PhD/MPhil Radiography

A range of Masters level courses are offered at the School of Health Sciences including an MSc in Advanced Practice with units tailored to each of the research Centres and professional groupings within the School.

Study for an MPhil/PhD

Doctoral level study involves independent academic research, supported by supervisors, that makes an original contribution to knowledge within the discipline.

The work carried out will therefore be of sufficient quality to satisfy academic peer review and merit publication.

There are two main routes to doctoral-level research degrees (PhD):

MPhil/PhD by major thesis

The standard route involves the accepted candidate pursuing a research project under the guidance of their supervisors over a period of 3 years (full-time) or 4-6 years (part-time).

Candidates register initially for an MPhil (which is a substantial and valid qualification in its own right), and following an Upgrade examination, transfer to the PhD programme.

MPhil/PhD by prospective publication

Candidates publish generally around 3-6 peer-reviewed research papers (dependent on their depth, quality, significance and impact) addressing various aspects of their research topic during the period of MPhil/PhD registration.

For the award of PhD, the published studies are incorporated in an extended, analytical commentary (not dissimilar to a major thesis), which presents them as a coherent body of work, places them in a more general context and shows how they form a coherent contribution to knowledge in the research field.

For full details about the City PhD programme structure, please see the Guide for Research Students.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements vary by subject area and applicants should approach academic staff working in their area of interest to discuss their proposal ahead of submitting an application. Applicants should normally hold an upper second class honours degree or the equivalent from an international institution.

Where the applicant's academic profile shows no evidence of training in research methods, it will normally be recommended that students first complete an MSc or MRes programme to prepare them for MPhil/PhD studies.

Substantial employment or research experience may be considered for some subject areas alongside or in place of academic qualifications. For the Clinical MRes programme, applicants are required to be registered with a clinical professional group such as Nursing, an Allied Health profession or Medicine.

English requirements

For applicants whose first language is not English, an IELTS score of at least 7 (with a minimum of 7.0 in writing) is required.

For more information see our main entry requirements page.

Visa requirements

If you are not from the European Economic Area / Switzerland and you are coming to study in the UK, you may need to apply for a visa or entry clearance to come to the UK to study.

The way that you apply may vary depending on the length of your course. There are different rules for:

• Students on courses of more than six months
• Students on courses of less than six months
• Students on a pre-sessional English language course.

For more information see our main Visa page.

Fees for doctoral candidates are charged annually and cover registration, supervision and examination. Fees are subject to review each year and may vary during your period of registration.

Support for PhD study

Prospective students are encouraged to explore doctoral Grants and funding opportunities such as:

• NIHR and MRC Fellowship schemes
• Commonwealth Scholarships
• Specialist scholarship schemes (such as those provided by Arthritis UK, Diabetes UK, and the British Heart Foundation)
• Research Council studentship awards, if available.

Our bursaries are non-repayable sums of money granted by the University, usually based on need.

Our loans are repayable sums of money granted by the University or other body.

Our scholarships are when the University pays towards your Study fees. You may also be eligible for further funding.

Postgraduate Doctoral Loans

The Government has introduced a new Postgraduate Doctoral Loans scheme which can provide a loan of up to £25,000.

This will be over three years to support study for a doctoral degree.

A Postgraduate Doctoral Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study. It can be used alongside any other forms of support you may be able to receive.

For more information, please see our Postgraduate Doctoral Loans page.

City has a well-established structure and processes to support your research.

Supervision

MPhil/PhD students have the opportunity to become integral members of the School of Health Sciences' research teams based in the School's Research Centres. Our centre's will assist and encourage students to complete their studies. A wide range of formal and informal research groups are also available to support MPhil/PhD students.

MPhil/PhD students are assigned to a team of supervisors, usually consisting of two academics who are expert in the field of the student's study. Students meet regularly with their supervisors to review their learning needs and plan their work towards progression and completion of their research studies.

All full-time students are provided with a computer and workstation in close proximity to their related research team.

Full time students are required to meet with their supervisors at least twice a term and part time students at least once a term. This is to record notes from these meetings and other indicators of progress on the web-based system, Research And Progress (RAP).

Students' progress is monitored regularly and supported by an annual review, where they may have the opportunity to discuss their research design and written work with a research advisor from outside their supervision team. They also have access to ongoing support from Senior Tutors for Research.

All students working towards a PhD (other than those undertaking doctoral study by prior publication or as a structured programme) initially register for MPhil studies. When the student's study has sufficiently developed to demonstrate that it is of doctoral standard then the student may apply to be upgraded to PhD student status, which will involve an oral examination.

Upgrading normally occurs between 12 and 18 months for full time study and between 24 and 30 months for part time study.

Research students are also supported by student representatives who meet regularly with the student-staff liaison committee so they can respond to any student concerns that cannot be addressed by the supervision team.

Training

All MPhil/PhD students can access a wide range of MSc modules and other training programmes across City, normally without charge. Attendance at these programmes is discussed with and, if appropriate, approved by the student's supervision team.

A number of workshops, seminars and retreats are organised specifically for research degrees students across the School and within particular areas. Students are also invited to attend the research seminars that are organised for academic staff.

Institution-wide research related activities can also contribute to your development as a researcher. An annual programme of research and enterprise development activities is kept under review and updated in response to feedback from research students and academic and research staff. Find out more.

For more information about Graduate degrees, please see the visit the City Doctoral College.

In the first, instance, we recommend that you visit the relevant School and Research Centre to read about our research and establish areas of specific staff interest. This will enable you to identify whether the School of Health Sciences at City is the best place for your study.

Following this you need to submit a formal online application with a curriculum vitae and a 1-2 page proposal of study. This should include:

• Background and rationale including other work in the area leading up to the PhD study.
• Potential outcomes of the research in terms of academic outputs (papers and presentations) and real world impact (e.g., its potential usefulness for teachers/ speech language therapists etc.).
• Proposed methodology such as aims, design, participant groups, measures, analysis.

See here for guidance on how to prepare your research proposal.

We realise that at this stage you may not have a completely clear plan of study, and that the proposal is likely to change after you begin study. The proposal gives us an idea of your writing and organisational ability, motivation and rationale for the study and potential wider benefits.