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Written by Ben Taylor
PhDs provide you with an opportunity to pursue original research in your area of specialism, allowing you to eventually become a genuine expert.
But will a PhD help you get a job or earn a better salary? And what are your career prospects in and outside of academia?
This page uses data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and the UK Government to give you an idea of PhD employment rates and earnings.
Will a phd make me more employable.
A PhD is a versatile, well-respected qualification that can prepare you for a range of careers – both within and outside academia. Transferrable skills like project management, research capabilities and public speaking will be valued by employers across a range of sectors.
Data from the UK government shows that, compared to those among taught Masters graduates, PhD employment rates are higher . This information is based on the Graduate Outcomes survey by HESA that contacted graduates from the 2019-20 academic year 15 months after finishing their courses.
Bear in mind when looking at the data on this page that it isn’t a guarantee that you’ll enjoy the same benefits from your PhD. After all, it’s historical information – but it can be a good way to gauge future prospects.
Status | Masters (taught) | Doctoral research |
---|---|---|
Full-time employment | 69% | 70% |
Part-time employment | 9% | 9% |
Employment and further study | 8% | 10% |
Further study | 3% | 4% |
Other | 4% | 5% |
survey, conducted by . It reveals the destinations of UK university graduates after 15 months. |
According to HESA, the vast majority of PhD holders are employed in professional occupations. In fact, if you have a PhD you’re around 6% more likely to have a professional role than someone with a taught Masters.
There is a fairly small difference when it comes to the most senior roles – managers and directors – with Masters graduates slightly more likely to hold these kinds of position.
Position | Postgraduate (taught) | Postgraduate (research) |
---|---|---|
Managers, directors and senior officials | 6% | 5% |
Professional occupations | 63% | 83% |
Associate professional and technical occupations | 19% | 9% |
Total | 88% | 96% |
survey, conducted by . It reveals the destinations of UK university graduates after 15 months. |
Another factor you might think about when considering a doctorate is whether it’ll improve your earning potential.
Looking again at the Graduate Outcomes survey from HESA, it does seem that PhD holders are more likely to enjoy higher earnings than people with a Masters degree.
As you can see in the table below, those with a PhD are more likely to earn more than £30,000 per year than their Masters counterparts. 88% of PhD respondents to the survey replied that they earned above £30,000, compared to 62% of Masters graduates.
Annual salary (£) | Masters (taught) | PhD |
---|---|---|
Less than 15,000 | 0% | 0% |
15,000 – 17,999 | 1% | 1% |
18,000 – 20,999 | 3% | 1% |
21,000 – 23,999 | 7% | 2% |
24,000 – 26,999 | 11% | 3% |
27,000 – 29,999 | 5% | 5% |
30,000 – 32,999 | 14% | 8% |
33,000 – 35,999 | 9% | 13% |
36,000 – 38,999 | 6% | 14% |
39,000 – 41,999 | 6% | 12% |
42,000 – 44,999 | 4% | 8% |
45,000 – 47,999 | 4% | 6% |
48,000 – 50,999 | 5% | 6% |
51,000+ | 14% | 20% |
survey, conducted by . It reveals the destinations of UK university graduates after 15 months. Additional analysis by FindAMasters. |
Another source of information on salaries for PhD graduates in the UK is HMRC’s postgraduate outcomes dataset. This uses tax data rather than relying on people who respond to a survey (like HESA’s Graduate Outcomes), so can be a particularly useful way of measuring earnings.
The table below is from the 2019-20 tax year and compares the median earnings from several different periods after graduation.
Median annual salary | Masters (taught) | PhD |
---|---|---|
One year after graduation | £28,100 | £35,800 |
Three years after graduation | £32,500 | £39,100 |
Five years after graduation | £36,100 | £41,200 |
10 years after graduation | £38,300 | £44,900 |
dataset, which is derived from HMRC's data on the 2021-22 tax year. |
Although there aren’t any datasets that show how many PhD students go on to become professors, there are surveys that reveal the proportion of PhD holders who continue their careers in higher education.
Analysis by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) reveals that about 20% of PhD holders are classified as ‘higher education teaching professionals’ three and a half years after finishing their programme. An additional 10% remain in academia and are involved in research.
Just over half of those people who had left academia after completing their PhD ended up working in a research role. It’s also worth bearing in mind that STEM PhD holders are more likely to find work in a research role than Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences students.
Check out our course listings to find the latest PhD opportunties. Results can be filtered by topic, location and funding available.
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We've answered some of the most frequently asked questions about PhDs, covering course types, applications, funding and the benefits of further study.
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Master, PhD and Postdoc Scholarships
The United Kingdom boasts some of the world’s most prestigious universities and research institutions, including Oxford University, Cambridge University, and Imperial College London. However, it’s essential to recognize that PhD salaries in the UK can vary significantly based on the institution and funding source. In this post, we provide an in-depth exploration of PhD salaries in the United Kingdom, encompassing stipends and scholarships. Towards the end of this article, you’ll find a comprehensive list of UK PhD scholarships.
When discussing salaries, we focus on fully-funded PhD positions. It’s crucial to note that self-funded PhD students typically do not receive a salary. An exception exists for students who secure funding from their home countries or other institutions. The salary information presented here pertains to PhD students remunerated by British institutes for their doctoral studies.
It’s important to highlight that the salary (stipend) is not a fixed value and varies based on the funding source and host university. According to the Research Council UK, the minimum Doctoral stipend is £15,285 per annum. Importantly, stipends are tax-free. However, international students requiring a visa to study in the UK must also account for health insurance, as mandated by the UK government. This requirement applies to individuals who:
The healthcare surcharge is a fixed annual fee. As per the UK government, this fee amounts to £400 per year. Consequently, for a 3.5-year PhD program, you’ll pay £1,400 as a lump sum when applying for your visa. Additionally, a £348 visa fee applies. Therefore, the total cost when applying for a visa and healthcare surcharge comes to £1,748. This payment ensures full coverage by the National Health System (NHS) during your study period in the UK.
After graduating, you can extend your visa for two years to seek employment in the UK. The UK government has introduced a new initiative enabling eligible students to work in any career or position for two years post-completion of their studies.
Returning to the topic of salaries, PhD positions funded by Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher (ITN PhD positions) offer significantly higher pay than other positions. A Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher in the UK can expect an annual salary ranging from £30,000 to £35,000. This is double the typical stipend in the UK. For further insights into the Marie-Curie Program, please refer to our dedicated post.
A PhD in the UK opens doors to higher salaries, enhanced opportunities, and increased employability. On average, graduates with a PhD in the UK earn annual salaries ranging from £33,000 to £55,000, based on data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
While pursuing a PhD in the UK can be a significant financial investment, the potential benefits are substantial, especially for those aspiring to work in academia or engage in research and development.
Fully Funded PhD and Postdoc Opportunities in the UK
Fastepo provides a dedicated section for Fully Funded PhD and Postdoc opportunities in the UK, featuring:
Fastepo Team will update all types of academic positions (the latest ones) when they become available. Moreover, be sure to follow our Facebook page to stay up-to-date on new positions. We have PhD and Postdoc related videos on our Youtube channel if you don’t like reading text.
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It was a huge honour to receive funding from such a prestigious institution
For 2024 entry, LSE will be offering studentships to new PhD students, in 2023 this was 88, in the form of LSE PhD Studentships, LSE DTP ESRC Studentships and London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP) Studentships.
The awards are open to high calibre students of all nationalities studying across all research areas at the School.
LSE PhD Studentships are tenable for four years and cover full fees and an annual stipend, which for 2024 entry is £21,237. They are available for UK and international students undertaking research in any LSE discipline, with annual renewal subject to satisfactory academic performance.
These awards will be made solely on the basis of outstanding academic merit and research potential. This relates both to your past academic record and to an assessment of your likely aptitude to complete a PhD in your chosen topic in the time allocated.
Academic departments nominate students for consideration by a School panel for all PhD funding opportunities they may be eligible for. There is no separate application for any of these studentships.
To be considered for this funding, you must submit your complete application for admission to LSE by a specific date. This date differs by academic department. Refer to the individual programme page for the relevant deadline information. Find your graduate programme .
Find out about ESRC Studentships .
More information on how to apply for a place on a PhD programme .
"I received an LSE PhD Studentship, which covers both my tuition and living expenses. It was a huge honour to receive funding from such a prestigious institution and without this support it would have been impossible for me to pursue my PhD."
Katherine Furman East London, South Africa MPhil/PhD Philosophy LSE PhD Studentship
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Avg. Salary £40k — £59k
Avg. Salary £26k — £77k
Gender breakdown for doctorate (phd), physics.
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Chemistry graduates navigating the uk industry job market are increasingly disheartened by roles that offer them disappointing remuneration and low job security, by vanessa zainzinger, special to c&en, december 1, 2019 | a version of this story appeared in volume 97, issue 47.
Nessa Carson, a synthetic organic chemist, says she is “extremely lucky” to be working for a big pharmaceutical company in southeast England. Since she moved back to the UK in 2017, after completing a master’s degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Carson says she has seen many friends and colleagues leave chemistry because of a job market that offers young chemists fewer opportunities for exciting science or financial gain than they had hoped for.
“Generally, people are frustrated,” she says. “They don’t feel valued.”
The UK offers early-career chemists interested in industry—who normally have postdoc experience, a PhD, or a master’s degree—plenty of opportunities to work in one of the country’s many thriving contract research organizations. CROs are growing and recruiting steadily as drug companies in Europe and elsewhere increasingly look to outsource their R&D. Positions in big pharmaceutical companies, on the other hand, are rare, says Carson, who runs a Twitter account ( @ukchemjobs ) that accumulates and shares chemistry jobs available in the UK.
In most of the industrial positions open to young chemists, remuneration and job security are low, Carson says. “I think the market selects for people who absolutely love chemistry because that’s what they want to do with their lives. Others know they will be better off going into finance or management consulting. That’s what the people I did my undergraduate degree with are doing.”
The mood in the UK among early-career chemists who actually want to do chemistry is somber. Disappointed by the roles the job market has to offer, chemistry graduates say they are feeling undervalued and underpaid. Many are threatening to leave the country for better opportunities elsewhere.
CROs consider themselves attractive workplaces for young chemists. The companies, which offer a range of drug-discovery services—including medicinal chemistry, analytical chemistry, and lead optimization—allow researchers to participate in various projects, collaborate with people with different skill sets, and learn a lot about drug discovery, says Natalie Insley, human resources operations manager at the CRO Sygnature Discovery.
Related: Apprenticeships: Europe’s talent pipeline to industry
The Nottingham, England–headquartered company employs about 330 people and is experiencing constant growth, Insley says. Staff turnover is “generally low.” Sygnature also runs training programs within its chemistry department that allow students and recent graduates to gain practical work experience with the company.
Nathalie Dubois, the company’s marketing coordinator, adds that most researchers in its chemistry department are in their late 20s. “It’s a young culture, and we offer continuing development, internal and external training, problem-solving sessions, conference attendance, and the opportunity to develop their skills,” she says.
Some researchers, however, say they find little passion in working for a CRO. “It’s safe to say that where I am working, nobody at the junior level is particularly happy with their jobs,” says Katy, a medicinal chemist who, to protect her job, asked that her full name not be used.
Katy works for a large CRO in east England that hires chemists on fixed-term contracts. This means job security is low for everybody, she says. “Half the people I work with are [University of] Cambridge graduates, fantastic chemists, but that doesn’t matter. The company offers them no help with career progression.” Earlier this year, the company laid off 15 chemists, then hired another 15 a few months later, she says.
The work itself lacks passion, says Katy, who misses the innovation and target validation that would be part of a research job in a company that pursues its own projects. “You’re just told: ‘Here’s your target; go make some drugs.’ I always knew this isn’t the kind of work I’m interested in, but I didn’t have much of a choice,” she says. Katy moved back to the UK earlier this year when she was forced to end a postdoc at the University of California San Diego after a member of her family was taken ill. The only industry jobs she could find were with CROs, she recalls.
Frustration with the job market is making some young chemists consider moving to mainland Europe, where they hope they’ll find a greater variety of jobs and higher salaries. At a gross salary of £32,000 ($41,000) per year, Katy says she is paid around £10,000 less than a former postdoc colleague who left San Diego with her but took a job at a drug company in Berlin.
Another young chemist, Javier, moved to England from Spain for grad school at a public university in the northwest. Like Katy, he asked that, to protect his job, his full name not be used. Javier picked up plenty of job offers in the UK after completing his PhD, but he rejected them all because of the low salaries on offer.
“Perhaps my expectations were high because I did my PhD on a Marie Curie scholarship, which is roughly double the normal PhD salary in the UK,” Javier says, referring to a scholarship granted by the European Commission. “But in any case, the offers I got in the UK were about 40% lower than the ones I received in [continental] Europe.”
Javier settled for a job with a large specialty chemical company in Belgium. His salary is €49,000 ($53,900), a big step up from the best offer he received in the UK, at £28,000 ($35,900).
Even if the salary were equal, Javier says he saw no benefit to staying in the UK. Companies in the country normally offer 25 days of vacation a year, compared with the 33 days he gets in Belgium. Housing costs in the UK are 57% above the European Union average, according to the European Commission’s statistical office, Eurostat, topped only by Ireland and Switzerland. In comparison, housing costs in Belgium and Germany are 14% and 11%, respectively, above the EU average.
Tax comparisons between European countries are difficult to make, but according to research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the UK imposes relatively low taxes on the incomes of median earners, which are what most entry-level chemists would be.
Median salaries for PhD chemists, meanwhile, are lower in the UK than in other wealthy European countries, like Finland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, according to a study published last year by two nonprofits, the European Chemistry Network Association and the European Chemical Society. There are no statistics on how this gap manifests itself in the income of entry-level chemists specifically. A Royal Society of Chemistry survey published last month found that the median salary in the UK for early-career chemists is £33,200.
Paul Mears, head of chemical recruitment at Science Solutions Recruitment in Cheshire, England, often sees early-career chemists entering the job market with unrealistic expectations. Universities don’t always prepare their students for the reality of a highly competitive market with salaries well below what is promised by industries such as financial services, which hire chemists into nonresearch roles. He advises young chemists to build relationships with recruiters before they leave school to gain a realistic picture of the market and figure out what kind of position will suit them best.
Mears’s clients are CROs, contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs), local manufacturers, and start-ups. Most of them are small, independent firms that are likely to offer young recruits job security but low salaries.
Some large companies offer great salaries under graduate schemes—programs that combine paid work and training—for a lucky few, but many more chemists are likely to be hired on a contract basis “without necessarily compensating for the lack of security,’’ Mears says. He adds that the UK chemistry job market is buoyant, despite the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, the country’s impending exit from the EU.
Related: A sizzling biotech job market is streamlining the course to a career in chemistry
Still, more and more chemists are moving to continental Europe for better job opportunities and higher wages, Mears observes. This is a reverse from 10 years ago, when chemists in postrecession continental Europe were tempted to the other side of the North Sea. Mears doesn’t blame Brexit but rather the fact that the Continent now offers comparable or even better salaries and jobs.
“Ten years ago we were gaining talent; now we might be losing it. I think this is driving a skills shortage in the UK,” he says.
The Northumberland, England–based CDMO Sterling Pharma Solutions says it has not seen its young recruits shun the UK for greener pastures. “We continue to receive many applications from chemists based in mainland Europe, and our recent recruits have included several Oxbridge graduates too,” says Sterling R&D director Mike Gibson, referring to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, two prestigious British schools. “We feel that we would not be receiving those applications if there was a significant salary disparity.” He adds that the salaries the company offers go far where it is based, in northeast England.
The 400-employee-strong firm is due to start recruiting researchers for a new milling and micronization facility. Gibson says Sterling likes to hire both fresh PhD graduates and experienced chemists. He adds that the CDMO has worked hard to become an attractive place to pursue a career, with “excellent development and progression routes into different areas of the firm.”
James Ayres, a synthetic organic chemist, is skeptical of relying on progression opportunities within a UK company. When searching for an industry position after graduating with a PhD from Cardiff University in 2018, the highest job offer Ayres received was £25,000. The company offered to increase the salary to £28,000 after 3 years. He is now working as a postdoc at the University of Leeds and earning £32,000.
Academia in the UK is still a great place for chemists, Ayres says. “I’m happy in my current position—I’m learning new skills, getting paid pretty well, and the science we’re doing is excellent,” he says. The chemical and drug industries, in contrast, are not as vibrant as they used to be, Ayres says. “There are still opportunities to do interesting work, but money matters too.”
Javier calls on UK companies to do better in valuing their young talent. Working conditions—including salary, holidays, working time, and flexibility—are important, he says. “I work to have a life; I don’t live to work,” he says.
Related: British contract research firms fight to find science talent
Javier says he will stay in Brussels for a while but is hoping to someday move to Switzerland, where salaries—and living costs—are significantly higher. Ayres and Katy are both considering moves to mainland Europe, depending on family circumstances and the outcome of Brexit , which is likely to make it harder for young British chemists to live and work on the Continent.
Carson, the drug company chemist, says she is happy in her current job but emphasizes that it’s her love for chemistry that keeps her going. “If I were very sensible, I would probably leave chemistry,” she says. “If I was a bit sensible, I would leave the UK, and I think I will eventually.”
Vanessa Zainzinger is a freelance writer based in England.
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IMAGES
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The average cost of undertaking a PhD in the UK is approximately £20,000 per academic year for UK students and £40,000 for international students. To help offset the cost of this, many students question whether undertaking a doctorate comes with a PhD salary. The salary of a PhD student is governed by three factors: whether they're ...
Here is a table of the most common PhD salary sources in the UK and when they're paid: PhD salary sources Salary type: Salary amount: Typical pay schedule: PhD stipend: £18,622 tax free: Quarterly or monthly: Graduate teaching assistantships (GTAs) £15-20 per hour: Weekly or monthly:
For the sake of simplifying the comparison I averaged the 2023/24 PhD stipend to £19,622 for all PhD students studying in the UK. A fairly typical grad salary, for someone qualified enough to be considering a science PhD, is around £30,000. Of course this is an average salary so needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.
Associate Professor. £64,356. £67,255 ($87,344) Professor. £90,891. £91,123 ($118,341) It should be noted that the US salaries stated above have the potential to be skewed. This is because the data provides a total sum only for the number of universities forming the data, and not for the number of staff members holding each position type.
Avg. Salary £20k — £148k. Master of Finance (MFin) Avg. Salary £26k — £98k. Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) Avg. Salary £39k — £56k. Master of Applied Computer Science (MACS) Avg. Salary £ ...
The table below showcases some of the prominent universities for PhD in the UK for international students: Name Of The University. Average Tuition Fees. QS Ranking 2023. University of Oxford. £25,000 - £30,000. 4. Imperial College London. £20,000 - £40,000.
Another source of information on salaries for PhD graduates in the UK is HMRC's postgraduate outcomes dataset. This uses tax data rather than relying on people who respond to a survey (like HESA's Graduate Outcomes), so can be a particularly useful way of measuring earnings. ... Median annual salary Masters (taught) PhD; One year after ...
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Jobs by Salary. Job Title. Range. Average. Research Scientist. £29k - £78k. £39,690. Data Scientist. £34k - £64k.
The estimated salary for a PhD is £16,000 per year in the England area. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The "Most Likely Range" represents values that exist within the 25th and 75th percentile of all pay data ...
A PhD in the UK opens doors to higher salaries, enhanced opportunities, and increased employability. On average, graduates with a PhD in the UK earn annual salaries ranging from £33,000 to £55,000, based on data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
The average salary for a PhD is £16,769 per year in United Kingdom. Salaries estimates are based on 78 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by a PhD employees in United Kingdom. What is the highest salary for a PhD in United Kingdom?
The estimated salary for a PhD is £18,260 per year in the London, United Kingdom area. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The "Most Likely Range" represents values that exist within the 25th and 75th percentile of ...
The average salary for PhD Student is £19,197 per year in the United Kingdom. The average additional cash compensation for a PhD Student in the United Kingdom is £2,211, with a range from £747 - £6,548. Salaries estimates are based on 8736 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by PhD Student employees in United Kingdom.
Eligibility. LSE PhD Studentships are tenable for four years and cover full fees and an annual stipend, which for 2024 entry is £21,237. They are available for UK and international students undertaking research in any LSE discipline, with annual renewal subject to satisfactory academic performance. These awards will be made solely on the basis ...
The estimated total pay for a PhD Student is £21,159 per year in the London, United Kingdom area, with an average salary of £18,865 per year. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated additional pay is £ ...
From the period May 2021 - May 2022, inflation reached 9.1%, which is the current value. If our 2021-2022 rate was £15,609 and inflation is 9.1%, then our 2022-2023 rate should be closer to £17,029. This means that relative to the cost of living, we are getting a pay cut by approx. £1,000.
Doctorate (PhD), Chemistry - Salary - Get a free salary comparison based on job title, skills, experience and education. Accurate, reliable salary and compensation comparisons for United Kingdom
The average annual tuition fee for pursuing PhD in UK at the top universities is 20,000 GBP- 50,000 GBP (20-50 Lakh INR) and the average cost of living in UK is around 14,000 GBP (14 lakh INR) per year. The opportunities after studying in UK universities are vast. Almost 87% of the Ph.D. students start working after graduation and earn an ...
Weekly. Day. Hour. How much does a Phd Graduate make in United Kingdom? £35,000. / Annual. Based on 603 salaries. The average phd graduate salary in the United Kingdom is £35,000 per year or £17.95 per hour. Entry level positions start at £29,645 per year while most experienced workers make up to £45,000 per year.
20. Immunology. National average salary: $182,342 per year Immunologists with a Ph.D. study infectious diseases and create public health policies related to disease transmission and prevention. A background in a relevant degree program related to immunology is typically a prerequisite for this area of study.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Physics. Avg. Salary £29k — £79k Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Elementary Particle Physics. Avg. Salary £39k — £56k Bachelor of Science (BS / BSc), Applied Chemistry
The median salary for PhD chemists in the UK is less than half what it is in Switzerland. Source: Chem.—Eur. J. 2018, DOI: 10.1002/chem.201804764 . Note: Figures are for 2016.
Monthly take home breakdown Stipend approx 1470 (national minimum I believe?) Part time job approx 500-600 (related to prev career before PhD) 1 day a week