Why choose us for postgraduate study?

• We have an international reputation for research; we’re number one in the UK for international outlook and 16th in the UK for world class research, with a number of departments in the top 10.
• We have an excellent reputation for research, characterised by its originality, significance and rigour, confirmed by the results of the most recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).
• Royal Holloway was ranked 18^th in the UK for 4* and 3* research.
• 60 per cent of our research is rated as world-leading or internationally excellent above the national average of 50 per cent.
• Our Music Department is ranked number one in the UK for research, while a further eight departments are in the top 10 – Biological Sciences, Drama, Earth Sciences, Economics, Geography, German, Media Arts and Psychology.
• All of our academic staff are working at the forefront of their subjects so they’ll share their passion and expertise with you.
• You’ll be assigned a supervisor who is an expert in their field and will offer you guidance and be on-hand to answer your questions.
• Every postgraduate student is assigned an advisor who provides a second source of academic and pastoral support.
• Our research garners media attention from the likes of the BBC, the Daily Telegraph and the Independent, to name just a few.
• Royal Holloway has the fourth highest percentage of staff with a PhD according to Times Higher Education with at least 82 per cent having one.

“ I think that coming to Royal Holloway gives you a certain sense of confidence because you are mixing with such talented people as well as some truly brilliant lecturers.”

Gareth Davies, Music and Drama

• As a research-intensive university, our academic staff and postgraduate students enjoy a successful and collaborative relationship with external organisations such as worldwide companies, charities and government bodies.
• One of our most recent partnerships is with Tobii Technology under which the Psychology department is using the newest methods in vision analysis for eye tracking and control.
• The Information Security Group is also working with two other universities and the government to run the Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security, which aims to make the UK more resilient to cyber attacks.

“Royal Holloway has something for everyone: it has world class facilities; top research departments; and a great mix of people from different backgrounds.”

  Michael Cheesman, Physics

• We have one of the world’s most beautiful campuses with everything you need in 135 acres of parkland.
• Our iconic Founder’s Building, state-of-the-art teaching facilities, high-quality accommodation and vibrant social spaces are surrounded by Surrey’s beautiful countryside.
• Yet our campus is just 40 minutes by train from Central London meaning internationally-renowned galleries, museums, places of interest, top libraries, world-class sporting areas and nightlife are all within easy reach.
• Our students can then come home to a safe and leafy campus where living costs are far more reasonable than in the capital.
• On campus, you can join one of our vast range of clubs and societies, become a student journalist, join a band or sing with a choir, perform in musical theatre or in a classical play, attend a lecture outside of your field of study and become a volunteer.
• You can also become an entrepreneur, find a part-time job on campus or in the local area, join a committee or represent your fellow students at a national conference, enjoy a night out such as a pub quiz, live music or film screening and be active with one of our 60 sports teams or by working out at the gym.

“The feel of the campus environment is electric at times and you get such a brilliant sense of community across all of the departments.”

Kit Wisdom, Geography

• You’ll have access to the largest and most comprehensive Careers Service in Europe in the heart of campus, offering tailored support to help you boost your employability and prepare for the choices ahead.
• We offer a PhD Careers Cafe, which helps postgraduate students find out more about careers in different topics covering the arts, sciences and management and economics.
• The Careers Service also runs PhD specific workshops where you can improve your job-hunting and application skills helping you find employment when you graduate.
• You can also take part in academic interview skills workshops and read resources that have been created by the Careers Service.
• Royal Holloway offers a full platform of  generic skills training helping you develop transferable skills that are not specific to your own research.
• Postgraduate taught students will also have access to interactive e-learning modules for self-directed study, covering topics from critical thinking to note-taking and referencing.
• Each department also runs its own subject-specific training programmes to help you make the most of your postgraduate degree and achieve the best mark you can to impress future employers.

“I knew I wanted to go to a prestigious university that would help with my career.”

Bronwen Foster-Butler, European Studies

• We offer a number of bursaries and scholarships to support both taught and research postgraduate students that recognise achievements and potential in academia, music and sport.
• We also provide financial support to alumni of Royal Holloway and international students.
• Royal Holloway works with a number of external scholarship providers to ensure you have a wide range of funding options open to you.
• In fact, we offered more than 100 doctoral scholarships and awards worth more than £3 million to our postgraduate students who commenced their studies in September 2012. 
• We will be investing £4 million in funding for postgraduate students for those starting in September 2013.

“I wanted to take advantage of the range of scholarships and teaching assistant opportunities available.”

James Lambert, Economics, 2003