Postgraduate Prospectus

www.essex.ac.uk | Research degrees
Research degrees
Your research degree gives you the
chance to investigate your chosen topic
in real depth and reach a profound
understanding. In communicating that
understanding, through a thesis or other
means, you have a rare opportunity to
generate knowledge. Your research degree
allows you to develop new high-level skills,
enhance your professional development
and build new networks. It can open
doors to many careers.
We offer world class supervision and
training opportunities, and encourage
you to engage with other researchers,
professionals, practitioners and research
users, where possible. Our research
is supported by a wide spectrum of
UK research councils, EU framework
programmes, public-sector organisations
and departments, charities, and
private-sector industry and businesses.
Engagement with these external funders
and stakeholders enriches the quality and
relevance of your experience and training.
You have many opportunities to engage
with our wider research environment and
communicate your work. Many of our
departments, schools and centres run
their own postgraduate journals (print
and online) and working papers. All
offer doctoral research seminars and
conferences and encourage you to present
at such events, as well as taking a lead
in managing, facilitating, promoting and
chairing them. Our advanced students
can apply for our University funds to assist
them to present papers at national and
international conferences.
Apart from academic outputs, you are
encouraged to pursue other forms of
knowledge transfer and can access training
on this from our Research and Enterprise
Office. We offer shared office and social
space to all our doctoral students, plus
excellent computing facilities. Our new
Student Centre (due to open in 2013)
will provide additional dedicated study, wi-fi
and networking space for postgraduates.
Master of Arts (MA) by Dissertation,
Master of Science (MSc) by Dissertation
and Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
You present a dissertation at the end
of your period of study, which sets out
the results of investigative work carried
out during that period. MPhil programmes
in our Department of Language and
Linguistics combine two terms of
specialist academic training followed
by the submission of your thesis.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
We offer several routes to a PhD. Each
requires you to conduct and present
your results of original investigations and
research. It is our policy to register all PhD
students initially as MPhil/PhD students
and, assuming progress is satisfactory,
confirmation of PhD status normally occurs
in the first half of your second year of study
(second half of your third year, if part-time).
n
n
PhD
If you hold the necessary qualifications
to embark upon your PhD, the normal
minimum period of registration is three
years (full-time). A significant amount
of training in professional and research
skills is available to all our PhD students
(see page 38).
Integrated PhD (New Route PhD)
In addition to our standard PhD,
we offer a four-year route to a PhD
combining an intensive year of taught
study with preparation and submission
of a thesis. Your first year includes
research methods training, taught
subject-specific modules and a
dissertation. At the end of your first
year, you are formally assessed and an
intermediate award, usually a Masters,
may be made. On successful completion
of your first year, you follow three years
of supervised research, during which
you continue to receive training in
professional and research skills. (See
individual subject entries for details of
subjects offering the Integrated PhD).
Duration of study
Full-time
Part-time
Programme of study Minimum period Maximum Minimum period Maximum
of registration permitted time of registration permitted time
for submission
for submission
of thesis
of thesis
MA by Dissertation One year Two years Two years Three years
MSc by Dissertation One year Two years Two years Three years
MPhil Two years Three years Four years Five years
PhD Three years Four years Six years Seven years
Integrated PhD Four years Five years Eight years Nine years
Professional Doctorate See individual See individual See individual See individual
programmes programmes programmes programmes
The minimum and maximum periods of registration for our different research degrees are shown above.
Postgraduate Prospectus 2012 | 21