BATH SPA UNIVERSITY

IntroductionResearchDegreesBath Spa offers opportunitiesfor supervised, originalresearch leading to thedegrees of MPhil and PhD.The University has research activityacross all of its academic schools withparticular strengths, as measuredin the independent ResearchAssessment Exercise (RAE2008 - seewww.rae.ac.uk), in Art and Design,English and Creative Writing, History,Music, and Psychology. All ten subjectareas entered in RAE2008 (BiologicalSciences, Geography, Psychology,Education, English and CreativeWriting, Study of Religions, History, Art and Design, and Communication,Cultural and Media Studies) werejudged to be contributinginternationally recognised research (2* and above). In five areas (Music,Communication, Cultural and MediaStudies, Art and Design, History andEnglish) some of the research wasawarded a world-leading rating (4*).The University has receivedresearch grants and/or doctoralbursaries from the Arts andHumanities Research Council (AHRC)in History, English, Creative Writing,Art and Design, Study of Religions,Geography and Music. The Universityhas also gained research grants fromother major national funders, such asthe Natural Environment ResearchCouncil (NERC), The LeverhulmeTrust, British Academy, ArtsCouncil, and many other charitableor commercial organisations.Where there are a numberof academic staff and doctoralresearchers working together aroundcommon themes the University hasapproved Research Centres andResearch Groups (details of whichcan be viewed from our mainwebpage). The University particularlywelcomes PhD enquiries frompotential applicants whose researchmay complement that of the Centresand Groups.Work at research degree level is one of the most demanding andrewarding experiences in highereducation. It involves directengagement with a chosen field ofstudy and, through this, the chance to explore ideas and problems inconsiderable depth, and innovativeways. Successful completion of an MPhil or a PhD represents thefulfilment of a person’s intellectualpotential and a major lifeachievement.Graduate SchoolBath Spa organises its researchdegree programme through theGraduate School, based at theuniversity’s Corsham Centre. Thegraduate School works closely withother Schools and all researchsupervisors. It also provides training,seminar series and a range of formaland informal activities for graduatestudents. Every research student canexpect close, experienced supervisionand access to good library resources.In turn, they are expected todemonstrate consistent progress intheir work and a commitment to thepursuit of excellence. Study can be oneither a full-time or part-time basis.The University expects all its researchstudents to engage with the widerresearch environment within theUniversity and beyond.Working with academicsBath Spa provides a lively researchenvironment in which to study. TheUniversity is big enough to offer varietyand diversity; yet small enough fora personal approach. There is spacehere to think, create and moveforward. There is also the opportunityto work with academics who are notjust authoritative, but also passionateabout their subject.Assessment methodsA research degree is examinedthrough the presentation of athesis and through a viva voceexamination. For more detailsabout the requirements, pleasevisit the Graduate School website,and especially the Handbook to befound there. www.bathspa.ac.uk/schools/graduate-schoolThe word length requirement foran MPhil in science or art and designis 20,000 words. For a PhD it is 40,000words. In humanities, social scienceand education the word lengthrequirement is a maximum of 40,000for an MPhil and 80,000 for a PhD. Itis possible to submit creative workas part of the thesis, in which case25