Programme
MPHIL/PHD PSYCHOANALYTIC STUDIES
The PhD Thesis
The requirement for the award of a PhD is the submission of a thesis of no more than 100,000 words (excluding references and appendices). Normally this reports an in-depth, original programme of work which makes a significant contribution to knowledge through the exercise of critical powers, and/or through the acquisition and interpretation of fresh data. Although publication is not a necessary criterion, it is expected that this work will be of sufficiently high quality to merit publication. The key requirement is the achievement of a significant contribution to knowledge.
The research work required for the thesis is generally carried out individually, but it can be a distinct part of work within a research group. In the latter cases, the candidate is expected to indicate and demonstrate that a substantial aspect of the work has been his or her own contribution. The UCL Graduate School offers a wide range of courses relevant to a PhD (e.g. planning and writing a PhD thesis, use of library and electronic resources, bibliographic reference software, tailored language courses, research methods and statistics, computer packages).
The Programme
Within the programme there are two Core Courses: The Discussion Group and Work-in-Progress Workshops, which students are expected to attend. Core Courses are collective experiences in which active student participation is all important.
There are also currently six Special Research Courses of 5 or 10 seminars. These are directed by an expert in each field.
Students engaging in empirical work may take courses in the Division of Psychology & Language Sciences which runs an Advanced Graduate Training Programme offering courses in Statistics, Qualitative Methods and Computer Programming.
In addition all students are strongly advised to attend events listed under University-Wide programme (not credit bearing).
Further information about PhD programme courses
Upgrade from MPhil to PhD
First-year students are registered as MPhil students until they have qualified for an upgrading to PhD. Both full-time and part-time students must attain 80 credits from courses to enable them to upgrade. These credit bearing courses can be selected from within those offered in the Psychoanalysis Unit or from the wider Psychology & Language Sciences Division or the Brain Sciences Faculty recognized courses. In addition students are required to complete 20 "Robert’s Points" per year by taking relevant courses run by the UCL Graduate School
Further information about the upgrade process
Completing the PhD: Thesis and Viva
Students are expected to submit a written PhD dissertation at the end of their degree program. For full-time students, this lasts for three years while for part-time students it is five years. If extra time is needed, students are permitted to apply for an extension for Completing Research Students (CRS). The maximum extension is one year for full-time students or two years for part-time students. Only one extension will be granted.
Further information about completing the PhD
