What Is an MRes Degree? Structure, Costs and PhD Routes

An MRes degree (Master of Research) is a UK master’s where at least half the course is usually research projects rather than taught modules. It usually takes one year full-time and aims to prepare you for a PhD or a research job.

What an MRes means for you depends on three things. First, which kind of MRes the course is, because the same letters cover two different degrees. Second, whether it’s a funded first year of a PhD or a standalone year you pay for. Third, whether you’d pay home or international fees.

This guide takes you through each, so you can tell whether an MRes is the right next step and how you’d pay for it.

What is an MRes degree?

An MRes is a master’s built around research training and one or more substantial research projects. The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) says research projects commonly take up at least half of an MRes. Like other master’s degrees, it’s usually worth at least 180 credits.

So the year is a trial run of research itself. You’ll design a project, collect and analyse data, and write it up, with research-methods training alongside. If you’re unsure whether a PhD suits you, that’s the point: you find out in one year, before committing to a whole PhD.

If you study part-time, expect longer: normally two years at Northumbria University and a typical minimum of 18 months at Edge Hill University.

To get in, expect to need a good bachelor’s degree. All three standalone courses we checked ask for at least a 2:1 (an upper second-class honours degree). What differs is the subject. Imperial College London asks for an appropriate subject, Northumbria wants psychology for its MRes Psychology and Edge Hill accepts any subject.

Master of Research or Master by Research? Check which one you’re looking at

Here’s a surprise: ‘MRes’ can mean two different degrees. The QAA describes:

The Master of Research, a structured degree that teaches you how to do research. Courses ‘are usually oriented around structured learning’.
The Master by Research (also written MbyRes, ResM or, confusingly, MRes), a research degree similar to an MPhil. You spend most of the course ‘undertaking independent research with supervision and guidance’.

You can see the difference in real courses. Imperial’s MRes Biomedical Research combines two five-month research projects with ‘a core programme of lectures, seminars and practical classes’. Edge Hill’s Masters by Research MRes, by contrast, says that ‘as the MRes is a research degree, you will not be taught through lectures’. That course ends with a dissertation and an oral examination.

Before you apply: read the course page, not just the title. If it calls the MRes a research degree and lists no taught modules, it’s probably a Master by Research. That changes what your year looks like. If you’re an international student, it may also affect whether your family can join you.

MRes vs MSc (and MPhil): what’s the difference?

An MSc is mostly taught, with a dissertation at the end. An MRes tips the balance towards research, and an MPhil is a research degree in its own right.

So choose an MSc for deeper subject knowledge for a job, and an MRes for research training before a PhD or research job. The QAA puts the difference in proportions:

Degree	How much is research (QAA)	Best for
MSc (taught)	Frequently at least a third of the course is a research project	Deeper subject knowledge for a job
MRes (Master of Research)	Commonly at least half of the course is research projects	Research training before a PhD or a research job
MPhil	A research project through independent study, with the thesis commonly defended in an oral exam	A research degree in its own right

Source: QAA Characteristics Statement: Master’s Degree (February 2020), checked 24 October 2026.

Northumbria’s MRes Psychology shows the weighting in practice. It has a 90-credit thesis and two 20-credit modules spent inside a research group. It also has 50 credits of taught modules in data analysis and research skills.

Our comparison of the MPhil and the MSc looks more closely at the degrees either side of the MRes. Our guide to what an MPhil involves covers the most research-heavy of them.

What does an MRes year look like?

Expect research-methods training alongside one long project or several shorter ones, which take up most of the year. Courses assess you on a thesis, project reports or both, sometimes with an oral exam. The shape varies a lot by subject, as these four courses show:

Course	What the year involves	How it’s assessed
Imperial, MRes Biomedical Research	Two five-month research projects, plus lectures, seminars and practical classes	Research reports, oral and poster presentations and an oral assessment
Northumbria, MRes Psychology	Two research-group modules (20 credits each), a 90-credit thesis and 50 credits of taught modules in data analysis and research skills	Thesis and module work, including a poster session
Edge Hill, Masters by Research MRes	No lectures; a research proposal after about three months (full-time), then your own project	Dissertation and oral examination
King’s College London, MRes in the Medical Research Council (MRC) doctoral training partnership	Three 12-week laboratory rotations and skills workshops	Rotation projects and a PhD project proposal

Sources: Imperial, Northumbria, Edge Hill and King’s College London course pages, checked 24 October 2026.

The course title tells you little about the shape of the year, so read the course structure. If you want to try several labs before choosing a PhD topic, look for rotations. If you already know your question, one long project (or a Master by Research) gives you more depth.

Do you need an MRes to do a PhD?

Not always. Depending on the PhD, a good bachelor’s degree can be enough, as our guide to doing a PhD without a Master’s explains. But some funded PhD programmes build an MRes year in, so the real question is whether the PhD you want already includes one.

That depends on your subject:

Social sciences: the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) doctoral training partnerships (DTPs) can fund research training first if you haven’t had it. The White Rose DTP, for example, funds a one-year master’s and then a 3.5-year PhD if you don’t have a social science master’s. If you already have one with enough research-methods training, it funds the 3.5-year PhD on its own.
Lab and engineering sciences: some doctoral training programmes let you choose. King’s College London’s MRC DTP, for example, offers a 1+3 MRes/PhD track (a one-year MRes, then a three-year PhD) or a 3.5-year PhD-only track.

Common mistake: paying for a standalone MRes and then winning a funded 1+3 place that repeats the training year. If a funded PhD is your goal, check whether your target programmes include the MRes before you enrol on one.

Funded MRes routes: the 1+3 PhD

Some research council doctoral programmes fund an MRes year followed by a PhD. They pay your fees up to the home rate and a stipend to live on. You apply for the whole programme at once, and you usually have to pass the MRes to carry on.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) sets the minimum stipend at £21,805 a year from 1 October 2026. With London weighting (an extra amount if you’re based in London), it’s £23,805. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) doesn’t pay a London weighting. If you’d pay international fees, you may have to make up the difference.

Here are examples from three research councils, run by DTPs and by centres for doctoral training (CDTs). It’s not a full list: search for ‘MRes/PhD’, ‘1+3’ or ‘MRes in the first instance’ on the programme pages in your field.

Programme	Funder	Structure	What the MRes year involves
White Rose DTP	ESRC	1+3.5 (also +3.5 and +3.75)	A master’s that delivers the core social science research training
London School of Economics (LSE) ESRC DTP	ESRC	1+3.5 or 2+2.5	A one- or two-year MSc or MRes linked to the PhD
Cambridge, Future Infrastructure and Built Environment CDT	EPSRC	1+3	Training and research elements; you need at least 65% in the MRes project to progress (60–65% means a viva first)
King’s College London and Imperial, imaging CDT	EPSRC	1+3	An MRes before a three-year PhD project
King’s College London MRC DTP	MRC	1+3 or 0+3.5	Three 12-week rotations; one becomes your PhD project
Southampton and Queen Mary MRC DTP	MRC	1+3 or 0+4 (iCASE, with a non-academic partner)	Taught modules and three 12-week rotations, each written up as a 5,000-word report

Sources: White Rose DTP, LSE, Cambridge, King’s College London and Southampton–Queen Mary programme pages, checked 24 October 2026.

Two details catch people out. First, both ESRC partnerships whose routes we could confirm (LSE and White Rose) fund 1+3.5, not 1+3. So a funded social science master’s and PhD there runs for four and a half years full-time.

Second, the funded MRes isn’t a free master’s you can walk away with. King’s College London says its MRes ‘is not intended … to be undertaken as a stand-alone qualification’.

Deadlines for 2027 entry fall early, so plan your applications in autumn 2026. Cambridge’s funding deadline for this CDT is 8 December 2026. At LSE, the standard admission deadline is 13 January 2027, but some programmes use the early deadline of 3 December 2026.

The White Rose DTP’s studentship deadline is 17:00 (UK time) on 20 January 2027. It strongly encourages you to apply for your PhD place by 6 January. How PhD studentships work is worth reading before you apply.

How much does an MRes degree cost, and can you get a loan?

Fees for a standalone MRes vary widely. If you normally live in England, the Master’s Loan can help. At Northumbria and Edge Hill, it would cover the whole home fee; at Imperial, more than half. That depends on the course being eligible, so check its credits with the university.

Course	Home (UK) fee	International fee
Imperial, MRes Biomedical Research (2027 entry)	£22,700	£49,650
Northumbria, MRes Psychology (2026/27 entry)	£11,250	£21,500
Edge Hill, Masters by Research MRes (2026/27 entry)	£6,150 for the course	Open only to current Edge Hill undergraduates or students fully funded by a third party

Sources: university course pages, checked 24 October 2026. Fees are examples from three universities, not a typical range.

The Postgraduate Master’s Loan pays up to £13,206 for courses starting on or after 1 August 2026. It doesn’t depend on your household income, and you can spend it on fees or living costs. GOV.UK names the MRes as an eligible course.

Your course must be worth at least 180 credits, and you must be under 60 on the first day of the course’s first academic year. If you normally live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, your own nation’s student finance body runs a different scheme.

So think about the order. Once you hold a master’s degree (an MRes or an integrated master’s counts), you can’t get the Master’s Loan for another one.

If your MRes is the first year of a self-funded integrated MRes and PhD, the Master’s Loan doesn’t apply. Instead, you’d apply for the Postgraduate Doctoral Loan, worth up to £31,122 for courses starting on or after 1 August 2026. If research council funding pays for your programme, you can’t get the Doctoral Loan at all. Our guide to how PhD loans work covers them in more detail.

Studying an MRes degree in the UK as an international student

You can take an MRes in the UK as an international student, but expect three differences. Fees are higher, and some courses are open to you only in limited cases. Edge Hill’s Masters by Research, for example, takes international students only if they’re current Edge Hill undergraduates or fully funded by a third party. Whether family can join you also depends on how the university classes the course.

Fees and funding: expect the international rate. Imperial’s is more than twice its home fee. Research council studentships pay fees only up to the home rate. Some universities close the gap: LSE, for example, covers the difference between UK and overseas fees for its ESRC students.
Family: your partner and children can join you on a Student visa only if you study full-time on a postgraduate course of nine months or longer. Government-sponsored students have a separate rule. For courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, GOV.UK’s family rules also require a PhD or other doctorate, or ‘a research-based higher degree’.
Who decides: under the Immigration Rules, the university confirms whether a course is a research-based higher degree. So ask its admissions or visa team in writing before you plan around bringing family.
Staying to work: the Graduate visa lasts two years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026. If you apply on or after 1 January 2027, it lasts 18 months. If you finish an MRes in 2027 or later, plan on the 18-month version.

Is an MRes worth it?

An MRes is worth it if you want research training or a test run before committing to a PhD. It’s less useful if your target PhD already includes an MRes year, or if you want a taught specialism for a job outside research.

Which route fits you?

You want a funded PhD in a lab or engineering field: apply to funded 1+3 programmes rather than paying for an MRes first.
You want a social science PhD but have no research master’s: look at ESRC 1+3.5 routes.
You’re not sure research is for you: a standalone MRes is a one-year way to find out. If you pass, it leaves you with a master’s whatever you decide.
You want research skills for work, not a PhD: that’s a fair reason. Northumbria says you might choose an MRes because you don’t want to do a PhD. Pick a structured Master of Research in your field, and compare its research training with what an MSc would teach you.
You’d pay international fees: compare the full cost with funded MRes/PhD places that cover the overseas fee difference, such as LSE’s ESRC studentships.

The cost is a year and, if you self-fund, your one Master’s Loan. Weigh that against what the year gives you. You’ll have a substantial research project on your CV and a clearer answer on whether a PhD suits you. If you’re still deciding, what a PhD means in practice explains what you’d be committing to next.

MRes degrees outside the UK

Outside the UK the name can mean something different again. In Australia, for example, Macquarie University’s Master of Research is a one-year (full-time equivalent) research pathway with a 20,000-word thesis. High-performing students may be eligible for a three-year scholarship to go on to a PhD.

Your next step

Check whether the PhD programmes you’re interested in already include an MRes year, then decide whether you need a standalone MRes degree of your own. When you’re ready, browse current PhD opportunities to see which projects are funded and what they ask for.

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