MPhil/PhD Psychology (IMS)

Course information

3-4 years full-time or 4-6 years part-time

Course overview

The Institute of Management Studies (IMS) will equip you with a sound understanding of the methods and skills necessary to conduct high-level research, using a wide range of approaches and techniques.

It includes a broad training in behavioural and social science research methodologies, including the fundamentals of qualitative research and advanced level quantitative research.

Supervision can be offered in any of the areas of departmental activity, as reflected in the research areas of our staff.

As an MPhil/PhD student, you will receive training in and develop wide-ranging research skills, including:

database searching and bibliographic skills
managing and analysing data
communication skills
quantitative and qualitative research methods
handling legal and ethical issues in research
research design and project management

You will attend and contribute to research seminars and, through the Institute of Management Studies, the Centre for Creative and Social Technologies, Department of Psychology, the Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship and Goldsmiths-wide courses. You will also be encouraged to develop practical skills such as public speaking, poster preparation, scientific writing, and strategies for interacting with the media.

You will meet regularly with your supervisor at every stage, and develop a structured approach to designing, executing, analysing and writing up your research.

During your first year, you may take a range of taught modules including research design and analysis, advanced statistics, theoretical issues, project management, global leadership, organisational behaviour and health, workplace coaching and counselling, and training and development.

Find out more about research degrees at Goldsmiths.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Dr Rachel Doern.

Entry requirements

You should normally have (or expect to be awarded) a taught undergraduate degree with at least upper second class honours.In addition you would normally have, or be predicted to obtain before the start of your doctoral studies, a Masters-level qualification in Management or Psychology or a related discipline. In exceptional circumstances, other experience will be considered in lieu of a Masters-level qualification.

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 7.0 with a 7.0 in writing and no element lower than 6.5 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.

Fees, funding & scholarships

Annual tuition fees

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2023/2024 academic year.

Home - full-time: £TBC
Home - part-time: £TBC
International - full-time: £TBC

If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office, who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.

If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment.

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments.

Funding opportunities

Find out more about postgraduate fees and explore funding opportunities. If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.

AHRC studentships.

How to apply

Apply now

You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system.

Before submitting your application you'll need to have:

Details of your education history, including the dates of all exams/assessments
The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively an electronic copy of your academic reference
Contact details of a second referee
A personal statement – This can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online

Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement

If available, an electronic copy of your educational transcript (this is particularly important if you have studied outside of the UK, but isn’t mandatory)
Details of your research proposal

You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.

Before you apply for a research programme, we advise you to get in touch with the programme contact, listed above. It may also be possible to arrange an advisory meeting.

Before you start at Goldsmiths, the actual topic of your research has to be agreed with your proposed supervisor, who will be a member of staff active in your general field of research. The choice of topic may be influenced by the current research in the department or the requirements of an external funding body.

If you wish to study on a part-time basis, you should also indicate how many hours a week you intend to devote to research, whether this will be at evenings or weekends, and for how many hours each day.

Research proposals

Along with your application and academic reference, you should also upload a research proposal at the point of application.

This should be in the form of a statement of the proposed area of research and should include:

delineation of the research topic
why it has been chosen
an initial hypothesis (if applicable)
a brief list of major secondary sources

When to apply

We accept applications from October for students wanting to start the following September.

We encourage you to complete your application as early as possible, even if you haven't finished your current programme of study. It's very common to be offered a place conditional on you achieving a particular qualification.

If you're applying for external funding from one of the Research Councils, make sure you submit your application by the deadline they've specified.

Selection process

Admission to many programmes is by interview, unless you live outside the UK. Occasionally we'll make candidates an offer of a place on the basis of their application and qualifications alone.

Find out more about applying.

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