Overview
About the programme
We use a variety of methods, including theoretical investigations employing sophisticated population synthesis codes and observations made across the electromagnetic spectrum with world-leading facilities including The European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescopes (VLT), the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA).
We use our proprietary share of time on the 10-meter Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) and also deploy our own fully autonomous robotic telescopes in Tenerife, PIRATE and COAST. This Stellar Astrophysics programme is offered at The Open University UK.
Programme Structure
Potential research projects:
- Studies of massive stars, including massive binaries
- Searches for the electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational wave sources
- Mining archival time-domain datasets: pulsating and eclipsing systems
- Multi-wavelength observations of interacting compact binary stars
- Evolution of compact binaries
- Synthetic stellar and binary populations
- Exoplanet host stars
Admission requirements
Academic requirements
GPA: Upper Second Class
English requirements
TOEFL iBT: 87
Other requirements
Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent). If you are not a UK citizen, you may need to prove your knowledge of English.
Key information
Duration
- Full-time: 36 months (3–4 years)
- Part-time: 72 months (6–8 years)
Start dates & application deadlines
- Starting October 2027 — Apply before Apr 2027
- Starting February 2028 — Apply before Apr 2027
Language
English
Delivered
On Campus
Campus Location
Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
Disciplines
Physics, Astronomy & Space Sciences
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees are shown in AUD and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.
- International (non-residents): 31,001 AUD / year ≈ 16,420 GBP / year
- Domestic (citizens or residents): 9,451 AUD / year ≈ 5,006 GBP / year
Living costs
Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
1,601–2,539 AUD / month
The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.
Funding
Scholarships Information
Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Stellar Astrophysics. Available scholarships include the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, ServiceScape Scholarship, ACES Scholarships, Erasmus+ - Grants for study mobility, Scholarships for PhD Students, Boustany Astronomy PhD Scholarship, Amberscholar Scholarship, $1,500 Annual Video Contest Scholarship, Voice Talent Online Scholarship, Dream Chaser Scholarship, Commonwealth Shared Scholarship – University Bids, Scholarship for students with disabilities, Grants of the Leopold Figl Foundation for students with residence in Lower Austria, The Annual IELTS from 6 to 9 Scholarship, and the Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarship Programme.