Postgraduate degrees
Course listings
For full course listings (in our postgraduate prospectus), as well as entry requirements and tuition fees, visit our subject pages.
Entry requirements (academic)
For taught postgraduate degrees (Masters), you will normally need a qualification equivalent to a UK Bachelor degree (2:1 or 2:2).
For postgraduate research degrees (Doctoral School), you will normally need a qualification equivalent to a UK Masters degree in a relevant discipline. You will also need to submit a research proposal.
To find out if your university results are equivalent, contact us or visit the web pages for your country.
Your country
Non-UK qualifications
Entry requirements may be flexible, so please contact us if your results are not quite high enough (particularly if you have relevant work experience) or if you need advice on qualifications from your country.
Entry requirements (English language)
If your first language is not English, you will need to take an English language test (such as IELTS). Please see the table below for typical IELTS requirements in each subject. These requirements relate to taught and research postgraduate courses.
| Subject | IELTS requirement |
|---|---|
| Astronomy and cosmology; computing; AI and IT; engineering and design; mathematics (including Financial Mathematics); physics | IELTS 6.0 (with no component below 6.0) |
| American studies; anthropology; art history; contemporary European studies; development studies (in the Centre for Culture, Development and Environment, CDE); economics; education and teaching; finance (international finance); gender studies; geography; globalisation; ethnicity and culture; history; human rights; international relations; law; management; media and film; migration; music; philosophy; politics; psychology; science and technology policy; social and political thought; sociology | IELTS 6.5 (with no component below 6.0 and 6.5 in Writing) |
| Biochemistry; biology; chemistry; environmental science; neuroscience | IELTS 6.5 overall |
| Creative writing; development studies (in the Institute of Development Studies, IDS); English language teaching; English literature; linguistics and English language; social work and social care | IELTS 7.0 (with no component below 6.5) |
| Most Medicine programmes offered by the Brighton & Sussex Medical School | IELTS 7.0 (with no component below 7.0) |
Find out about pre-sessional courses and TOEFL equivalence on our essential information pages.
Essential information (English language)
Length of study
Most taught postgraduate degrees (Masters) are completed in one year, without a summer vacation. At Sussex, our postgraduate taught courses normally begin in October and teaching will finish by June. You then carry out work on your independent research (dissertation) over the summer period.
Most postgraduate research degrees (Doctorates) are completed in around three years. At Sussex, our research degrees usually start in October, although it may be possible to begin in January or April.
Tuition fees
Find up-to-date tuition fees for the next academic year on our fees page.
Apply online
You can apply for postgraduate courses online (taught and research) using our online application system. Alternatively, contact our overseas representatives for help making an application.
Apply online (2010)
Overseas representatives
Contact us
If you have any questions about our postgraduate degrees or the application process, our friendly student advisors will be happy to help.
E pg.enquiries@sussex.ac.uk