Integrated New Route PhD [PhD NR]

female student at pcStudents who are admitted for PhDNR will be registered for a standard minimum period of four years with an initial registration status as an MPhil/PhD student. Students will be supervised as PhD students, but PhD status will need to be confirmed during the third year. For further details, see below.

Introduction

This MPhil/PhD (henceforth PhD NR) aims to:

  • Provide subject-specific postgraduate training in linguistics or a sub-discipline of linguistics
  • Provide two forms of advanced skills training:

1. Professional development training. This is aimed at facilitating the student's transition to independent postgraduate scholarship, their participation in the dissemination of research findings and subsequent life as a professional academic.

2. Research support training. Students take modules in, for example, English for Academic Purposes, statistics, corpus analysis.

  • Enable students to begin engaging with their proposed PhD research topic from the very start of their 4-year candidature, write a preparatory 22,000-word dissertation in Year 1, and extend the work of that dissertation in subsequent years.

In the first year, and under the supervision of a member of staff from the very beginning, students begin research work on their thesis and take subject-specific modules, research support training modules and engage in professional development activities. By the end of year 1, all students are required to have taken at least 6 one-term modules and written a 22,000-word dissertation, which would make them eligible for the award of an MRes degree. If students decide to take the MRes degree, then the 22,000-word dissertation is treated as a separate work to the PhD. It can be referred to in the student’s PhD thesis, but the dissertation cannot be incorporated into the thesis. However, if students decide not to take the MRes degree, then the 22,000-word dissertation can be incorporated directly into the student’s PhD thesis.  In year 2, students who have achieved the level to proceed with the PhD, take further subject-specific and/or research support training modules and continue with professional development training. Students are expected to submit their thesis no later than the end of year 4 of their candidature.

Scheme Structure

Whilst the scheme structure will remain the same for all students in terms of the total number of modules taken, the selection of relevant subject-specific and research support training modules will vary.  Precise routes for each student will be decided on an individual basis in consultation with the student’s PhD supervisor and will be guided by student research interests and prior training.

Outline

Year 1

Under the supervision of a member of academic staff, students will take the equivalent of six term-long postgraduate modules (normally three in the autumn term and three in the spring term) and write a 22,000-word dissertation. Four of these postgraduate modules will normally be subject-specific modules chosen, in consultation with the student’s supervisor, from the current list of postgraduate modules in order to meet the student’s individual needs. The remaining two of the six modules will be research support training modules (EAP, statistics etc.). In addition, the student will attend professional development training activities and begin work on his/her PhD via the dissertation. A typical syllabus may look like this:

Autumn term
  • Subject specific module 1
  • Subject specific module 2
  • Research support module 1
  • Professional development (e.g. assignment writing, dissertation writing, attending departmental seminars)
Spring term
  • Subject specific module 3
  • Subject specific module 4
  • Research support module 2
  • Professional development (e.g. assignment writing, dissertation writing, attending departmental seminars) 
Summer term
  • Research for, and writing of, dissertation
  • Professional development (e.g. attending departmental seminars)

Where students have, normally within the previous two years, been awarded an Essex Master’s degree and achieved a mark of 65 or above in modules taken as part of that Master’s degree that are directly relevant to the research focus of the Integrated PhD, they may be able to take up to two MRes Research Project (30-credit) modules in place of two or four of the taught modules, and submit a 6,000-word project report for each Research Project module taken. Research Project modules will require the student to produce a report on a topic of current research interest in the relevant field. The topic will be decided between the supervisor and the student, and must be appropriate to the overall focus of the programme. Students will normally receive up to 6 hours of supervision from their supervisor while they are preparing the project report. The Research Project will normally consist of three parts: (a) identification of the key research literature on the topic and written descriptive summary of that literature; (b) written evaluation of the argumentation used in the key literature, and evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence used to support the claims; (c) written outline (but not normally implementation) of a research study whose aim is to advance understanding of the topic that has been reviewed.

The MRes dissertation/PhD thesis may not incorporate, whether in the same or different form, work that has been submitted for assessment of a Research Project module unless the work represents an extension or continuation of the Research Project work. In such a case the extent of the material used should be indicated.

Exceptionally, students who do not hold an Essex MA may be allowed to replace two taught modules by a Research Project module.

Where the supervisor agrees that a student should take a Research Project module, a case must be made in writing to the Dean of Social Sciences for a special syllabus.

Successful candidates will be eligible for the award of the degree of MRes in Linguistics.

Year 2

Students spend most of their time working on their thesis, but also take 2 one-term subject-specific or research support training modules and continue professional development training.

Autumn term
  • PhD research
  • Subject specific or research support module
  • Departmental professional development training
Spring term
  • PhD research
  • Subject specific or research support module
  • Departmental professional development training
Summer term
  • PhD research
  • Individually-geared professional development

Years 3 and 4

  • PhD research

Applying

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Last modified on 15 October 2009.