Graduate School
A Department of Learner Support Services
Internal students registered for the PhD, please follow this link to the bottom of the page
We welcome applications for this programme from candidates who have gained at least a 2:1 degree, or equivalent, in a relevant subject area, or who have a Masters degree in a relevant subject area. We also welcome applications from candidates who have worked for some years and have significant life and work experience that will provide a foundation for study on our programme. If you are unsure about whether or not to apply to us, please contact us to discuss your plans and expectations of study.
The MRes programme is fully accredited by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and prepares students effectively for a career in research. Successful students have gone on to gain the degree of PhD both here in the UK and overseas and many of our alumni are now working in academic posts.
The programme consists of six double modules and a 60 credit dissertation (180 credits in total). We offer a range of study modes, including on-site, distance learning, full- and part-time pathways to suit your needs. We are familiar with the needs of students who are also working in paid employment and are flexible in our delivery to accommodate such needs wherever possible.
We offer a generic programme, which is the most common pathway taken, and also a range of subject-specific pathways. These must be agreed in some detail before registration can take place as they involve shared delivery with other Schools, but they include:
The programme includes four core modules: Research and Scholarship Skills, Philosophy of Research, Data Collection and Data Analysis, and two further modules on the generic pathway: Preparation of a Research Proposal and Writing and Presentation of a Research Paper. On the specialist pathways (above) you can choose, for the two final double modules, from a range of options provided by other Schools within the University that focus on your chosen area of specialism. These modules must be agreed with the relevant Schools before registration can proceed.
The dissertation is generic in nature, focusing on some aspect of methodological development, comparison or critique. In the past students have addressed philosophical issues in relation to practice, compared and contrasted competing methods or methodologies, critiqued existing methods and so on.
We advise that you apply for the PG Diploma (120 credits) in the first instance, with a view to upgrade to the full MRes in due course, (subject to satisfactory progress). This is because we cannot always guarantee you the availability of suitable supervision from the point of registration if you take the part-time route over a number of years. The PG Certificate is available if you wish to take only three of the four core modules (one of which must be Research and Scholarship Skills).
For further information, an application pack, or to discuss your needs, please apply to:
Dr Judi Sture
01274 236552 / 233149
j.f.sture@bradford.ac.uk
We welcome PhD candidates from the Schools of Health Studies, Lifelong Learning and Development, Social and International Studies, and Management, to the Graduate School.
Your Schools have chosen to send you to the Graduate School in Year One of your PhD studies (or its equivalent) for your research training. You will work towards the PG Diploma in Research Methods (120 credits). Those of you who are sponsored by the ESRC will also complete the MRes dissertation. Others may apply to do the dissertation, subject to agreement with your PhD supervisors and with the Graduate School, in order to become eligible to apply to the ESRC for PhD funding (see the ESRC's own pages for details of eligibility for funding at http://www.esrc.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/opportunities/postgraduate/index.aspx external link). Please be aware that you will be charged for taking the dissertation if you choose to complete it as an optional extra.
You will usually follow the mode of study that you have chosen for your registration in your "home" School as you study in the Graduate School. This means that if you are a distance learner in your home School you will usually be a distance learner in the Graduate School; this is the same for on-site students and full- or part-time students. If you are registered part-time in your home School, you may, by arrangement, complete your Graduate School studies in full-time equivalent mode.
You will come to lessons in the Graduate School according to one of the two timetables scheduled for the coming year - one is the on-site programme and one is the distance learner programme. You can see the dates for these here.
The modules are outlined in brief on the page for external applicants above. You will complete the four core modules in the Graduate School and the two other double modules in your home School with your PhD supervisor. These will be processed through the examinations procedures in the Graduate School, not your home School.
If you believe that you have already completed sufficient research training to be exempt from some of the modules or from the whole course, or if you wish to import some previously-gained credit, then you and your PhD supervisor must prepare a full APL application to be sent to the Graduate School before you begin your studies with us.
The fees for the PG Diploma are included in your PhD fees. However, if you leave the University without completing your PhD, the University will charge you the full cost of the PG Diploma.
For further information or to discuss any questions, please contact:
Dr Judi Sture
01274 236552 / 233149
j.f.sture@bradford.ac.uk