Within our multidisciplinary School of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences, we offer research supervision in a broad range of areas related to the musculoskeletal speciality.

As a research student at Essex, you’ll work at the heart of our internationally acknowledged and well-connected research community. Our School offers an environment with an excellent reputation for research and teaching. A unique feature is that many of our staff work with local National Health Service (NHS) Trusts and other local health agencies, which enhances our grasp of the contemporary links between academic research, the major issues of the day and practice.

Our facilities include a wide range of ergometers and treadmills, force plates, isokinetic dynamometers, a Vicon motion capture system, electronic timing gates, and a variety of EMG systems. Equipment includes ultrasound systems that enable high quality musculoskeletal imaging.

Assessment

The aim of undertaking your PhD is to train as an independent researcher who can critically assess other research work and have a comprehensive knowledge of at least one area.

Our PhD course is usually three to four years duration and all our students are initially registered as MPhil/PhD students, then transferred to the PhD in the first half of their second year of study if they have made satisfactory progress. In your second and third years, you work towards your PhD.

Your future

Following completion of our course, our students’ career development opportunities are enhanced considerably. Some choose to retain a clinical focus and integrate their research skills into the professional roles, others decide to follow careers that are research-based contributing to health care policy, efficiency and delivery.