Research Student Application Process

To apply please click on the apply now link on the individual course pages listed below:

MPhil
PhD
Professional Doctorate
PhD by Existing Published Work

Intakes

Intakes are normally available in October, February and May for PhD and MPhil programmes.  Please note that when making an application you will be required to submit evidence of your qualifications.

Timeline for Outcome

Please note that once submitted your application will go to the faculty for review. This process can take three weeks, but please note that at holiday times it may be longer, you will be informed via email once a decision has been agreed.

MPhil/PhD

To apply you need to submit a 2-3 page research proposal that specifies the:

• aims of your research
• rationale for the research question(s)
• proposed methodology and techniques for analysis
• provisional time plan for the research

PhD by Existing Published or Creative Works

To apply you need to submit details of published or creative works and a Statement of Authorship (only required if all or parts of the work are the result of collaborative research). In addition, in the ‘personal statement’ section of the application form, you will need to provide a statement of no more than 100 words outlining:

• how and in what respect the work has made a significant and coherent contribution of knowledge
• the impact within its discipline
• the methodologies used
• an appropriate contextualisation of the research
• clear indication of any parts of the work which may have been carried out in collaboration with other parties/authors

Professional Doctorate

To apply you need to submit a 2-3 page research proposal that specifies the:

• aims of your doctoral project
• project’s relevance to your workplace and profession
• proposed methodology and techniques for analysis
• outline of a potential research plan

In addition you must write your personal statement addressing the following points:

• your professional experience and standing
• the recognition by your peers as a leading professional in your field
• the level at which you are operating within your organisation or profession and the extent to which you can provide significant influence or drive substantial change
• the opportunity that you have to make a significant contribution to professional practice and/or how you exhibit your powers of creativity and innovation

ORCID Number

At the application stage you will be asked to provide your ORCID number to theGraduate Research Office. The ORCID identifier is a unique identifier for researchers and has two purposes:

a)  It aims to track the career progression of a research student and follow their pathway into employment within the Higher Education sector.

b)  It allows students or staff to attach their unique identity to their research; and is a way of connecting researchers to their research and its outputs. This enables accurate attribution of research and its products.

It is the responsibility of the individual student to provide their ORCID identifier to the University so their progress is tracked. 

To obtain your ORCID number please visit the website http://orcid.org/ and click on the link ‘Register Now’. Registration should only take 30 seconds to complete.

After completing registration you should receive a 16 digit code in the following format

orcid.org/0000-0002-3843-3472

the code should be emailed to the GRS Assistant for your school after which the number will be added to your record on the University student database.