MPhil/PhD Application Process

You can make an application to study for an MPhil or PhD with us at any time of the year. There is a simple process:

1. We would expect all applicants to have a good 2.1 or 1^st class honours degree (or the equivalent), to have ordinarily a masters degree in a relevant discipline and to be suitably proficient in English (speaking and writing).
2. In the first instance you should look at the staff research interests to see if we are the right department for you and whether there is a member if staff who may match your research interests. You should then contact members of staff whose research interests match the areas of your intended research. Let them know you are interested in doing an MPhil or a PhD and that you are interested in their research and are interested in their supervising your MPhil or PhD. Of course, good prospective students at this point will have read some of the papers or books written by that member of staff! Our department has many talented staff, some of whom already have large numbers of PhD students to supervise, so they may not be able to take on any new students to supervise.
3. At this point you should also be developing and writing a research proposal. This should include paragraphs on the general significance of your intended thesis (i.e. why this thesis and why now?), your argument (or thesis, which is ordinarily phrased as a single question or a series of questions), a provisional discussion of the existing literature in the field, and a discussion of your intended research methods. The proposal is normally between 1,500 to 3,000 words in length.
4. If the member of staff you have contacted is interested in supervising your MPhil or PhD, then the next step is to make a formal application via the relevant programme page, by clicking the 'apply now' links on either MPhil & PhD in Sociology or MPhil & PhD in Visual Sociology. You should indicate on your application form the supervisor who has indicated a willingness to supervise. At this point, your application form goes to a central admissions department in the College, but then gets sent out to the Department of Sociology and we formally scrutinise your application (i.e. we look at the proposal, qualifications, references, and so on).
5. If there doesn’t seem to be a member of staff who is immediately interested in your application or if you are just unsure about who might be a suitable supervisor for your research project, then don’t worry as you can still make a formal application and once we receive your application form we will circulate it to all staff in the department to see if there is anyone willing and able to supervise.
6. We will e-mail you with a decision as to whether or not we have accepted your application ordinarily within two weeks of your submission of the application.
7. Unfortunately due to the number of applications we receive, we are not able to offer feedback on unsuccessful applications.