This article is updated from a first version published as Have you ever thought of doing a PhD?, on 31/11/21 on Design@Open, a blog about design at the Open University.
By Professor Alice Moncaster, Professor of Sustainable Construction
What is a PhD and why might I want one?
A PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) is awarded for postgraduate study in any subject (not only Philosophy) which involves substantial independent research that can be considered to be ‘adding to knowledge’ in your area. It usually takes 3-4 years full-time in the UK, produces a single-authored thesis of up to 100,000 words (depending on discipline), and is examined by two academic examiners through viva voce.
A PhD can be a life-changing event, a career-development opportunity, a career-changing opportunity, a chance to deeply explore an area of interest, a chance to develop and demonstrate your expertise, a chance to both broaden and deepen skills you didn’t know you had, a chance to impress your nearest and dearest (although also a chance to bore them rigid with the details…), and many other things. It is also, of course, the first step to an academic job.
If you are currently thinking YES, that’s for me! but don’t know how to go about it, read on.
The application process
PhDs are academically challenging, across all universities and disciplines. Applicants therefore need to persuade potential universities and supervisors that they are going to be capable of success. They are usually expected to have a good first degree and evidence of some previous research (such as a master’s dissertation), although exceptions can be made for significant ‘real world’ experience in a relevant area.
Some institutions and supervisors will consider accepting self-funded students, who are often studying part-time while also working. Funded PhDs are usually although not always full-time. In the UK funding covers the tuition fees and a minimum stipend of £19,237 per year (2024-25 figures), usually for three years. This isn’t a loan, unlike for Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and you don’t have to pay it back.
However finding funding can be difficult and is very competitive. Funding might be offered by your company – you can always ask. Some universities have funding for a few studentships each year. Some funded research projects also include funding for PhD students. Both of these routes are likely to be for specific, pre-determined research projects. A good source of open and future positions is findaphd.com, where you will find opportunities which have already been defined to a greater or lesser extent, usually as part of a wider research project. These are generally advertised throughout the year, although it’s worth noting that many deadlines will be early in the year for a PhD starting in October.
Most UK Government funding is now funnelled through Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs), which are held by one or more universities in partnership with one of the UK Research Councils.
The University of the West of England is part of two DTPs:
- The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) South West Doctoral Training Partnership
- The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership
For both of these DTPs, the research project is up to you. This is harder work than the pre-defined positions, but potentially more satisfying as you get to design the research project which really interests you.
Note that the deadlines for UWE applications to the SWDTP are 14th January and applications to the SWWDTP are 20th January, for studentships starting the following October.
Your research proposal
This is critical part of your application for the Doctoral Training Partnerships, for which you will need to have developed your own research proposal in some detail. This requires some work, including reading and reviewing the existing literature on your chosen area to see what has already been done (Google Scholar is a great source of academic research papers, which are increasingly open access). Even for open approaches to individual supervisors, you should do some initial work on developing your own research ideas.
Once you have a first draft of your proposal (aim for one page), identify a potential supervisor by looking through individual profiles of academic staff. The supervisor should be someone with demonstrable research experience and interest in the area you are proposing (check this by looking at their recent publications, which should be linked on their webpage). They need to be willing to support your application and to work with you on the development of your proposal, and to agree to be your primary supervisor, so your draft research proposal is your first chance to impress them.
Your supervisor will be your new best friend!
Well maybe not quite, but the relationship with the primary supervisor is really important. As well as discussing your own research ideas, you might want to ask questions about their supervisory style, and about other PhD topics they have supervised in similar areas. If you are looking to do a PhD to move in to academia, you could ask them about any links with national and international groups and research projects which you might be able to get involved in. If your research idea is very industry-focused you could ask about their links with industry. At UWE, as with most universities, we expect students to have two or sometimes three supervisors; the primary supervisor is often the most involved in helping you develop the direction of your research, but you might want to ask about potential co-supervisors too.
Some final points:
- A PhD is a long-term decision and commitment; you need to be sure that it’s right for you, and to spend some time investigating it.
- For speculative applications, or for the DTPs mentioned above, you need to know what you want to research, and find a supervisor with the expertise and desire to support you in doing this.
- Academics are usually pretty happy to discuss research with interested prospective students – early contact is not a way of gaining favour, and certainly doesn’t count towards a successful application, but it is a normal and expected part of the process.
- However helping you develop your research ideas is quite a time commitment for an academic. Remember that your first email is your first step of application. Send a brief overview of your research proposal and a short academic CV to persuade them that you are capable of doctoral research.
- Remember (again) that academics are generally over-loaded, often receiving over 100 emails a day on multiple different issues. If they don’t get back to your first email, it’s worth trying sending it a second time in case they missed the first. After that accept that this is an indicator that they don’t have the time or interest.
- Have a chat with your potential supervisor about your research. This is really important for both of you.
- If you feel at this point that the supervisor is looking for you to do something different to what you have set your heart on, or that their style of working won’t suit you, think twice about signing up to a three year relationship which won’t work for either of you.