PhD, MPhil, EngD, MRes Naval architecture, ocean & marine engineering

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Research Opportunities

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Research opportunities

You can study an MPhil or an MRes over the course of one year, a PhD over three years or an EngD over four years.

PhD & MPhil

You can study either option in any of our research areas:

Safety
Sustainable shipping
Oil & gas
Marine renewables

You also have the option of studying in any area in which our staff have expertise.

MRes

Our MRes degree is specific to:

Engineering

EngD

Our EngD degree is specific to:

Offshore Renewable Energy
Wind & Marine Energy Systems & Structures

Marine engineers looking at a ship.

View our current research opportunities

John Anderson Research Studentship Scheme (JARSS)

John Anderson Research Studentship Scheme (JARSS) doctoral studentships are available annually for excellent students and excellent research projects.

There are two main sources of funding:

Central University funding
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council - Doctoral Landscape Award (EPSRC - DLA) funding.

The JARSS 2025/26 competition will open in October 2024 and students successful in this competition will commence studies in October 2025. Faculties will set their own internal deadlines for the competition.

Academics/Supervisors make the applications for this scheme and there are various deadlines across Departments and Faculties, therefore, in the first instance, all interested students should contact the Department where they would like to carry out their research.

Deadline:

Funding:

Funded

THE Awards 2019: UK University of the Year Winner

Fees & funding

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Fees & funding

All fees quoted are per academic year unless otherwise stated.

Entrants may be subject to a small fee during the writing up period.

Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.

All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.

Annual revision of fees

Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that the majority of fees will increase annually. The University will take a range of factors into account, including, but not limited to, UK inflation, changes in delivery costs and changes in Scottish and/or UK Government funding. Changes in fees will be published on the University website in October each year for the following year of study and any annual increase will be capped at a maximum of 10% per year.

2024/25

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Scotland	£4,786
England, Wales & Northern Ireland	£4,786
Republic of Ireland	If you are an Irish citizen and have been ordinary resident in the Republic of Ireland for the three years prior to the relevant date, and will be coming to Scotland for Educational purposes only, you will meet the criteria of England, Wales & Northern Ireland fee status. For more information and advice on tuition fee status, you can visit the UKCISA - International student advice and guidance - Scotland: fee status webpage. Find out more about the University of Strathclyde's fee assessments process.
International	£27,500
Additional costs	Cost of binding two copies of thesis and a CD copy – £26.00 each thesis (not including printing costs) at Cameron bookbinders. Students also pay for any stationery that they require. Part-time research students will have access to University facilities, but only to a limited extent and as deemed appropriate. International students may have associated visa and immigration costs. Please see student visa guidance for more information.
Funding	Take a look at our funding your postgraduate research web page for funding information. You can also view our scholarships search for further funding opportunities.
Postgraduate research opportunities	Search for all funded and non-funded postgraduate research opportunities.

Please note: the fees shown are annual and may be subject to an increase each year. Find out more about fees.

Everyone in the department has always been really friendly and accommodating. Since the lectures are usually relatively small you get a better experience in lectures in my opinion, for me it was much less daunting to ask questions and just have a chat with the lecturers about any questions I had to do with the course, and also for advice out with the course.

Victoria Sykes

Learn about Victoria's Strathlife

Postgraduate research at the Strathclyde Doctoral School

The Strathclyde Doctoral School offers a vibrant, student-centred research and training environment, dedicated to supporting both current and future research talent.

Bringing together all four of our faculties, it is committed to enhancing the student experience, increasing research outputs and opportunities, and ensuring that training is delivered at the highest standard.

As a postgraduate researcher, you will automatically become a member of the Strathclyde Doctoral School.

Find out more about the Doctoral School

Our research

Our vision is to uphold our position as a world-leading centre of marine technology, by developing a sustainable research environment which supports continuous improvement and growth.

We're carrying out research which is supporting industry in a useful and innovative way. Our state-of-the-art facilities include the largest towing/wave tank of any UK academic institution.

Our staff are internationally recognised for their expertise.

Find out more about our research

Oil rig at sea

The department of Naval Architecture, Ocean & Marine Engineering owns a sailing yacht, Catalina, and students are able to take a training course which allows us to charter the yacht. Thanks to this opportunity, I have been able to sail and discover Scotland on several occasions.

Margot Cocard

Find out more about Margot's Strathlife

Support & development

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Support & development

Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development (PgCert RPD)

As part of your PhD, you will be enrolled in the Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development (PgCert RPD).

This certificate is designed to enhance your research experience and recognize the skills and activities you develop as a research student.

It will help you build essential skills for both professional development and employability, including:

Knowledge and intellectual abilities to conduct your research
Personal qualities that will enable you to succeed in your research and future career
Understanding the standards, requirements, and conduct expected of a professional researcher in your field
The ability to collaborate effectively and communicate the impact of your research to diverse audiences

You will plan these activities alongside your doctoral studies, documenting and reflecting on your journey to success along the way.

Find out more about the PgCert RPD programme.

Careers

The University Careers Service can help you with everything from writing your CV to interview preparation.

Student support

From financial advice to our IT facilities, we have a wide range of support for all students here at Strathclyde. Get all the information you need at Strathlife.

International students

We've a thriving international community with students coming here to study from over 140 countries across the world. Find out all you need to know about studying in Glasgow at Strathclyde and hear from students about their experiences.

Visit our international students' section

There have been many highlights for me, but the stand out element has undoubtedly been the approach of the academic staff and their willingness to help you achieve your goals and be the best version of yourself!

Ioannis Chalaris

More about Ioannis' experience

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Entry requirements

A first-class or upper second-class BEng Honours degree, or equivalent, or an MSc in a related subject.

The application

During the application you'll be asked for the following:

your full contact details
transcripts and certificates of all degrees
proof of English language proficiency if English isn't your first language
two references, one of which must be academic
funding or scholarship information
research proposal of 250 to 1,000 words in length, detailing the subject area and topic to be investigated

By filling these details out as fully as possible, you'll avoid any delay to your application being processed by the University.

Supervisors

Research supervisors are assigned to you by the department of Naval Architecture, Ocean & Marine Engineering. Let us know in your application who you'd like to work with, but the department will team you up with the best supervisor for your project.

Once we've received your application, your research proposal is passed to potential supervisors for consideration. If it's not compatible with the researcher's current projects and they are unable to supervise, it's passed along to another for consideration. If they can supervise you, they’ll confirm and nominate a potential second supervisor.

As soon as a second supervisor is confirmed, an offer will be sent to you through Pegasus, our online application system.

When you accept our offer of study, you'll receive a full offer in writing via the email address you'll have provided.

Accepting an offer

When you've accepted our offer, we'll need you to fulfil any academic, administrative or financial conditions that we ask.

Engineering

MRes

full-time

Start date: Sep 2026

Apply now

Start date: Sep 2026

Engineering

MRes

part-time

Start date: Sep 2026

Apply now

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Contact us

Naval Architecture, Ocean & Marine Engineering

Telephone: +44 (0)141 548 4094

Email: naome-research@strath.ac.uk

Henry Dyer Building, 100 Montrose Street, Glasgow, G4 0LZ

Chat with us

Fees & funding

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Fees & funding

All fees quoted are per academic year unless otherwise stated.

Entrants may be subject to a small fee during the writing up period.

Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.

All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.

Annual revision of fees

2025/26

Go back

Scotland	£5,006
England, Wales & Northern Ireland	£5,006
Republic of Ireland	If you are an Irish citizen and have been ordinary resident in the Republic of Ireland for the three years prior to the relevant date, and will be coming to Scotland for Educational purposes only, you will meet the criteria of England, Wales & Northern Ireland fee status. For more information and advice on tuition fee status, you can visit the UKCISA - International student advice and guidance - Scotland: fee status webpage. Find out more about the University of Strathclyde's fee assessments process.
International	£30,250
Additional costs	Cost of binding two copies of thesis and a CD copy – £26.00 each thesis (not including printing costs) at Cameron bookbinders. Students also pay for any stationery that they require. Part-time research students will have access to University facilities, but only to a limited extent and as deemed appropriate. International students may have associated visa and immigration costs. Please see student visa guidance for more information.
Funding	Take a look at our funding your postgraduate research web page for funding information. You can also view our scholarships search for further funding opportunities.
Postgraduate research opportunities	Search for all funded and non-funded postgraduate research opportunities.

Please note: the fees shown are annual and may be subject to an increase each year. Find out more about fees.