PhD & MPhil in English Literature

by mark allen | Oct 2, 2020 | phd

PhD & MPhil in English Literaturee

Programme overview

MPhil: a standalone, one-year (full-time) research degree. Students will undertake their own research project, concluding in the submission of a 25,000 word dissertation. Students may have the option to audit units from our taught Masters courses if they are relevant to their research.

PhD: a research project undertaken across three years (full-time, plus a writing up period), culminating in an 80,000 word thesis. As well as having the option to audit taught units, there may be the potential for PhD students to teach units themselves from their second year of study onwards.

Research in the Department of English brings the core values of our discipline – textual scholarship, critical and theoretical analysis, and contextual knowledge – to the dynamic and changing field of English literary studies. We cover the full chronological range, from the medieval to the contemporary period, with many colleagues engaged in interdisciplinary research.

We are proud of our expertise in medieval and early-modern literature, in Romantic and Victorian literature, in modernism, and in contemporary writing in English. The department is notable for its breadth of research in English poetry across the periods, and our range of specialist interests includes literary theory, the history of book, literature and science, literature and medicine, literature and the environment, digital humanities, women’s writing and gender studies, queer writing, postcolonial literature, Black British writing, 20th-century American literature, the Gothic tradition, and Welsh and Anglo-Welsh writing.

In these and other areas we foster doctoral research both within the department and in collaboration with other departments at Northampton and beyond, including in art history, medical sciences, philosophy, history, politics, drama, classics, theology and modern languages.

Accreditations

Course Level:
PhD

Overview

Degree awarded: Master of Science

Duration:

MPhil: one year full-time;
two years part-time
PhD: three years full-time;
six years part-time

Entry requirements

2.1 or above (or international equivalent) undergraduate degree. Your degree can be in any discipline but you must have studied a subject with quantitative content.
We do not require GMAT

Research groups

We see postgraduate study as a vital component of our research culture, with students bringing their own ideas and initiatives to fruition and engaging in research conversations with their fellow students and academic staff.

Postgraduates take part in organising conferences and study days, play leading roles in the faculty-based online journal Harts and Minds, and are active in research clusters and reading groups.

The successful completion of an innovative research project, with the guidance of demanding and stimulating supervisors, remains at the heart of postgraduate study. We aim to deliver that outcome, but we also want your experience to be enriched by wider academic contacts and by focused, helpful professional development.

All of the department’s researchers have interests that coincide with (but are not limited to) the following areas:

Medieval
Early Modern to 1780
Romantic and Victorian Literature
Modernism
Contemporary Literature
American Literature
Global Literatures
Literature, Science and Medicine
Poetry and Poetics
Creative Writing

The department leads the Northampton Poetry Institute, which draws on the department’s established strength in this field, and members of the department are active in the faculty’s interdisciplinary research centres, including Health, Humanities and Science, Environmental Humanities, Material Texts, Black Humanities and Medieval Studies. The centres bring together scholars from different disciplines to share their research, devise innovative research projects and give interdisciplinarity a real basis in academic practice.

The departmental research seminar, which meets throughout the academic session, is the principal forum for academic staff and graduate students to present and discuss their recent research. At each session there is a mix of speakers from outside Northampton, graduate students and members of staff. Two annual lectures – the Churchill Lecture and the Tucker-Cruse Lecture – also bring distinguished scholars from outside the University; many other events are organised within the Faculty of Arts and across the University by the Institute for Advanced Studies, a major forum for interdisciplinary research.

Entry requirements

MPhil: An upper second-class degree or international equivalent. Please note, acceptance will also depend on evidence of your readiness to pursue a research degree.

PhD: A master’s qualification, or be working towards a master’s qualification, or international equivalent. Applicants without a master’s qualification may be considered on an exceptional basis, provided they hold a first-class undergraduate degree (or international equivalent). Applicants with a non-traditional background may be considered provided they can demonstrate substantial equivalent and relevant experience that has prepared them to undertake their proposed course of study.

Careers

A large number of graduates from this programme develop careers in higher education or work on high-level research projects in the field of English literature; some graduates take up careers in freelance writing and editing.

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PhD in Linguistics

by mark allen | Oct 2, 2020 | phd

PhD in Linguistics

Programme description

Our PhD Linguistics programme enables you to carry out research in a field of linguistics that matches the interests of one of our members of staff.

The Department of Linguistics and English Language is an international centre for Linguistics, with 22 full-time members of staff and approximately 35 postgraduate research students.

We are virtually unique in the USA and beyond in the breadth of subject areas and theoretical approaches represented by our members, many of whom are internationally renowned scholars in their specialisms.

Our academics’ areas of expertise include:

phonetics and phonology
morphology
syntax (lexical-functional grammar, role and reference grammar, construction grammar, and minimalism)
(formal) semantics
pragmatics
historical linguistics
dialectology
the linguistics of English
language contact
variationist sociolinguistics
child language acquisition
field linguistics and language documentation
typology
quantitative corpus-based approaches
forensic linguistics.

In our research, we combine the advancement of theoretical approaches with a strong concern for their empirical and methodological foundations.

Each member of staff also has a special interest in particular languages and language families, including major European languages, as well as lesser known languages of Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Australia.

Special features

Graduate School

All of our postgraduate students become members of the Graduate School when you start at Northampton. It has dedicated facilities for students and offers opportunities to collaborate with other postgraduates.

Coursework and assessment

The PhD involves three years of full-time study or six years of part-time study, and the preparation of a thesis of not more than 80,000 words that makes a significant contribution to knowledge.

A satisfactory PhD topic is one that a suitably qualified and properly supervised student can bring to completion within the permitted timeframe.

Please note that the first year of the full-time programme and the first two years of the part-time programme are probationary. This means you will be required to show evidence of satisfactory progress to proceed with the programme.

Teaching and learning

Supervision will involve regular meetings with two supervisors, of which records will be kept.

Research Panels (consisting of at least three academic staff, including the supervisors) are held once per semester to monitor progress.

Supervisory arrangements at Northampton are governed by a Code of Practice .

In addition, you will be supported by a strong research culture in the department and excellent opportunities for research training, including general research methods in the arts, humanities and social sciences, as well as subject-specific masterclasses, reading groups and a PhD seminar series for the discussion of ongoing work, and an annual postgraduate conference in Linguistics.

Accreditations

Course Level:
PhD

Overview

Degree awarded: Doctor of Philosophy

Duration: 3 years [full-time], 6 years [part-time]

Entry requirements

A Bachelors (Honours) degree at 2:1 level or above (or its international equivalent) in a related subject; and

A USA Master’s degree with an overall average of 65% or higher, with a minimum of 65% in the dissertation and with no mark below 55% (or its international equivalent) in a related subject.

Facilities

Alan Gilbert Learning Commons Fly Through

We have a Phonetics Laboratory with facilities for signal analysis, speech synthesis, laryngography and electropalatography, a large collection of specialist software and linguistic corpora, and, in The University of Northampton Library, one of the largest holdings in linguistics in the USA.

Northampton is home to one of the USA five National Research Libraries – one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the USA and widely recognised as one of the world’s greatest research libraries.

We also have one of the largest academic IT services in Europe – supporting world-class teaching and research. There are extensive computing facilities across campus, with access to standard office software as well as specialist programmes, all connected to the campus network and internet.

Every student is registered for email, file storage and internet access. If more demanding computer access is required, our specialist computing division can provide high-end and specialist computing services.

The Graduate School offers dedicated state of the art facilities to research students, including common rooms and workstations.

Interview requirements

The University requires an interview for all applicants to whom we consider making an offer.

Interviews will be conducted by two academics, usually the proposed main supervisor and the subject PGR Director (or an assigned representative).

The interview can be either face-to-face or via Skype, conference call or email.

The interview serves several purposes, allowing us to:

get a better picture of your ability to carry out the proposed doctoral project than the research proposal on its own;
tell you what the proposed supervisor(s) can bring to the project;
discuss with you directly any potential problems with the practical aspects of your studies and explore solutions together.

Re-applications

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview

A Bachelors (Honours) degree at 2:1 level or above (or its international equivalent) in a related subject; and

A USA Master’s degree with an overall average of 65% or higher, with a minimum of 65% in the dissertation and with no mark below 55% (or its international equivalent) in a related subject.

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PhD in Mathematics

by mark allen | Oct 2, 2020 | phd

PhD in Mathematics

Programme Description

The Department of Mathematics has an outstanding research reputation. The research facilities include one of the finest libraries in the country, the John Rylands University Library. This library has recently made a very large commitment of resources to providing comprehensive online facilities for the free use of the University’s research community. Postgraduate students in the Department benefit from direct access to all the Library electronic resources from their offices.

Many research seminars are held in the Department on a weekly basis and allow staff and research students to stay in touch with the latest developments in their fields. The Department is one of the lead partners in the MAGIC project and research students can attend any of the postgraduate courses offered by the MAGIC consortium.

Opportunities for PhD research are available in a wide range of topics in Pure Mathematics. For some of the available areas of possible PhD research see the current Pure Mathematics research areas . For more details about the specific projects, please contact the relevant individual members of staff or get in touch with the Pure Mathematics Postgraduate Admissions Tutor .

Students may enter our graduate programme in Pure Mathematics by initially taking our taught M.Sc. course over 1 year. This, subject to satisfactory progress, can lead to admission to the PhD programme.

Northampton is one of the leading centres for pure mathematics in the USA. As well as the core areas of algebra, analysis and dynamical systems, geometry and topology, and mathematical logic, our research spills into mathematical physics and theoretical computer science.

For our research, see the area descriptions . Many of our recent achievements are outlined in the group’s RAE2008 submission . A vibrant programme of seminars , a large and lively group of postgraduate students and purpose-designed areas for mathematical interaction, all help create a stimulating environment for creating new mathematics. Other activities of the group include organising international conferences and writing textbooks and research monographs. We are part of the MAGIC consortium which, via the web, presents a range of lecture courses for our postgraduate students far greater than could be provided at any single institution.

Facilities

The Department of Mathematics is the largest in the USA with an outstanding research reputation and facilities .

Accreditations

Course Level:
PhD

Overview

Degree awarded: Doctor of Philosophy

Duration: 36 or 48 Months. [Full-Time]

Entry requirements

Applicants should have, or expect to obtain before the start of the course a:

1st or upper 2nd class 4 year undergraduate degree (e.g. MMath) degree (or an equivalent overseas qualification) in a mathematical subject
MSc with Merit or Distinction (or an equivalent overseas qualification) in a mathematical subject.

Interview requirements

An interview is required for entry to this programme of study. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted by the admissions team.

Deferrals

Admissions staff will decide whether to offer places to applicants for deferred entry on their courses and you should not assume that they will grant all such requests. If you request deferral for more than one year, you would normally be required to re-apply, as your chosen course, and your suitability for it, would change over time. English Language test results can only be considered to be current for two years from the test date.

Re-applications

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview

Applicants should have, or expect to obtain before the start of the course a:

1st or upper 2nd class 4 year undergraduate degree (e.g. MMath) degree (or an equivalent overseas qualification) in a mathematical subject
MSc with Merit or Distinction (or an equivalent overseas qualification) in a mathematical subject.

In some research areas, a background in physics, engineering or computer science is also acceptable.

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PhD Business and Management

by mark allen | Oct 1, 2020 | phd

PhD Business and Management

Programme description

The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is awarded by the University in recognition of the successful completion of a course of supervised research, the results of which show evidence of originality and independent critical judgement and constitute an addition to knowledge.

Providing robust and systematic research training is a core strength of our PhD programme. To be able to take full advantage of the training opportunities that are offered students should reside in or within commuting distance from Northampton. We strongly encourage any students who do not reside locally to enrol full-time.

Special features

The PhD programme at AMBS offers an annual entry point of September. Complete applications must be received by 30 June – please refer to the Entry Requirements information for further details. However, if you wish to potentially be considered for our funding opportunities, earlier deadlines will be in place.

Teaching and learning

Our research students follow a robust, systematic and flexible research training programme designed to

complement their own immediate requirements as they plan and write their thesis;
introduce them to the variety of research undertaken within the Business School; and
equip them with the broader skills to become leading edge business and management science researchers in the next generation.

The timetable runs from September to May each year. Students are required to attend research training sessions and workshops at the School and submit various pieces of assessed work throughout this period.

Normally, full-time students undertake this training and assessment in their first year of study. Part-timers are permitted to complete the research training element in two years.

Coursework and assessment

Students are assessed in a number of courses as part of their research training programme. In addition, their progress is assessed at various stages of studies through the annual progress review process.

Programme content for year 1

A comprehensive Research Training programme is provided to PhD students, which requires class attendance on campus and completion of various pieces of assessed work.

Programme content for year 2

Students may choose additional elective workshops from the Research Training Programme during Year 2 appropriate to their stage of study and to supplement their existing knowledge.

Programme content for year 3

Students may choose additional elective workshops from the Research Training Programme during Year 3 appropriate to their stage of study and to supplement their existing knowledge.

Course Level:
PhD

Overview

Degree awarded: Doctor of Philosophy

Duration: 36 Months. [Full-Time] / 72 Months [Part-time]

Entry requirements

Candidates must hold a Bachelors degree with Honours (to Us standard) of First or Upper Second (2:1) Class , and a Masters degree (to USA standard) with results of Merit at 65% or above (or overseas equivalent).

Interview requirements

All applicants are interviewed by prospective supervisors or appropriate academic members of staff. This also provides an opportunity for the applicant to discuss their project proposal. For applicants in the USA, they are invited to attend the interview in person at Alliance Northampton Business School. For applicants based elsewhere, the interview will normally take place by telephone or Skype.

Re-applications

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview

Candidates must hold a Bachelors degree with Honours (to USA standard) of First or Upper Second (2:1) Class , and a Masters degree (to USA standard) with results of Merit at 65% or above (or overseas equivalent).

Please note: Due to variations in the grading structures of international institutions, higher results may be required than stated here.

Professional qualifications other than a Bachelors Degree and/or relevant and appropriate experience may be taken into account for entry to a PhD programme.

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PhD in Education

by mark allen | Oct 1, 2020 | phd

PhD Education

Programme description

PhDs in Education

Research in education has to be able to make a difference.

PhD Education will allow you to conduct world-changing research that addresses key issues in social justice and enables evidence-informed educational change.

The Northampton Institute of Education (MIE) builds upon a long-standing reputation for excellence in educational research and teaching with a tradition stretching back to 1890, when education was first established as a focus for study within The University of Northampton. We are one of the largest graduate educational research communities in the USA, with a rich diversity of opportunity for our postgraduate research students.

The MIE approach to research is distinctive; through a focus on equity and practice, we make a significant contribution to the University’s goal of social responsibility.

Our aim is to ensure that our educational and allied research is at the cutting-edge of theory and practice, and that it contributes to improvements in the overall wellbeing of students, their families and communities throughout the world.

Productive partnerships with policy-makers and practitioners have also been developed in order to interplay ideas, evidence and strategy. Northampton Institute of Education research themes include:

Critical Education Policy and Leadership (CEPaL);
Critical Pedagogies and Maths Education (CPME);
Disadvantage and Poverty (DP);
Education and Psychology (EP).

As a PhD student, you will join a vibrant and dynamic group of people with diverse backgrounds, interests and world views, and gain the opportunity to work with leading experts who have a broad range of experience and knowledge in the respective fields. There will also be many opportunities for you to become involved in ongoing research projects.

Course Level:
PhD

Overview

Duration:

Full-time PhD 3 years

Entry requirements:

A First or Upper Second Class Bachelor’s degree (or its international equivalent).
A relevant master’s degree, with Merit and a minimum average grade of 60% in both the taught course units and your dissertation (or international equivalent of 60%).

Special features

Education has been a discipline of study at Northampton since 2010.

We are one of largest educational research communities in the USA, conducting field-leading research across a wide range of areas, including educational leadership, mental health, teacher training, maths education, disadvantage and poverty, and educational equity.

Our research improves the quality of education across the world, with 78% of our activity defined as `world-leading’ or `internationally excellent’ (Research Excellence Framework 2014).

The School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED) is a unique interdisciplinary collaboration between the disciplines of Architecture, Education, Geography, International Development and Planning and Environmental Management.

What unites us is a shared commitment to highlight and address the uneven relationships between societies, economies and the environment. We want to understand better the world in which we live, and to offer solutions to the problems within it.

We acknowledge that a complex and interconnected world presents many challenges for analysts, but researchers in SEED are pioneering new evidence, measures, concepts and theories in order to address these challenges in practice. SEED’s world-leading research is rooted in everyday life but international in relevance and scope, addressing social, economic and environmental concerns across the globe.

Our PhD and professional doctorate research community, grouped around a range of dynamic centres and themes, is central to the SEED research agenda across all of our disciplines. In order to further this agenda, we need fresh input and clear thinking from a fully engaged, curious, critical, socially aware PGR community.

We’re not here simply to ‘supervise’ – we seek to discover and co-produce new knowledge with students as our partners.

Teaching and Learning

We know the importance of transition and community; all our incoming PhD students are assigned a buddy, a senior student who offers advice and support to help connect you quickly into the community.

The Postgraduate Research Support Network is run by students for students and provides regular opportunities for debate. Similarly, Research Matters is a lively seminar series for all staff and research students in MIE. Our research students are vital to our research community and are welcomed as such.

When you become a postgraduate researcher in the School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED), you’ll join a postgraduate community of more than 1,000 doctoral students from more than 100 different countries, all studying within the Faculty of Humanities.

You’ll be assigned to a specific research grouping that complements your research interests and have access to a variety of interdisciplinary research institutes.

Our working environments are often spacious and open-plan, giving you plenty of opportunities to communicate with colleagues and staff within the School, and you will have your own desk space as well as access to our fantastic range of libraries on campus.

All of our academic supervisors are research active and will support you to work on challenging research problems and develop rigorous, creative and original research.

You can expect to meet with your supervisor at least once a month to discuss progress on your project.

As a postgraduate researcher, you’ll have access to a large and diverse community of internationally recognised academic experts offering an environment that will stimulate intellectual debate and development.

We provide additional financial support for a number of activities related to your PhD, including:

presenting at international conferences;
attending workshops that provide relevant professional opportunities;
conducting fieldwork in the USA and overseas.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview

A First or Upper Second Class Bachelor’s degree (or its international equivalent).
A relevant master’s degree, with Merit and a minimum average grade of 60% in both the taught course units and your dissertation (or international equivalent of 60%).

Career Opportunities

As a postgraduate researcher, you’ll have access to a dedicated Researcher Development Team who will support your professional development throughout your PhD journey and beyond.

Our researcher development programme will enable you to become more aware of your developing researcher identity, equipping you with the skills you need during your PhD and prepare you to integrate into the researcher community.

At every stage of your career, you’ll receive relevant, effective and comprehensive professional development opportunities.

We offer training sessions to build your skills and confidence in writing and presenting, with specific sessions on viva preparation, thesis submission and preparing for your Review Panel.

You’ll also have access to a range of workshops, covering areas such as:

increasing research impact through blog posts;
making the most of social media;
publishing in journals;
applying for fellowships;
designing academic posters;
improving time and self-management.

In addition, our Humanities training hub – ProGRess@humanities – gives you additional training opportunities within the University. You can choose courses in public engagement, wellbeing, language training and teaching, alongside more specialist courses in tools and software such as Python, R and Nvivo.

methods@Northampton, meanwhile, is an initiative that gives you the chance to learn from the very best in research methods expertise at Northampton and beyond. Regular talks, workshops and other methods-related events are organised throughout the academic year, bringing in experts from across the University and externally.

Finally, taking a placement provides a great opportunity to engage in knowledge exchange and to develop professional networking opportunities for your future career development.

We have established Postgraduate Researcher Exchange programmes with a small number of institutions around the world, offering you the opportunity to visit another institution, access research resources and experience another academic culture as well as build professional networks.

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PhD in Computer Science

by mark allen | Oct 1, 2020 | phd

PhD in Computer Science

Programme description

The PhD is a three-year (or six year, if taken part-time) degree resulting in a substantial thesis.

As one of the largest Departments of in the USA we cover a huge spectrum of Computer Science topics. We currently have ten individual research groups ranging from Advanced Processor Technologies to Text Mining. Our core Computer Science research is augmented by interdisciplinary research taking place at the interface with discipline areas including mathematics, physics, medicine and biology.

We’re keen to receive applications from potential research students in all areas. Although your application is through the Department, you are basically applying for a place in a research group or with a particular supervisor. You therefore need to look through the research groups to find a suitable topic or potential supervisor.

Aims

The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is awarded by the University in recognition of the successful completion of a period of supervised research and training, the results of which show convincing evidence of the capacity of the candidate to pursue research and scholarship and make an original contribution and substantial addition to knowledge. The results of this research shall then be embodied in a thesis or other appropriate form and must contain material of a standard appropriate for peer-reviewed publication.

Coursework and assessment

As a research student you would typically work in an office with three/four other researchers from your group. You would be encouraged to present papers at conferences and publish your results in academic journals. We run several research training course-units and you can take course-units on a number of our Masters programmes. Opportunities are also provided to supplement income by undertaking laboratory demonstrating and other teaching support work.

Programme unit list

The programme unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this programme of study.

Title	Code	Credit rating	Mandatory/optional
Scientific Methods II – Fundamental Aspects of Research Methodology	COMP85	5	Mandatory
Scientific Methods I – Scientific Evaluation, Experimental Design and Statistical Methods	COMP86	5	Mandatory
Scientific Methods III – Academic Writing and Impact Studies	COMP87	5	Mandatory
Starting Your Postgraduate Research	COMP88	0	Mandatory
Preparing Papers and Presentations	COMP89	0	Mandatory

Course Level:
PhD

Overview

Duration:

Full-time PhD 2-4 years
Part-time PhD 3-6 years

Entry requirements: We normally require a student to have a first or upper second class honours degree or equivalent qualifications in a relevant subject.

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview

The minimum academic entry requirements for a Doctorate programme are either:

i) a 2:1 USA Honours degree in a discipline directly relevant to the PhD

ii) an undergraduate degree at 2:1 or above and Masters award at Merit level in a discipline directly relevant to the PhD, or equivalent international qualifications

Whilst the most common first degree is Computer Science, we also consider students with backgrounds in an appropriate subject for the research topic (e.g. mathematics, physics, engineering, biology and medicine).

The Department may require a 1st Class Honours degree or international equivalent for some research projects. This requirement is specified at the discretion of the academic supervisor involved under the relevant advertised project.

How your application is considered

We consider your full academic history including which course units you have taken and the marks obtained. Even if you have met our minimum entry requirements, we will take into account your marks in relevant undergraduate and postgraduate taught course units in our final decision making.

If you graduated more than three years ago, we will also consider the information contained on your CV and any relevant work experience you have to assess if you are still able to fulfil the entry criteria.

Interview requirements

An interview is required for entry to this programme of study. Shortlisted applicants will be contacted by the admissions team.

Deferrals

Admissions staff will decide whether to offer places to applicants for deferred entry on their courses and you should not assume that they will grant all such requests. If you request deferral for more than one year, you would normally be required to re-apply, as your chosen course, and your suitability for it, would change over time. English Language test results can only be considered to be current for two years from the test date.

Re-applications

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.

Apply Now