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Psychology and Human Development with integrated research methods training MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society offers world-leading doctoral programmes in education and related social sciences. Students will be taking four training modules in social science relating to methodologies and research in the social sciences alongside supervised research. Our MPhil/PhD students undertake research projects, working closely with their supervisors to develop each stage of their research, and undertake a tailored programme of training courses and activities. This programme is available to study both face-to-face and online.

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2023/24)

£7,580

£3,790

Overseas tuition fees (2023/24)

£21,200

£10,600

Duration

4 calendar years

8 academic years

Programme starts

September 2023

Applications accepted

All applicants: 17 Oct 2022 – 30 Jun 2023

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

The normal minimum requirement is an upper second-class UK Bachelor's degree or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 4

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level. International Preparation Courses

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

Who this course is for

Read about what it takes to become a UCL graduate research student

What this course will give you

IOE is a world-leading centre for research in education and related social science. We host the UK's largest doctoral cohort in these areas. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject (2022), the institute was ranked first for education for the ninth year running, ahead of Harvard, Stanford, Oxford and Cambridge. In the UK's recent Research Excellence Framework (2021), we were ranked first for research strength and research power in Education, according to the Elsevier REF 2021 Results Analysis Tool. We attract extensive research funding each year and host many prestigious research centres and projects.

Doctoral students at IOE have access to the wider UCL community as well as the education cluster constituting the UBEL Doctoral Training Partnership. The Institute's programme has been designed to provide comprehensive and broadly based research training and to meet the requirements of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the UK Researcher Development Framework.

Students work closely with their supervisor(s) to develop each stage of research; supervisors also help put together a programme of additional courses and activities to support progress towards completion of the final thesis. Doctoral students at the Department of Education, Practice and Society can participate in departmental seminars and research groups which further enriches learning.

Find out how your research could have an impact

The foundation of your career

IOE doctoral graduates progress to careers in education, university teaching, educational research, and policy and curriculum development.

Employability

You will have opportunities to gain experience of planning and implementing research methodologies, as well as academic writing and presentation, and management of your own research projects. You may also be able to engage with a range of researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and other groups relevant to your chosen topic.

Networking

The Department of Psychology and Human Development offers a regular seminar series on a wide range of topics and each of the centres have separate specialist seminars. Doctoral students participate in active student seminar groups and we also hold specific support working seminars for doctoral students to enhance presentation skills before upgrades and vivas. We encourage our students to present at the two annual conferences for IOE doctoral students as well as other specialist conferences outside the UCL and IOE.

Teaching and learning

The first part of the programme consists of four taught modules, taken alongside supervised research. The taught modules are assessed by written assignments of 5,000 words.

The summative written assessments for the taught modules may include:

Writing research proposals
Analysing data
Critiquing published research papers
Contributions to online forums

The degree of Master of Philosophy (MPhil) consists of a piece of supervised research, normally undertaken over a period of three years full-time or five years part-time. Assessment is by means of a thesis, which should represent a contribution to the subject, either through a record of your original work or a critical and ordered exposition of existing knowledge.

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) consists of a piece of supervised research, normally undertaken over a period of three years full-time or five years part-time. Assessment is by means of a thesis, which should demonstrate your capacity to pursue original research based upon a good understanding of the research techniques and concepts appropriate to the discipline. It must also 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. It should reflect the exercise of critical judgement with regard to both your own work and that of other scholars in the field.

Research areas and structure

Our core areas of expertise include:

Mental health in relation to education and SEN
Psychology and typical development, including classroom practices and their relationship with learning and the role of families, schools and neighbourhoods in emotional and behavioural development
SEN and atypical development areas of autism, eating disorders, hearing and visual impairment, perception disorders, Williams and Downs syndromes, sleep disorders, language, literacy and numeracy difficulties, learning difficulties and youth offending
Educational neuroscience, with a focus on neurocognitive processes underpinning learning
International education development in collaboration with the London International Development Centre
Behavioural genetics
Methodological expertise in experimental designs, longitudinal secondary data analysis, quantitative and qualitative methods

The following research centres are of particular relevance:

We also have high-profile research labs including:

Research environment

As a research student in the Department of Psychology and Human Development, you can participate in the seminars organised by department research centres or according to interest groups.

Since October 2014, we have also – in addition to the campus-based mode - offered the option to study online in a distance-learning mode. Choosing the distance-learning mode means that there are no residency requirements and it is not necessary to attend during doctoral study, the viva examination take place in-person at UCL or online. However, you are welcome to visit and use campus facilities including the library, attend seminars etc. In the first year of full-time study (and first two years of part-time study), distance learners take a series of compulsory research methods modules that are studied online. This typically involves provision of materials (articles, ebooks, videos etc.), forums to facilitate discussion of various tasks, and synchronous sessions to discuss the activities. Alongside these you will work with your supervisors on your research (e.g. using Teams/Zoom and email). In addition, there are other resources and training opportunities to support distance-learning students, e.g. sessions to develop generic skills.

Initially, students undertake four taught modules alongside supervised research.

Students are expected to pass 120 credits from the MRes in Social Research before upgrading to the PhD pathway.

Upgrade is expected no less than 21 months after initial registration for full-time, giving an extra 12/18 months more than normally provided for the MPhil/PhD in order to complete the taught component.

Following the taught component, the IOE Centre for Doctoral Education provides an extensive Research Training Programme. Full-time MPhil/PhD students are required to fulfil at least 20 units of training activity each year, which may be met by participating in training courses, seminars, conference and related activities. This training can be selected from the IOE Research Training Programme, each unit being worth approximately half a day of face-to-face training, or an online equivalent.

In addition to the taught modules, all students on this programme are expected to take a mandatory core course during their first year, which has been designed to meet the needs of early stage doctoral students. There is also a wide range of introductory, advanced methods, advanced theoretical, and generic academic skills courses, as well as student led workshops and reading groups. Processes aimed at assisting you during your course of study include the Research Student Log (an online project management tool), and periodic reviews of students’ progress.

Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration you may, if necessary, register as a completing research status (CRS) student while you finish writing your thesis.

Initially, students undertake four taught modules alongside supervised research.

Students are expected to pass 120 credits from the MRes in Social Research before upgrading to the PhD pathway.

Upgrade is expected no less than 33 months for part-time students, giving an extra 12/18 months more than normally provided for the MPhil/PhD in order to complete the taught component.

Following the taught component, the IOE Centre for Doctoral Education provides an extensive Research Training Programme. Part-time students fulfil at least 12 units of training activity a year, which may be met by participating in training courses, seminars, conference and related activities.. Students may also take additional training courses from the Programme, as relevant to their research and agreed with their supervisor.

Upon successful completion of your approved period of registration you may, if necessary, register as a completing research status (CRS) student while you finish writing your thesis.

Optional modules

Advanced Research Theory and Practice

Undertaking and Disseminating Research

Understanding Research Practice

Analysing Research Data

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.

Visit us

All open days and events

31 January 2023

Online - Open day

Graduate Research Open Events: IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society

13:00 — 19:00

IOE is number 1 in the UK for research strength and research power in Education (REF 2021) and is ranked world number one for education for nine consecutive years (QS 2022). Our Graduate Research Open Events are a great chance to learn about graduate research programmes at IOE, meet our academics and join presentations where you'll be able to learn about your chosen programmes. You will also be able to put your questions to the programme leaders and learn more about studying for a research degree at IOE.

Online - Open day

Preparing for a research degree at IOE

Watch the presentation from our programme team and find out what it's like to study for a research degree and how to prepare for it at IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society.

Watch on demand event

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2023/24)	£7,580	£3,790
Tuition fees (2023/24)	£21,200	£10,600

Additional costs

As a research student you may incur expenses relating to fieldwork, or additional expenses such as purchasing of books or conference attendance.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website. UCL's Graduate Research Scholarships (GRS) are available annually to prospective and current UCL research students from any country: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/scholarships/graduate-research-scholarships The UCL, Bloomsbury and East London Doctoral Training Partnership offers studentships annually. More information is found here: https://ubel-dtp.ac.uk/

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

: IOE Centenary Doctoral Scholarships

Deadline: 2 May 2023

Value: Full tuition fees, stipend, and accommodation at International Students House (Up to 4 years)

Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need

Eligibility: EU, Overseas

Next steps

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.