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Before applying, you should:
- Have or expect to have a relevant first degree of 1st class or 2.1 standard in UK system, or have a Master's degree, or equivalent for overseas degrees.
- Have a commitment to and demonstrated ability in research. Often your previous experience and performance, such as in an undergraduate or a Master's research project, will show whether research is right for you and you are right for research.
- International applicants also need to satisfy the UCL English Language requirements to a 'good' level.
- Check whether we can supervise research in your chosen area. See Research Topics and Supervisors for information about contacting potential supervisors.
We only take MPhil/PhD students to whom we can offer expert research supervision from one of our academic staff. Therefore, your research question needs to engage with the research interests of one of our staff.
Deadlines
Deadlines for all competitive funding awarded by UCL. Applications for funding in 2024 will need to be received by 12th January 2024. Applications must be complete with references, so please allow time for references to be completed and submitted. At that point you need to have identified a member of staff who has agreed to supervise you, should you be accepted. All applications are rated by 2 academic staff members. Suitable candidates are offered an interview, where they briefly present their research proposal and are questioned by academic staff. Offers of places are generally made within a month of interview. The MPhil/PhD programme starts at the beginning of the UCL autumn term.
If other sources of funding are being considered, it is still in your interest to apply by the January funding deadline, but later applications can be considered. Applications should be made as soon as possible, and not later than June 30th for entry in September/October of the same year. Interviews for places not funded by UCL may take place at any time until late summer.
Timeline for Application
The following timeline is a good rough guide to the timing of your application. Our MPhil/PhD programme starts at the end of September in any given year.
In October (or earlier) of the year before you want to start:
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By December of the year before you want to start:
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January of the year before you want to start:
Note: These interviews are also used to identify candidates who can be put forward for competitive scholarships that are funded by UCL (such as Graduate Research Scholarships, Overseas Research Scholarships), and for any demonstratorships, funded by the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, and for other studentships such as the ESRC (see funding section). |
February - April of the year in which you want to start.
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Late September of the year in which you want to start:
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If other sources of funding are being considered, it is still in your interest to apply by the early January deadline, but later applications can be considered. Applications should be made as soon as possible, and not later than June 30th for entry in September/October of the same year. Interviews for places not funded by UCL/ESRC may take place at any time until late summer.
Procedure for Making a Formal Application
You need to complete:
- a Research Proposal of 1500-3000 words in length, to be submitted with the UCL graduate application form. This is an extremely important part of your formal application. It should clearly state the research question, and its importance. It should provide the specific details of experimental or other kinds of studies and data that will be used to address the research question. Logical thinking, clear design of research studies, and relevant methodological knowledge are all key parts of a good research proposal. Where appropriate, the research proposal should explain how initial experiments or studies will lead onto further questions and studies in a coherent progression. The research proposal should be your own work, though the supervisor may give some advice. The word limit (minimum 1500 words, maximum 3000 words) includes all sections and appendices. Only key references rather than a lengthy reference list should be included.
In addition to the Research Proposal, we suggest that you use the 'Personal statement' section of the UCL graduate student application form to give any details on why you think you are particularly suited for your chosen area of research.
You will also need to submit a transcript for previous qualifications, references and, where applicable, an English Language test certificate.
Tips for writing a research proposal for MPhil/PhD Applications
Applicants are advised to send in an outline research proposal and a CV when contacting potential supervisors. This will help supervisors to understand your interests and knowledge so that they can engage in further discussions with you.
A good proposal should have the following basic elements, though their order and weighting can vary. Aim for between 1500 and 3000 words.
- A clear and descriptive working title.
- Aims and objectives of your research.
- An explanation of reasons why your research has relevance to your discipline
(Note that you need to identify a ‘gap’ in the research literature that your research findings will attempt to fill).
- An outline of your theoretical framework and explanation of its suitability for your topic.
- A brief analytic discussion of the current research literature on your topic.
- What is the current state of your field?
- How would your research contribute to the advancement of your field?
- An outline of key research questions.
- A description of the methods you anticipate using to answer your questions, with a rationale for your choice of methods.
- A brief statement about research training you may need (e.g. statistics; qualitative analysis methods, etc).