
• UCL Graduate School Training Requirements

Some departmental funding is usually available. UCL also offers a number of scholarships and other funding for UK, EU and overseas students undertaking research studies at the University. Further information, including eligibility criteria and application deadlines, can be found at the links below.

• Research studentships
• Funding for students on postgraduate research courses

For more information on the programme please contact:

Ms Marina Lewis stats.pgr-admissions AT ucl.ac.uk +44 (0)20 7679 1868

Please note that all professional services staff are currently working away from the office and are therefore unable to take phone calls on the number above.

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