Over the last few years we have encouraged PhD-level study by part-funding students at the Open University on policing-related topics. Since the start of the programme we have awarded studentships to 12 officers and staff. We are now able to fund two additional part-time students who are applying to OU Faculties for PhD study starting in October or February. Studentships are limited to employees of Centre partner police forces and agencies only and can be awarded to those holding an offer of PhD study in one of the OU’s Faculties.
Studentships support research in any area relevant to the work of the Centre and its four research themes:
The Centre-funded studentship covers half the costs of the registration fees within the 8-year time limit for part-time PhDs. Students will be required to fund the remaining fee themselves or obtain funding from another source.
To discuss the possibility of a CPRL PhD studentship please contact Dr Paul Walley, who is the Centre’s Director of Learning via [email protected] as soon as possible. For an October start date you should be applying to a Faculty for your PhD place in early in the year, ideally before the end of February. It is up to you to meet the relevant application deadline applied by the Faculty.
Our new Professor of Policing and Research, whose role includes becoming Academic Director of our Centre for Policing Research and Learning (CPRL), is Clifford Stott MBE.
As the Centre’s lead, a significant part of his role will be working with academics across and beyond the Faculty, as well as CPRL’s police force partners, to generate research and learning relevant to theory, policy and practice.
Thursday, March 26, 2026 - 12:30 to 14:00
Thursday, April 9, 2026 - 10:30 to 12:30
Online, Microsoft Teams