Research Training Guidelines: Entry Requirements

The minimum academic qualification required for registration onto the Department´s research degree programme is a good first degree (upper second class honours degree or equivalent). Students who already hold a qualification deemed to be equivalent to a UK masters degree may be permitted to register directly for the degree of PhD, but the usual practice is to register students initially for the degree of MPhil. Then, subject to satisfactory progress, they will later be upgraded to PhD.

It is worth stressing, however, that a good first degree is the minimum requirement. The academic training requirements for students wishing eventually to study for the degree of PhD, even when going via the MPhil registration route, are becoming more and more stringent.

Within the social sciences, the standards for research-student training are significantly influenced by the requirements of the Economic and Social Research Council. The Council is moving towards a model whereby students intending to study for a PhD must first complete a masters degree in research methods.

Applicants wishing to study for a research degree therefore will find that their chances of being accepted will increase if they have completed a masters degree with a significant research training component that meets ESRC research training requirements.