Institute of the Americas MPhil/PhD
London, Bloomsbury
This is the programme information for 2025 entry
Interested in working on your own doctoral research into the Americas? Join us at the UCL Institute of the Americas, a globally-renowned centre for the study of Latin America, the United States, the Caribbean and Canada. Develop in-depth regional and continental knowledge, receive mentorship from leading scholars, and create your own piece of original research, to pave the way for a thriving career in academia, the third sector or government.
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
Duration
Programme starts
Applications accepted
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis but should be submitted at least three months prior to your preferred start date.Entry requirements
Normally a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.
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The English language level for this programme is: Level 4
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
Our community of research students and staff work on the history and politics of the entire Western Hemisphere. We help to shape public conversations about pressing global challenges such as human rights, environmental change, and the future of liberal democracy.
The institute also offers lots of support for research students:
- Financial support for overseas fieldwork and for conference attendance.
- Study rooms reserved for research students only.
- Opportunity to present research and receive feedback at our staff-student Research Seminar.
- Doctoral workshop where you can present draft work to your peers in an informal setting;
- Workshops on such professional-development topics as research ethics; giving a conference paper; teaching; and having a productive first year.
- Financial support for organising seminars or colloquia on your own research.
Who this course is for
Students who wish to undertake a research project at a leading specialist institution, and develop in-depth regional and continental knowledge of the Americas.
What this course will give you
Research students thrive at the UCL Institute of the Americas. You will also benefit from the expertise of a multidisciplinary specialist institution. We offer the largest portfolio of degrees on the Americas in the UK, and our research ranked 1st in Area Studies and Impact in the REF 2021. You will also have access to world-class libraries, such as the British Library, the Senate House Library and the National Archives, and excellent study facilities in central London.
Our seminar and events programme hosts leading scholars and we have a thriving Fellowship programme. This allows scholars from across the Americas to participate and enhance our academic community. This gives our research students the opportunity to acquire the knowledge, skills and networks to succeed in any number of fields, including academia, the third sector, and government.
The foundation of your career
Upon completing this degree, you will have skills well suited for jobs in sectors such as:
- Policy and governments.
- NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations).
- Business and financial services.
- Media and journalism.
- Academia and education.
"Studying for a research degree at the Institute of the Americas left me with a wide range of knowledge and skills that I have been able to put to use in academic and non-academic settings."
Dr Daniel Willis, Research Degree, 2014-2018
Employability
Graduates have acquired transferable skills attractive to employers in a wide range of businesses and sectors:
- Theoretical and critical analysis.
- Writing and communication skills
- Time management
- IT skills
You will also learn to solve problems and issues and to build positive working relationships.
Networking
Research students participate in a lunchtime research seminar for other research students and faculty colleagues. They can also attend the two exciting visiting speaker series organised by the Institute.
Doctoral students participate in a speaking series organised by the Institute of Historical Research. The focus of these is US History, Latin American Studies, Caribbean Studies, and Canadian Studies.
Additionally, there are opportunities to attend special events organised by London-based organisations outside of UCL, including embassies, the British Library, the American Politics Group, and the British Museum.
Teaching and learning
The mode of instruction for a doctoral student is different than that for an undergraduate or a student undertaking a taught Master's degree. A research degree requires greater levels of intellectual independence and fewer formal assessments. At the same time, the role of a supervisor and the larger intellectual community at the institute are crucial. The supervisorial team will offer close feedback on draft work, while a student-only doctoral workshop and a faculty-student ‘research seminar’ provide opportunities to receive feedback from the larger community.
All students have to ‘upgrade’ from MPhil to full PhD status during their second year. This involves the student submitting examples of their early work and a plan for the dissertation and persuading an interview panel that they are making satisfactory progress.
A typical full-time PhD student is expected to spend an average of approximately 36.5 hours per week working on their PhD, although this will vary, with some periods of more intensive research.
Research students will normally have a one-on-one meeting with their primary supervisor once a month, but the frequency varies depending on the needs of the student and the point where they are at with their research and writing.
Research areas and structure
The Institute of the Americas occupies a unique position at the core of academic study of the region in the UK, promoting, co-ordinating and providing a focus for research and postgraduate teaching on the Americas, including Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States.
Particular fields of research expertise at the institute include:
- Climate change and sustainable development
- History of the Americas
- Human rights, justice and democratisation
- Labour history, politics and policy
- Race, ethnicity and gender in the Americas
- Social policy in Latin America
- State, market and the economy
- The Caribbean: history, politics, society
- The US presidency
- US foreign policy
- Comparative, international and transnational studies of the Americas.
Research undertaken by members of staff, associates, visiting fellows, and research students spans the whole of the American continent, from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego.
It also covers the study of relations between regions in the Americas and of relations between the Americas and the rest of the world. The research community is focused on producing ground-breaking research at the forefront of several academic disciplines while contributing to the development of interdisciplinary approaches to the study of the Americas.
The institute is also actively engaged in research at the interface of academia and policy, engaging a broad range of stakeholders, including government, NGOs, communications media and civil society in the UK, the Americas, and beyond.
Research environment
The Institute of the Americas is one of the foremost centres of academic study of the region in the UK, promoting, coordinating and providing a focus for research and teaching on the Americas - Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America and the United States. As part of our mission to promote specialist regional and comparative knowledge of the Americas, the institute organises one of the largest programmes of public seminars, lectures, conferences and symposia on the Americas in the UK, serving the scholarly, diplomatic and public policy communities. We also support and coordinate a number of national and international scholarly networks, including, for example, the British Network on Latin American Politics, the Inter-American Human Rights Network and the UCL Americas Research Network, the latter founded and run by doctoral students at the Institute to facilitate interaction between postgraduate students and early career researchers working on any aspect of the Americas within and beyond UCL.
Staff and postgraduate research conducted at the institute covers a range of disciplines, with specialisms in history, politics, human rights, anthropology, development and environmental sociology, as well as interdisciplinary perspectives on thematic concerns such as gender, ‘race’ and ethnicity. The institute also maintains strong links with organisations outside the academic sector, including NGOs, think tanks, and government agencies, collaborations with whom add to the vibrant research environment.
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The length of registration for the research degree is 3 years for full-time study and 5 years for part-time study.
You are required to register initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transfer to PhD after successful completion of an upgrade viva.
Year One: You will receive a departmental induction into the Institute of the Americas as well as attending inductions and events provided by the UCL Doctoral School. Your initial meetings with supervisors will include:
- Agreement of your exact project of work.
- A timetable for supervisor meetings and progress reports.
- Discussion and provision of any necessary research equipment and facilities.
- Review of the Doctoral Skills Development Programme to ascertain which areas of training and activity would be most beneficial and relevant to you. This may include arrangements for any further required study such as language courses provided by the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education (CLIE).
Typically, by the end of the first year, you will have drafted an introduction, literature review, methodology, thesis outline, fieldwork plan (where relevant) and timetable for completion. Submitted work is discussed in regular supervision sessions at intervals agreed between you and supervisor.
Year Two: Typically this is the year that you will undertake a good proportion of your data collection during fieldwork, and for most at the Institute, this is off-campus. You are required to meet all the necessary requirements relating to research ethics approval and risk assessment before embarking on fieldwork research.
You are also usually expected to undertake your upgrade viva in the second year (no less than 9 months and no more than 18 months from initial registration for full-time students). To successfully upgrade to PhD you are required to submit an upgrade report, usually consisting of a literature review, methodology, research plan, timetable for completion and a substantive piece of work towards the objectives of the thesis. You are also required to undertake an oral examination (upgrade viva) on this work to a panel consisting of your subsidiary supervisor and one other member of the academic staff.
You will continue to receive supervisory support, whether in face to face supervisory sessions, or (in the case of those undertaking fieldwork abroad) via Skype, email etc.
Year Three: Typically, the third year will be spent in the analysis and writing up of the data. You will agree upon your thesis structure and a timetable of thesis writing with your supervisors. Submitted work (e.g. draft chapters) will be discussed in supervision sessions at agreed intervals.
After three years, you may apply for additional 12 months (full time) to finish writing up your thesis. During this period, you will be registered as Completing Research Status (CRS). There are no student fees for CRS but you will continue to have full access to UCL facilities and services during this time.
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The length of registration for the research degree is 5 years for part-time study. You are required to register initially for the MPhil degree with the expectation of transfer to PhD after successful completion of an upgrade viva.
Accessibility
Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.
Fees and funding
Fees for this course
Fee description | Full-time | Part-time |
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Tuition fees (2025/26) | £6,215 | £3,105 |
Tuition fees (2025/26) | £29,800 | £14,900 |
The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme 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
There may be additional costs associated with research trips, conference fees, fieldwork expenses, training courses, research materials or software licenses and it is the student's responsibility to cover these expenses. The institute may be able to offer some funds towards the costs of additional expenses. All applications will be assessed based on the centrality of the proposed activity to the applicant’s research, and on the reasonableness of the expenses claimed.
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 £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. 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
The Institute of the Americas offers a number of funding opportunities.
UCL Institute of the Americas attracts students funded by Mexican, Chilean, Ecuadorian and other national funding agencies.
For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.
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UCL Research Opportunity Scholarship (ROS)
Deadline: 10 January 2025Value: UK rate fees, a maintenance stipend, conference costs and professional development package (3 years)Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial needEligibility: UK
Next steps
Applicants should visit the institute website for details on how to identify potential supervisors and apply for the programme. Deadlines and start dates are usually dictated by funding arrangements so check with the department to see if you need to consider these in your application preparation. In most cases, you should identify and contact potential supervisors before making your application. For more information see the UCL How to apply page.
Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.
Choose your programme
Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.
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