Entry requirements: Normally a Masters degree in a relateddiscipline. Applicants without a Masters degree should normally have an upper second-class degree in a related discipline. If you have this qualification, you will enter the MPhil pathway, with the possibility of later upgrade to the PhD pathway Applicants are also welcomed from students with the relevant degree requirement, but not in a related discipline, provided that they can demonstrate relevant experience and engagement with the subject area
Full-time: 3 years
Part-time: 7 years
If English is not your first language: IELTS 6.5 (including 6.5 in academic writing) or a TOEFL score of 575 (paper-based) or 232 (computer-based) or equivalent
Start dates: September and February
Application process: Direct Entry Application Form. All applicants will be interviewed. Contact with potential supervisors of the research topic must be made prior to submission of the application form. Please see the sections on Research in the faculties that follow this Fact File
A major aim in postgraduate research is acquisition of research skills that are developed while undertaking original and independent work. The writing of a thesis and a programme of related studies are significant parts of this process. It is important to bring the research programme to a satisfactory conclusion within the designated time span through the completion of a thesis and appropriate additional or alternative materials where relevant.
Each student’s work is managed in collaboration with a Supervisory Team, which will be led by a Director of Studies together with a second Supervisor(s) and may also include specialist adviser(s), especially in the case of interdisciplinary research. This team manages the day-today academic development of the agreed research programme.
Probationary period
The University of Winchester has a Probationer Scheme for all students starting their MPhil/PhD studies. The scheme is designed to enable students to sample the reality of research student existence without making a long-term commitment. Initial enrolment with the University of Winchester is for a probationary period, pending the completion and acceptance of a research proposal (Form C). The student is asked to pay a fee of £300 on enrolment, which allows a maximum of six supervisory meetings with the proposed supervisory team. Issues such as AP(E)L (Approved Prior (Experiential) Learning) to gain exemption from aspects of Research Training, potential ethical issues relating to the proposal and so on may be explored during the probationary period.
It is expected that the student will submit Form C (Application for Approval of Candidature) for scrutiny within the first three months for full-time candidates and within six months for part-time candidates from the date of enrolment at the University. Approval of Form C is a procedure designed to ensure that the project is academically sound and that the University can provide suitable facilities for the successful completion of the research work. This is a formal and rigorous process, which ensures the research begins on a sound footing. Successful completion will change the student’s status from probationary to full registration.
MPhil/PhD entry and subsequent upgrade to PhD
All students are registered initially for the degree of MPhil or MPhil/PhD. Those students who do not already have an MA can only register for MPhil in the first instance. Students must upgrade their candidature if they wish to continue to PhD. This normally happens during the second year for full-time students, and third or fourth year for part-time students. To upgrade successfully, students must undergo an examination, which comprises two inter-related elements, both of which must be passed: i) presentation of written material; and ii) a viva voce assessment.
Research Training Programme for MPhil/PhD students
Winchester runs a compulsory accredited Research Training Programme (RTP) for both full-time and part-time MPhil/PhD students. There is the option of exemption from all or part of the generic training by making an AP(E)L application, or in exceptional circumstances students may apply to undertake a similar course at another institution. Normally, failure to complete the RTP may bar students from continuing with their research degree. Full details of the Research Training Programme are provided at Induction and in an RTP handbook and module guides.
Research skills training is provided both by single subject groups and on a multidisciplinary basis through the RTP, which forms a substantial and compulsory part of the research candidate’s programme, and is assessable where appropriate. Training conforms to the best practice recommended by the relevant Research Councils, and is required of students except in cases where they have already developed sufficient and appropriate skills through a Masters degree or other postgraduate work, or appropriate work experience (tested through AP(E)L).
The Research Training Programme is designed to:
(a) Ensure students develop so as to become increasingly aware of their own training needs, both discipline-specific and generic
(b) Enable students to choose between a range of different approaches to their research study
(c) Achieve a balance between subjectspecific and more general material, which might relate to future employment needs
(d) Encompass the basic principles of research design and strategy including techniques (for example, computing and bibliographic) for use in the research study
(e) Include opportunities for the presentation of research, both viva voce and written
Thesis
For both MPhil and PhD students, the thesis (or equivalent submission for Creative Practice) is the primary outcome of the research project and the training programme.
The length of a thesis will depend on the discipline studied but it must not exceed 75,000 words for PhD or 50,000 for MPhil, or agreed equivalent for a thesis involving Creative Practice of some kind, without prior permission from the University on the recommendation of the Supervisory Team. It must be composed clearly and presented
in the required format. The subject should be dealt with in an orderly manner, using appropriate research methods and techniques and displaying critical discrimination in evaluating evidence.
Supervisory Teams will read early drafts of the thesis and write comments and the candidate is advised to take on board these comments. Normally, no thesis should be
submitted that has not been seen in its entirety in draft form by the Supervisory Team. It is the student’s responsibility for the final version of the thesis. It is also the student’s responsibility to decide when they wish to submit a thesis, taking due account of the Supervisory Team’s advice.
After submission of the thesis, it is sent for examination to an internal and an external examiner. This is followed by a viva voce examination, led by the two examiners,
and chaired by a member of Winchester’s academic staff who has not been involved with the supervision of the student. At the viva, the student will be invited to discuss aspects of the thesis with the examiners, and to defend the content and argumentation of the thesis.
The viva is the final part of the examination for the student. The examiners will either pass the thesis outright and recommend award of the degree or ask for corrections to the thesis or for a section to be recast, or (rarely) recommend that no award be made.