Course information
Department
Length
2-4 years full time or 4-8 years part time
Course overview
Goldsmiths is home to a wealth of experience and research in social work, spanning areas from social justice to social injustices to sexual and gender diversity.
We provide a thriving research environment in which the research interests of staff are enormously varied, including:
- Child protection.
- Learning disability.
- Mental health.
- The interconnections between domestic violence and child abuse.
- Explorations of gender and sexuality in social care.
- Thanatology (death studies) in social work.
- Religion and belief.
- Environmental justice and green social work.
- International social work.
- Political and financial social work.
You'll create an independent research project that makes an original contribution to knowledge, enshrined in the form of a written thesis.
At the start of your programme, you'll complete a Learning Needs Assessment to determine what further training would be beneficial to your studies and ongoing career development, which will be discussed and determined with your supervisor.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the PhD:
- You'll be competent as an independent researcher in their discipline(s) and capable of continuing to undertake research at an advanced level, contributing substantially to the development of new ideas, techniques or approaches. As part of this, you should have gained:
- An ability to evaluate critically the existing literature relevant to their thesis topic.
- An ability to conceptualise, design and implement a project for the generation of significant new knowledge and/or understanding.
- An ability to relate theory and concepts to evidence in a systematic way and to draw appropriate conclusions based on evidence.
- You'll have an understanding of the place of your research in the context of your field of study.
- You'll gain an awareness of research integrity and any relevant ethical and professional considerations.
- You'll have effectively managed a project, from identifying research questions, planning interim milestones and timescale, and prioritising activities, through to timely completion.
- You should also be able to demonstrate that you can:
- Write clearly and in a style appropriate to the purpose and audience.
- Construct coherent arguments and articulate and defend ideas clearly to a range of audiences, through a variety of techniques.
- Manage their training needs, both in relation to their programme and their future career development.
Assessment is by thesis and viva voce.
Methods of enhancing quality and standards
The PhD programme has established a clear and transparent system for monitoring and evaluation, seeking feedback from students, supervisors and other stakeholders. The following methods are used to enhance quality and standards:
- Standard College Annual Progress Monitoring Report.
- A framework for effective supervision.
- Evaluative meetings between students and staff.
- Departmental Postgraduate Research Committee for monitoring student progress.
- Progress monitoring mechanisms such as supervision records.
- Departmental forum for receiving feedback from students.
- Training and guidance are provided for supervisory teams.
Contact the department
If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Dr Panagiotis Pentaris.