Traditional route PhD - independent study

Join a department that specialises in doctoral study and work alongside experts in higher education, social justice, and technology enhanced learning.

Undertaking a PhD with us is an opportunity to gain deeper insight into specialist areas within education and educational research, while learning how to become a confident researcher and contribute to research and practice.

Although the journey may be challenging, you’ll have extensive support from your supervisors, peers and other staff. You can join in regular discussions to broaden your knowledge and skills base, and we’ll assist you to overcome any challenges that you may encounter.

Our PhD researchers look at a range of a very wide range of topics including higher education policy and students’ experiences, online and technology-mediated learning, and decolonising education. Others have explored themes such as women’s leadership, human rights education, digital skills development, and intersectional pedagogy.

Who is this programme for?

Completing your PhD offers an opportunity to contribute to the field. Our doctoral community in the department is international and collegial, consisting of researchers who are established in their careers as well as those who have more recently completed their undergraduate and postgraduate courses. This diversity is a plus because it provides opportunities to exchange experience and views with a diverse group of colleagues, and to learn from and support each other.

Many of our graduates stay in academia. However, the understanding of education that you develop through your PhD may open up opportunities within educational management and administration or with organisations that address social justice or other educational issues. For example, some graduates work for charities such as the Sutton Trust which addresses educational disadvantage.

Whatever you decide to do, you’ll see the world from a new perspective and develop a network of professional connections.

What makes this course different?

We run regular research seminars, reading groups and postgraduate group meetings to help you feel part of our community. Although you’ll be studying independently, you won’t be on your own. Many colleagues will have expertise to share, and you’ll be part of exciting conversations about work in your area.

You’ll also have the opportunity to benefit from our relationships with scholars in other universities in the UK and overseas, as well as local schools and colleges.

As a PhD researcher, you’ll be welcomed into this community of highly regarded scholars. We’ll connect you to academics and other postgraduate researchers within our three departmental research hubs: the Centre for Higher Education Research and Evaluation, the Centre for Social Justice and Wellbeing in Education and the Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning.

You’ll also benefit from our membership to the ESRC North West Doctoral Training Partnership which provides access to funding and additional training opportunities. These – in addition to the highly competitive ESRC scholarship – can supplement the already extensive Research Training Programme available through the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. These cover a range of practical, theoretical, methodological, and career, courses. We hold our own bespoke sessions within the department too.

Key information

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How to Apply

The name of this programme in the application system is Educational Research (Independent Study) PhD. Please ensure that you apply for that programme in the application system.

Please visit the Applying for postgraduate study page for more information on how to apply for a place.

Please contact the admissions team if you have any questions about applying to study at Lancaster University.

Overseas applicants may be required to have a telephone interview, with either the Director of the Doctoral Programme for Traditional Route Research students or the potential supervisor, in order to discuss their submitted application.

For admission to this version of the programme applicants should normally have:

  • a good honours degree from a British university or CNAA, and a good taught Master's degree; or
  • qualifications of a comparable standard from a university or recognised degree awarding body in another country.
  • IELTS: Overall 6.5 with at least 6.0 for reading and writing and 5.5 for speaking and listening.

All applications for postgraduate research must be supported by a written proposal (see "What to include" section for details). This will give us a clear idea of your interests and help us assess whether you are in a position to successfully complete a PhD with us. It is advisable to look very carefully at individual staff profiles to see if they are researching in your topic area, and you can contact potentially suitable supervisors informally with your research proposal to see if they are interested in supervising you. Do note that alongside the proposal, in your application you should give a clear, academically sound description of the area that you want to work in and the type of research that you are interested in undertaking, indicating which supervisor(s) match your research interests.

Guidelines on writing a postgraduate research proposal

Your proposal should be between 1500 and 2000 words in length, excluding the bibliography. Please write under the following headings. Proposals in other formats will be returned for amendment.

Title

Give your proposal a meaningful, provisional title that summarises your area of interest and your planned programme of study.

Research question(s)

Identify the main research question(s) that you will be asking. These should be succinct, researchable and significant. Bullet points are usually best.

Background

Explain how your questions are different from those asked by others, drawing on a brief review of the relevant research literature. You should show that you are familiar with the main literature in the field you are interested in.

Theoretical Framework

Explain the core concepts that will underpin your research, drawing as necessary on prior theories, reviews of the literature, policy discussion or your own experiences. Set out what the concepts mean, how they relate to each other, and how they will influence your research: considering the design, data collection, analysis and reporting of your research as appropriate.

Research Design & Methods

Please describe the research design of your study, including the who, what, where and why of your research plan. Briefly describe the method(s) that you will use to answer your research questions (such as library based, conceptual or empirical methods). Show why this is an appropriate design to answer your research questions.

Significance of your Research

Describe the contribution that you consider this research will make. Identify the implications of your research for existing educational knowledge, theories, policy or practice. Try to say what difference your research could make to any of these.

Alignment with Department

Please indicate how your proposed work will align with one or more of the Department’s three research centres—where possible identifying how your work fits particular centre research themes. Each department research centre has a set of research themes: see the websites of the Centre for Higher Education Research and Evaluation, the Centre for Social Justice and Wellbeing in Education, and the Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning for more information. Explain how your project will contribute to the priorities identified under the theme heading, and where possible how your work will benefit from work already going on in the centre. Your work can be aligned with only one research centre, or several, but please explain the points of alignment in words rather than providing a list of themes.

Timetable

Please include a detailed timetable that shows how the research design can be managed within a three year time period (or a 5 year period for part time students). You should explain what you will be doing during your period of registration to progress the research.

Bibliography

List some of the main written sources on which your research will be based.

You can apply to begin your research degree in October or January, but it is preferable to start in October if you can, as it is easier for you to find accommodation and to attend the Research Training Programme support courses offered by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) in a sensible order.

Fees and funding

The University's postgraduate pages contain up-to-date information about current Research Fees. The relevant fee scale is listed as Educational Research (Independent study).

Please note that applicants to the Traditional Route PhD in Educational Research are not eligible for Faculty Postgraduate Scholarships.

To help finance your postgraduate study at Lancaster, you can apply for funding from charities and other funders: further details are available on the Fees & Funding webpage.

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Studentships

Applications for research study are invited by the Department of Educational Research for ESRC Doctoral Training Awards, funded through the North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP).

These awards are an excellent opportunity for prospective PhD candidates to gain the funding to participate in leading education research institutions (full-time or part-time) as +3 PhD (Lancaster), 1+3 PhD (Manchester and Lancaster). Candidates must have submitted an admissions application to the Department in advance of their NWSSDTP application. The award covers the tuition fee, a maintenance grant, and a training support grant. Applications are invited in any of the main areas of Research in the Department.

Please view the NWSSDTP how to apply pages for further details.

Please send completed NWSSDTP applications, transcripts and references to FASS PG admissions. Studentships start each October with an entry deadline in early February.

Find out what our graduates say about studying on our PhD programmes

PhD Educational Research (independent study)

View a list of some of PhD theses written by PhD Educational Research (independent study) graduates.

PhD Educational Research (independent study) theses

PhD Supervisors

Contact us

Director of the Doctoral Programme for Traditional Route Research students: Dr Georgia McCrone
Email: g.mccrone2@lancaster.ac.uk

Traditional Route PhD Co-ordinator: Alison Sedgwick
Email: a.sedgwick@lancaster.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1524 592685