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Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2026/27)

£6,400

£3,200

Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)

£31,300

£15,650

Duration

3 calendar years

5 calendar years

Programme starts

October 2026

February 2027

May 2027

Applications accepted

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis but should be submitted at least three months prior to your preferred start date.

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, in a relevant subject, is essential. Exceptionally: where applicants have other suitable research or professional experience, they may be admitted without a Master's degree; or where applicants have a lower second-class UK Honours Bachelor's degree (2:2) (or equivalent) they must possess a relevant Master's degree to be admitted. We expect any successful application to include a sufficiently strong and convincing proposal, and those holding a Master's degree are typically well prepared to provide one. Relevant work experience is highly desirable.

The English language level for this course is: Level 1

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The Advanced Spatial Analysis MPhil/PhD at The Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA) is designed for students interested in modelling various aspects of cities - both social and physical - or in understanding the impact of new technologies on an evolving society. This course provides a platform to explore diverse subjects such as complexity theory, smart cities, and contemporary urban challenges from both theoretical and applied perspectives.

CASA offers an opportunity to develop research within a robust academic environment, linking disciplines such as geography, mathematics, physics, urban planning, and architecture. The course fosters collaboration with national and international universities, as well as partnerships with industry and government, facilitating professional integration and real-world impact. Students benefit from CASA's interdisciplinary approach and its commitment to addressing critical issues through innovative spatial analysis and research.

Who this course is for

Applicants should be: curious and imaginative; academically excellent; self-motivated and organised; resilient and adaptable; precise and attentive to detail; capable of producing high quality written work.

Read about what it takes to become a UCL graduate research student

What this course will give you

The Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA) is a leading research centre within The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment. It has a world-leading PhD course which has welcomed over 90 students since 2007.

With its multidisciplinary approach - spanning urban planning, policy, and complexity theory - this course gives you a broader perspective than more traditional courses with a restricted focus. As a result, many CASA alumni have gone on to successful academic careers or become key advisers to government and industry. The course is intensive: while working on your doctoral research project, you’ll also be encouraged to contribute to CASA’s research community and sit in on any of the department’s taught courses

In REF2021, 51% of The Bartlett's research was awarded the maximum rating of 4* (world-leading), with a further 40% recognized as 3* (internationally excellent). The Bartlett submitted the largest quantity of 4* world-leading research outputs of any university submitting to the Architecture, Built Environment and Planning sub-panel. Furthermore, 67% of our impact case studies were rated 4*, and The Bartlett received the highest score for the vitality and sustainability of its research environment - more than any other institution submitting to the Architecture, Built Environment and Planning sub-panel.

Find out more about the benefits of studying at The Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis.

Find out how your research could have an impact

The foundation of your career

Studying for a CASA PhD offers opportunities to interact with world-leading researchers in a truly interdisciplinary environment. We frequently host visitors from around the world and encourage participation in leading conferences across a range of disciplines. There are also opportunities to present and network as part of our seminar series as well as to hear about the research of others. Much of our research is applied in the commercial and policy context, so our graduates develop the expertise needed to secure demanding roles at top-level organisations.

CASA graduates have gone on to work in world-leading universities (in the US at Berkeley, University of California, George Mason, University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University; and in the UK at King’s College London, the Universities of Bristol and Liverpool), where they lecture and have set up their own research centres. Graduates moving into the private sector have become key players in geospatial organisations (Transport for London, Dr Foster and AGI) and advisers to large government departments including the Ministries of Defence and Transport, and the Department for Communities and Local Government. Many often return to CASA as visiting researchers to further strengthen our links with the wider academic, commercial and government sectors.

Employability

Key skills developed during this degree include:

Independent and in-depth research skills

Critical thinking

Management of extensive academic projects

Engaging with and solving large-scale problems

Communication of complex ideas to a range of audiences

Collaboration with other researchers at all levels

Appropriate technical skills relating to the student’s chosen research project (e.g. programming, GIS, agent-based modelling,…)

Self-organisation and motivation.

Networking

As a part of London's Global University, there are a huge number of networking opportunities for CASA students to benefit from. We have a weekly seminar series that attracts people from across London to hear about cutting-edge research in the science of cities and related disciplines. This provides a relaxed atmosphere in which CASA students can get to know one another and the wider CASA research network. In addition, our students are encouraged to represent CASA at key events, such as academic conferences, where they become known to the broader community. Finally, we are keen to attract students who have commercial or government partners.

Teaching and learning

A doctoral degree is a self-driven qualification. Students are allocated two research supervisors, with whom they will meet regularly to discuss their work. However, they are expected to define their own research directions and questions, to teach themselves the necessary skills and tools to address these questions, and to manage their own time, both over the long and short term.

More formal instruction is also available, both through the extensive catalogue of doctoral skills training courses offered by the university, and through the opportunity to request to audit (sit in on) any lecture course offered across the university, space and resources permitting.

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) consists of a piece of independent research, normally undertaken over a period of three years full-time. It is an exciting opportunity to nurture and channel your imagination, to dive deep into the details of the subjects that most interest you, to take responsibility for your own learning and development, and to discover new knowledge and new approaches to difficult and meaningful problems.

Formal assessment for this doctoral course is in two parts.

Firstly, between 9 and 18 months (or between 15 and 30 months, if part-time), students are required to pass an "upgrade" assessment. This involves the submission of documents on your progress and research plans, the delivery of a departmental seminar, and an interview, in which you set out your research before a panel of experts. Success in the upgrade results in transfer from the MPhil degree to the full PhD programme.

The main assessment of the PhD, at the end of the course, is by means of a written thesis (of a maximum of 100,000 words), and a formal "viva" examination - an oral defence of your research before two expert examiners.

This is a full-time doctoral research position (36.5 hours per week). Students will be expected to meet with their supervisors regularly throughout the year. UCL’s minimum requirement is for students to meet their primary supervisor at least once per month (e.g. for 1 hour) and their secondary supervisor at least once per year, but meetings will generally be significantly more frequent in practice.

Research areas and structure

Complexity: spatial network analysis, scaling and explanatory mechanisms
Design and visualisation: GIS and datavis; CAD, multimedia and 3D models; virtual cities; virtual and augmented realities
Geodemographics: neighbourhood profiling; health; crime; public service delivery
ICT in society: web-based cities; the spatial organisation of the internet; social media; the Internet of Things
Simulation: agent-based models, spatial models, land use transportation models.

Research environment

The Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA) is a research centre within The Bartlett, UCL's Faculty of the Built Environment. We aim to provide you with opportunities to interact with researchers in an interdisciplinary environment. We frequently host visitors from around the world and encourage attendance at leading conferences across a range of disciplines. There are also opportunities to present and network as part of our seminar series as well as to hear about the research of others.

Our main areas of research are: complexity (spatial network analysis, scaling and explanatory mechanisms); design and visualisation (GIS and datavis, 3D models, virtual cities, virtual and augmented realities); geodemographics; ICT in society; simulation (agent-based models, spatial models, land use transportation models).

Discover research at The UCL Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis.

: The length of registration for the research degree is normally three years for full-time students. You will register initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transfer to PhD after successful completion of an 'upgrade' assessment, typically between 9-18 months after initial registration. Students who do not submit their thesis within three years may be eligible to enter Continuing Research Status for an additional year, during which they are expected to work on completing their thesis without supervision and without fees, though this is at the discretion of the department. The minimum period of full time registration before submitting a thesis is two years.
: The length of registration for the research degree is normally five years for part-time students. You will register initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transfer to PhD after successful completion of an 'upgrade' assessment, typically between 15-30 months after initial registration. Students who do not submit their thesis within five years may be eligible to enter Continuing Research Status for an additional two years, during which they are expected to work on completing their thesis without supervision and without fees, though this is at the discretion of the department. The minimum period of part time registration before submitting your thesis is three years.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27)	£6,400	£3,200
Tuition fees (2026/27)	£31,300	£15,650

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

As a research student, your additional costs may include expenses such as books, conference attendance and fieldwork, in the UK or overseas. While no purchases are mandatory for the completion of the degree, some choices of research project may necessitate travel, which would involve additional cost.

The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment provides financial support to students through The Bartlett External Training Fund and the One Day Bartlett Doctoral Events Funding. However, please note that these funds are limited and available through competition.

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

UCL offers a range of financial awards aimed at assisting both prospective and current students with their studies.

In our faculty, The Bartlett Promise Scholarship aims to enable students from backgrounds underrepresented in the built environment to pursue PhD studies. Please see the UK PhD scholarship pages for more information on eligibility criteria, selection process and FAQs.

Any additional funding available from the Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis and the Built Environment Faculty Office are advertised on the respective websites.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

Prospective MPhil/PhD applicants are encouraged to send an informal research enquiry before applying. This should be sent directly to the academic you would like to supervise you, or to the PhD Admin email address: bartlett.phd-ecidi@ucl.ac.uk. Please refer to the staff list on the department website and see UCL's staff profiles. Please attach to your e-mail a fully referenced research proposal of around 1,000 to 2,000 words and your curriculum vitae (CV).

Further details on how to apply to an MPhil/PhD can be found on the UCL Graduate Admissions website.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

This course requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.