PG research degrees
Levels of study
Research degrees can be undertaken part-time or full-time, and the postgraduate research degree programmes available are:
- PhD Candidates for the degree of PhD pursue a research project, under the supervision of one or more members of CHPS academic research staff (perhaps also including as supervisors staff of an associated research units or institutions within the University, or within an external collaborating institution). The period of study is 36 months if studying full-time, or 72 months if studying part-time. The outcome of the research is a thesis written by the candidate, and the doctorate is awarded if the thesis is judged to be of an appropriate standard, and the research makes a definite contribution to knowledge.
- MPhil Candidates for the degree of MPhil by thesis pursue a research project under broadly the same conditions as those applying to PhD candidates, except that the period of study is 24 months full time or 60 months part-time, with appropriate reduction to the scale/scope of the research undertaken.
- MSc by Research The programme of study for MSc by Research is tailored to an individual student's requirements and in CPHS typically comprises research training and a supervised dissertation. The period of study is normally 12 months full-time or 36 months part-time.
A list of current and recently completed PG research projects is provided, to illustrate the diversity of PG research that is possible within CPHS.
In many cases individual supervision with respect to the research project is supplemented by selected modules of the taught MPH programme and/or by other training courses.
Thinking about the topic for your research degree
- If you are applying for an advertised PhD studentship, then the topic of study is broadly decided by the studentship(s) on offer.
- If you are self-funding then you need to think about the focus for your PG research study. Given that the PG research education provided by CPHS is closely linked with the research undertaken within CPHS, prospective students are advised to explore the research and supervision possibilities within CPHS prior to making any application, by looking at the individual profiles of academic researchers within CPHS who appear to have an interest in one of your possible PG research topics. This can stimulate research ideas and/or will reveal where there is overlap with any particular interests of the prospective student. Members of CPHS are often happy to discuss with prospective PG students any PhD project ideas that fall within their areas of research interest.
Making an application
Once there is a decision to pursue PG research study, the next step is to make an application. Until then, if you have any other questions about the possibility of PG research study at CPHS, please contact:
Postgraduate Administrator, cphspg@ed.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0) 131 650 3227
