Electronics & Nanoscale Engineering PhD/MPhil/MSc (Research)

Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering PhD opportunities

The Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering research division is home to more than 200 research students working in fields as diverse as nanofabrication, nanoelectronics, atomic force microscopy, quantum sensing and computing, high speed optical devices and atomistic device simulations.

PhD: 3-4 years full-time; 6-8 years part-time; Thesis of Max 80,000 words
MSc (Research): 1-2 years full-time; 2-3 years part-time;
MPhil: 2-3 years full-time; 3-4 years part-time;

Apply now

Overview

You will have access to the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre (JWNC) and the Kelvin Nanocharacterisation Centre. The JWNC holds a number of world records in nanofabrication including for the performance of nanoscale electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Over 250 international companies have worked with the JWNC in the last five years. Over 90 different universities from around the globe collaborate with us in nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Research areas

The Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering research division carries out leading-edge research in the following areas:

Electronics

High Frequency Electronics
Microwave and THz Electronics
Communications, Sensing and Imaging
Microsystem Technology
Microelectronics
Intelligent Devices and Systems
Advanced Semiconductor Materials & Devices
Ultrafast Systems
Bendable Electronics and Sensing Technologies

More information: Electronics

Photonics

Novel Light Sources
Structured Photonics
Ultrafast Nonlinear Optics
RF and Microwave Photonics

More information: Photonics

Quantum & Nano Technologies

Quantum Sensors
Quantum Circuits
Spin Electronics and Photonics
Nanotechnology
Device Modelling
Semiconductor Devices

More information: Quantum & Nano

Study options

	full-time (years)	part-time (years)
Phd	3-4	6-8
EngD	4-5	8
MSc (Res)	1-2	2-3
MPhil	2-3	3-4

Entry requirements

Our regular standard of admission is usually a 2.1 honours degree, with a significant component in Electronics and Electrical Engineering.

Required documents

Applicants should submit:

Academic Transcripts and Degree Certificates
CV
Research Proposal
Two References
Named Supervisor Information

English language requirements

For applicants from non-English speaking countries, as defined by the UK Government, the University sets a minimum English language proficiency level.

Accepted English language tests

We accept a wide range of English language tests for entry to this programme. Tests must have been taken within 2 years 5 months of programme start date, and requirements must be met using a single test.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic and Academic Online (not General Training)

7.0 overall with no subtest less than 6.5
IELTS One Skill Retake Accepted
We do not accept General Training

TOEFL iBT (Including MyBest and Home Edition)

Tests taken up to 20 January 2026

96 Overall, no subtest lower than Reading 23; Listening 23; Speaking 23; Writing 24

Tests taken from 21 January 2026

98 overall with no subtest less than Writing and Listening at 5 and Reading and Speaking at 4.5

Pearsons PTE Academic (test centre only)

70 overall with no subtest less than Reading 62; Listening 62; Speaking 75; Writing 68
We do not accept the online PTE Academic

Cambridge C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency

185 overall, no subtest less than 176

Oxford ELLT

8 overall with Reading and Listening no less than 7 and Writing and Speaking no less than 8

LanguageCert Academic SELT/Academic/Academic Online

75 overall with two subtests at 75 and no subtest less than 70

Password Skills Plus

7.0 overall with no subtest less than 6.5

Trinity College Integrated Skills in English II

105 overall with no subtest less than 105

Kaplan Test of English

Any two subtests at 510 or higher, and any two subtests at 480 or higher

PSI Skills for English

C1 Pass

Duolingo English Test

130 overall with Writing at 130 and no subtest less than 120

Oxford Test of English Advanced

146 overall with no subtest less than 136

Alternatives to English language qualification

Degree from majority-English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI including Canada if taught in English)

Students must have studied for a minimum of their final year at Undergraduate level, or 9 months at Master's level, and must have completed their degree in that majority-English speaking country within 6 years of programme start.

TNE degree for UK University taught at a campus outside of the UK.

Students must be awarded the degree by the UK university and must have completed the degree within 6 years of programme start.

Pre-sessional courses

The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We would strongly encourage you to consider the pre-sessional courses at the University of Glasgow's English for Academic Study (EAS) Unit. Our Pre-sessional courses are the best way to bring your English up to entry level for University study. Our courses give you:

direct entry to your University programme for successful students (no need to take IELTS)
essential academic skills to help you study effectively at University
flexible entry dates so you can join the right course for your level.

For more detail on our pre-sessional courses please see:

Pre-sessional courses

We can also consider the pre-sessional courses accredited by the below BALEAP approved institutions to meet the language requirements for admission to our postgraduate taught degrees:

Heriot Watt
Kingston Upon Thames
Middlesex University
Manchester University
Reading University
Edinburgh University
ST Andrews University
UCL
Durham

Fees and funding

Fees

2027/28

UK: To be confirmed [26/27 fee was £5,238]
International & EU: £33,708

Prices are based on the annual fee for full-time study. Fees for part-time study are half the full-time fee.

Irish nationals who are living in the Common Travel Area of the UK, EU nationals with settled or pre-settled status, and Internationals with Indefinite Leave to remain status can also qualify for home fee status.

Fee status and policies

Alumni discount

We offer a 15% tuition fee discount to eligible self-funded alumni starting a Postgraduate Taught (PGT) Masters or Postgraduate Research (PGR) programme in the 2027/28 academic year.

This includes University of Glasgow graduates and those who have completed a Study Abroad programme, Exchange programme, International Summer School or Erasmus programme with us. This discount can be awarded alongside most University scholarships. No additional application is required.

Full details of our Alumni Discount

Possible additional fees

Re-submission by a research student £540
Submission for a higher degree by published work £1,355
Submission of thesis after deadline lapsed £350
Submission by staff in receipt of staff scholarship £790

Depending on the nature of the research project, some students will be expected to pay a bench fee (also known as research support costs) to cover additional costs. The exact amount will be provided in the offer letter.

Funding

View a full list of our current scholarships

Support

Resources

Our outstanding facilities include an environmental lab, structural testing apparatus and high-performance computing facilities for modelling and simulation.

Graduate School

PhD students iwill have at least two supervisors, one of whom will be very closely engaged in their research. With over 50 students in the Division, students enjoy a great sense of camaraderie, and often life-long friendships are formed.

You will be part of a Graduate School which provides the highest level of support to its students.

The overall aim of our Graduate School is to provide a world-leading environment for students which is intellectually stimulating, encourages them to contribute to culture, society and the economy and enables them to become leaders in a global environment.

We have a diverse community of over 750 students from more than 50 countries who work in innovative and transformative disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields. An important part of our work is to bring our students together and to ensure they consider themselves an important part of the University’s academic community.

Being part of our Graduate School community will be of huge advantage to you in your studies and beyond and we offer students a number of benefits in addition to exceptional teaching and supervision, including:

A wide-ranging and responsive research student training programme which enables you to enhance your skills and successfully complete your studies.
Mobility scholarships of up to £4000 to enable you to undertake work in collaboration with an international partner.
A diverse programme of activities which will ensure you feel part of the wider-research community (including our biannual science slam event).
A residential trip for all new research students.
The opportunity to engage with industry-partners through training, placements and events.
Professionally accredited programmes.
Unique Masters programmes run in collaboration with other organisations.
State-of-the-art facilities including the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre and the Kelvin Nanocharacterisation Centre.
Highly-rated support for international students.

Over the last five years, we have helped over 600 students to complete their research studies and our students have gone on to take up prestigious posts in industries across the world.

Email: scieng-gradschool@glasgow.ac.uk

Career prospects

Our graduates have excellent prospects ranging from careers in academia,to start-up entrepreneurship, to blue-chip engineering. Recent examples include:

a research fellowship in the USA
pioneering gene sequencing technology with a US start-up
joining a GU spin-out to build PhD research into a new product
joining a major integrated circuit design company.

Our doctoral graduates have consistently been in demand in a great variety of challenging and exciting roles, and benefit immensely from the experiences, friends, and networks they have gained while studying at Glasgow.

Collaborations

The Research Division works in close partnership with a range of leading companies and government bodies including:

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
European Space Agency
Honeywell
IBM
Motorola
NASA
Philips
Scottish Enterprise
Scottish Funding Council
SELEX Galileio
SEMATECH

How to apply

Identify potential supervisors

All Postgraduate Research Students are allocated a supervisor who will act as the main source of academic support and research mentoring. You may want to identify a potential supervisor and contact them to discuss your research proposal before you apply. Please note, even if you have spoken to an academic staff member about your proposal you still need to submit an online application form.

You can find relevant academic staff members with our staff research interests search.

Gather your documents

Before applying please make sure you gather the following supporting documentation:

Final or current degree transcripts including grades (and an official translation, if needed) – scanned copy in colour of the original document.
Degree certificates (and an official translation, if needed): scanned copy in colour of the original document.
Two references on headed paper and signed by the referee. One must be academic, the other can be academic or professional. References may be uploaded as part of the application form or you may enter your referees contact details on the application form. We will then email your referee and notify you when we receive the reference. We can also accept confidential references direct to pg-research-admissions@glasgow.ac.uk, from the referee’s university or business email account.
Research proposal, CV, samples of written work as per requirements for each subject area.