Environmental Science MPhil/PhD

Ready to take your learning to the next level? With an MPhil or PhD degree from Middlesex University, you'll make a positive impact on society, the environment and the economy through rigorous investigation and research.

Why study MPhil/PhD Environmental Science at Middlesex University?

A Director of Studies and at least one (second) supervisor from the University will conduct your research supervision. Often, an external supervisor is also involved.

Your supervisors will act as personal tutors, helping you to clarify your initial objectives, structure your research and develop supplementary skills. They also advise on subject reading, relevant taught courses, research seminars and workshops.

Academic support and guidance is constantly available, whether you work individually or as part of a team. There are regular research tutorials, plus seminars and meetings with research students, staff and guest speakers.

Collaborations with external partners

If you're working in partnership with an external organisation, you may be jointly supervised by academics from Middlesex University and the collaborating partner.

Where collaboration is involved, you should make sure that from the outset the responsibilities for provision of fees, equipment and any other resources are fully understood and accepted by the partners.

About your course

What will you study on MPhil/PhD Environmental Science?

We offer the following options:

MPhil/PhD research with our Flood Hazard Research Centre (FHRC)

MPhil/PhD research with our Urban Pollution Research Centre (UPRC)

This programme will cover the following areas

• Water or air pollution
• Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS)
• Water treatment technologies
• Greywater reuse and recycling
• Soil, water or sediment ecotoxicology assessment using microbial biosensors (eg Microtox)
• Contaminated soils and remediation

Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

You may undertake a programme of research in which your own work such as a report forms, as a point of origin or reference, a significant part of the intellectual enquiry and is presented for examination.

The length of the thesis is reduced accordingly:

• For the mixed mode version, you'll need an appropriate presentation of visual research and a text of up to 20,000 words (MPhil) or 40,000 (PhD)
• For text only, the figures are 40,000 and 80,000 maximum

The work is always undertaken as part of the registered research programme and the standards are the same as those applied where the work is totally by thesis.

Please note that all of our PhD students initially enrol on an MPhil and then transfer to a PhD degree.

MPhil and PhD research with our Centre for Decision Analysis and Risk Management (DARM)

This programmes will cover the area of values-based decision-making, especially in the fields of:

• Risk management
• Economics
• Psychology
• Philosophy
• Health care
• Marketing
• Software development

Teaching

How is the MPhil/PhD Environmental Science taught?

A Director of Studies and at least one (second) supervisor from the University will conduct your research supervision. Often, an external supervisor is also involved.

Your supervisors will act as personal tutors, helping you to clarify your initial objectives, structure your research and develop supplementary skills. They also advise on subject reading, relevant taught courses, research seminars and workshops.

Academic support and guidance is constantly available, whether you work individually or as part of a team. There are regular research tutorials, plus seminars and meetings with research students, staff and guest speakers.

Collaborations with external partners

If you're working in partnership with an external organisation, you may be jointly supervised by academics from Middlesex University and the collaborating partner.

Where collaboration is involved, you should make sure that from the outset the responsibilities for provision of fees, equipment and any other resources are fully understood and accepted by the partners.

Fees and funding

The fees below are for the 2025/26 academic year.

If you start in January 2026, you will pay the same fees as students who started in October 2025

UK students starting in January 2026¹

Full-time students: £6,400 per year

Part-time students: £3,200 per year

EU students starting in January 2026²

Full-time students: £6,400 per year

Part-time students: £3,200 per year

International students starting in January 2026²

Full-time students: £16,000 per year

Part-time students: £8,200 per year

Part-time study is only available via distance learning. Due to UK Government visa regulations, students from outside the EU may not study part-time in the UK

Some programmes require an additional annual studio/bench/laboratory fee. To find out more, please contact us.

Funding

Funding or studentships for research degrees are limited, and most research degree students are expected to pay their own fees and subsistence costs.

Funding research with UPRC

If you'd like to undertake a postgraduate research degree with the UPRC and have a novel research idea that is not yet funded, please contact Dr Lian Lundy to discuss, as we may be able to support you in attracting funding for your research.

Fees disclaimers

1. UK fees: The university reserves the right to increase postgraduate tuition fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions. The tuition fees for part-time UK study are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.

2. EU/International fees: Tuition fees are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.

Any annual increase in tuition fees as provided for above will be notified to students at the earliest opportunity in advance of the academic year to which any applicable inflationary rise may apply.