Research degrees
Goldsmiths successfully combines the resources and facilities of a major international institution, the University of London, with all the advantages of a small, campus-based College. Add our membership of the prestigious 1994 Group of research universities and our outstanding performances in the official Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), and you have a uniquely radical and stimulating environment for your research.
Goldsmiths has more than 570 students working towards research degrees. We are continuing to make sure that our research students benefit from enhanced facilities, by providing dedicated and shared work spaces, better access to information technology, and improved facilities in our Research and Development precinct.
The College and each of our departments has a research strategy. As a student here you’ll play an important part in these, through research seminars and discussions of planned research projects and programmes. To maintain our high standards, Goldsmiths has established codes of practice for research students, and for their supervisors and departments.
Graduate School
The Goldsmiths Graduate School has been created in response to expanding numbers of postgraduate students, changing needs for research training, and Goldsmiths’ growing research profile. The Graduate Centre, based on the ground floor of Hatcham House, is open 24 hours. Facilities include a seminar room for training purposes, open access computer facilities, and a social area with refreshment facilities. The Graduate School Office is located on the first floor, so you can get help in an informal setting.
The Graduate School provides guidance and resources for all postgraduate students, particularly research students, and has the following staff:
- Dean of the Graduate School, Professor Carrie Paechter
- Pádraig O’Connor, Head of the Graduate School Office
- Diana Lockyer, Secretary
You can contact the Graduate School to find out more: tel 020 7919 7774, fax 020 7919 7773 or e-mail graduate-school@gold.ac.uk.
Starting your research studies
You complete a registration form outlining your plan of study and any practical training you will undertake. Your department arranges an induction programme for you, including an introduction to departmental, library and computer facilities; where appropriate, you are also introduced to laboratory and technical support, and to language-learning resources. Each September, there is a week-long College-wide induction programme for first-year postgraduate research students in all academic disciplines; this discusses some of the essentials of research and gives you the opportunity to ask general questions. Research students usually follow the year-long Research Methods Training Course, but you may be exempted from this, depending on your previous experience.
Your supervisor helps you in the initial planning of your research, offering advice and suggestions as the project evolves, and maintaining regular contact through individual supervisory tutorials. Having discussed your needs with your supervisor, in the first year you undertake training to develop your research skills and techniques. You are responsible for maintaining progress according to your agreed plan of study, as outlined on your registration form, and at the end of the academic year you produce a formal progress report.
Research can be an isolating process, so we try to give you the opportunity to participate in departmental research seminars and programmes of taught options, which let you meet other research students.
You begin by registering for an MPhil programme to train you in the research methods you’ll need to complete a PhD. You can apply to upgrade to PhD registration when you have satisfactorily completed an agreed part of the research and training programme: usually after 18 months if you are studying full-time, or 24 months if part-time.
You should aim to complete and submit your PhD thesis within an agreed period, usually three to four years for full-time students, and four to six years for part-time. If you decide not to upgrade to PhD registration, you can submit your thesis for an MPhil after two years if you are studying full-time, or after three years if part-time. You can change your registration from full- to part-time or vice versa with the agreement of your supervisor. Once you have completed the minimum period of study for your programme, you will be entitled to completion status, which normally means that you are charged reduced fees.
Research centres & units
Our research centres and units aim to encourage research collaboration by bringing together academics and students from different departments and disciplines. They organise seminar programmes and conferences, house research projects, and act as a base for research students. Some of the centres and units are located in our Research and Development precinct, which is a multi-disciplinary focus for research activities.
See a list of our Research centres and units.
See also further information on our Research Assessment Exercise and the 1994 Group or visit our Research web site.