MPhil/PhD Design proposal guidelines

The proposal should typically be approximately 1,000 words long. The key consideration in drafting the proposal should be clarity.

How detailed should the proposal be?

Headings that should be addressed by a PhD research proposal typically include:

(a) Research aims/research questions (ie indicating what the basic focus of the proposed work is to be)

(b) Relevance/contribution to the discipline(s) (ie indicating the broader context that the proposed work will exist within)

(c) Research methods and methodology (ie indicating how you will go about the research and how this reflects your theoretical interests)

(d) Sources (bibliography, archives, examples, prior works within the field etc)

(e) Resources required to develop the project (eg studio space, specific equipment access, specialist materials/techniques, facilities, specialist information resources...)

(f) Proposed timeline of project work (indicating key milestones in the development of the project)

The level of detail required under each heading will depend on the specific project. The key requirement is that the proposal communicates a clear programme of enquiry and investigation. It should demonstrate that you are capable of framing your own agenda for research and that they have a sense of the larger field to which you wish to make a creative and critical contribution.

Visual portfolio

For the purpose of the initial application it is recommended that you prepare a portfolio of material documenting your previous work. This could be provided as a web link, DVD or whatever is the best way to disseminate your practice.

Supervisors

An initial suggestion of who you think might be an appropriate supervisor for your research is useful both for directing your application and in determining a match with the Department. Please see the description of Design staff for details.

Referees

The referees should be individuals who have worked with you in a professional context (eg as a lecturer/tutor or as a manager/employer/commissioner) which would enable them to comment on your aptitude for further studies. The function of their comments is to provide the application review committee with a clear sense of the applicant's suitability for PhD study in the context of the Graduate School.