Considering a research degree
Students considering a research degree should, in the first instance, make inquiries to the Research Office. An application requires a proposal indicating an area of research interest. Prospective candidates may consult the Faculty research strengths and /or approach a staff member for advice in preparation of their proposal.
A proposal usually identifies a research topic and indicates why that topic is important, what your interest in the topic is, how you might research the topic, and what sort of research question(s) you might ask. It may contain a theoretical approach, reference to previous work or background information on the area. The purpose of the proposal is to show your interest and understanding of an area of potential research and, in so doing, allow academic staff to see how they might supervise your study.
Evidence of prior research ability in the form of either a 10,000 word plus minor thesis or publication in academic journals is essential. Previous grades equivalent to H2A (or an upper second class honours degree) need to be established. Language proficiency needs to be established for students with degrees from universities in non-English speaking countries. The faculty will consider all applications that meet these minimum standards.
Choosing a research topic
Broad research groupings within the faculty can be used to identify appropriate people with whom to discuss your research interests and possibly identify potential supervisors of your research.
Go to the research strengths web page on this site and click on the research group that is of interest to you and you will see lists of staff involved in research in that area. More information on each individual researcher's areas of expertise, publications, etc, are linked to their name. These staff are readily contactable should you have questions about their particular field of research. Alternatively, you may search directly by their staff profile.
In thinking about a potential research topic you may need to ask yourself where your individual interests lie. In the first instance, you may consider the general area in which your research is situated (i.e., the research grouping that carries the content/topic interest) but ultimately, it is important to refine your thinking such that your research can be expressed as a problem or a set of questions.
It is also important to consider the theories that can inform your research and the underlying questions. Furthermore, there are bound to be close links between your approach to theory and how your project will proceed i.e., its grounding in methodology. Academic staff in the Faculty combine to provide detailed and extensive coverage of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches based in the field of education. Prominent among research methods used in research at the Faculty are ethnography, historical method, cross-cultural inquiry, narrative inquiry, quantitative methods, and applied research methods.
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