12 Sep 2024
17 Oct 2024
20 Jun 2025
13 Jun 2025
The PhD in China Studies is a strategic research collaboration between Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and the University of Liverpool. Upon successful completion of your programme, you will receive a University of Liverpool-issued degree that is recognised by China’s Ministry of Education.
Students will become engaged scholars in humanities and social sciences, with a specific focus on China. The Department of China Studies welcomes applications from various disciplinary backgrounds. Doctoral students can construct research in a wide range of fields, including history, literature, sociology, anthropology, geography, politics and international relations.
Students in this programme are formally registered with XJTLU and the University of Liverpool as a doctoral student. You will carry out research at XJTLU under supervision. As a PhD student you will have a designated principal supervisor at XJTLU who is a full-time academic staff member, as well as a designated co-supervisor based at the University of Liverpool.
Pursuing a full-time PhD typically involves three years of conducting research and one year of writing a thesis, supported by subject-specific and general skills training and development. A full-time PhD student must submit their thesis within four years (or six years for part-time PhD students).
The School of Humanities and Social Sciences provides an international faculty within an intellectually exciting community. This programme benefits from being situated within an English-speaking research university in Suzhou, one of the country’s most vibrant cities. As one of the international business hubs in China, Suzhou provides a wealth of resources for the study of China’s social and cultural changes, as well as the dynamics of economic development.
Find out potential supervisors from:
School of Humanities and Social Sciences – Department of China Studies.
Each academic year includes two application rounds for PhD candidates’ proposed projects.
The scholarship application is only open to those applying for a full-time doctoral programme. For more information, please visitPostgraduate Research Scholarships page.