An PhD is an advanced postgraduate research degree that requires original research and the submission of a substantial dissertation of 60,000 to 100,000 words. At Birkbeck, you are initially registered on an MPhil and you upgrade to a PhD after satisfactory progress in the first year or two. You need to find a suitable academic supervisor at Birkbeck, who can offer the requisite expertise to guide and support you through your research.

Our aim is to assist you with the transition to become a fully fledged, independent academic researcher. Our doctoral programme is geared towards enabling you to produce top-quality work that questions the boundaries of the disciplines we work in and seeks to bring new materials, theories and methods into them. Becoming a successful academic researcher is achieved on the basis of a full appreciation of the hallmarks of good scholarship, such as original thought, the proper use of references and background material, appropriate use of methodology and reporting procedures, and it is these priorities that we aim to impart to our students.

Once equipped with the generic and discipline-specific tools for carrying out research, you will pursue your particular research interests, supported by regular meetings with your supervisors and attendance at the MPhil/PhD seminars. We seek to create a mutually supportive environment, informed by discussion and dialogue.