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.

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.

Academic entry qualification overview

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.

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.

Academic entry qualification overview

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.

Academic entry qualification overview

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.

Academic entry qualification overview