Structure

PhD students at UCL must first register for the MPhil qualification before upgrading to a PhD.

The MPhil/PhD normally extends over three years full-time, or five years part-time. You can also register for just an MPhil degree. PhD students at UCL must first register for the MPhil qualification and successfully present their progress before being able to upgrade to the PhD qualification.

MPhil to PhD

The PhD is assessed through a written thesis of no more than 100,000 words. It must:

• demonstrate the candidate's capacity to pursue original research in the field of study,

• represent a distinct and significant contribution to the subject, whether through the discovery of new knowledge, the connection of previously unrelated facts, the development of new theory or the revision of older views,

• show the exercise of critical judgement with regard to both the candidate's own work and that of other scholars in the field.

A typical timetable for a full-time PhD student:

MPhil only

The MPhil is assessed by a written thesis of no more than 60,000 words.

It must represent a contribution to the subject either through a record of the candidate's original work or a critical and ordered exposition of existing knowledge.