Click here to apply for MPhil/PhD Year 1 (October Pathway); for entry in Oct 2020.
Click here to apply for MPhil/PhD Year 1 (October Pathway); for entry in Oct 2020.
Click here to apply for MPhil/PhD (Part-Time) Year 1 (October Pathway); for entry in Oct 2020.
Click here to apply for MPhil/PhD Year 1 (January Pathway); for entry in Jan 2021.
Click here to apply for MPhil/PhD (Part-Time) Year 1 (January Pathway); for entry in Jan 2021.
Information for home, EU, and non-EU students.
For new applicants to Central's Research Degrees programme.
Find out about upcoming open days at Central.
Email us if you have any questions about applying for a Research degree.
The drop-down boxes below provide information about what is required for Stage 1, Stage 2 and the Interview Stage:
For the first stage, applicants should follow the online guided process by clicking the relevant 'Apply online' link located in the left-hand column of this page.
Applicants will be required to:
The Expression of Interest form asks for short answers to the following areas:
Please note that Central no longer accepts Expression of Interest forms submitted via email; they must be uploaded as part of the online process when prompted. CVs of more than one page may be returned, which can delay the processing of an application.
The Research Degrees Team will review your Expression of Interest form and provide feedback as appropriate.
Applicants with projects that demonstrate an alignment with Central’s specialisms, and supervision availability, will be invited to proceed to the second stage of the application process. Research Services will write to such applicants to request a full proposal and personal statement, which will be considered by a minimum of two senior members of staff and/or proposed project supervisors.
No more than 2,000 words and covers the following:
No more than 1,300 words and covers the following:
Please be aware that you may be asked to provide further information during the admissions process.
Research Services will collate and provide feedback on full proposals.
Applicants who have viable projects will be called to interview, which will normally be held with the proposed potential supervision team. Interview panels may, on occasion, also include a member of the Research Degrees core academic team. Interviewees will be notified of all panel members in advance.
Studentship interviews will be held in April, after all offers of a place on the programme have been made, with the Director of Research and members of the core team.
Applicants will receive written confirmation of the final decision from Central’s Admissions and Student Recruitment Office.
If you are offered a place, the formal offer will lay down the framework within which you will be conducting research.
For example:
Your topic for research will normally have been agreed at the interview stage and will be included in the offer letter. Where this is not the case, it must be formalised by the Research Degrees Committee no later than one month after registration.
Candidates register initially for the MPhil (unless you are transferring research begun for a PhD elsewhere).
To transfer to the PhD, you will submit a substantial piece of work-in-progress around nine months after you have begun your MPhil for full-time students; this time is pro-rata for part-time students. Details on length of format, time required and assessment of work, can be found in the programme specifications for each postgraduate course in the prospectus.
You are advised to apply as far as possible in advance of your desired start date.
The School has two start dates for the programme, in October and January.
Should you be transferring your PhD from another institution, you will need to follow the same application procedure.