Join our Research Degrees Programme

The online Expression of Interest form asks for short answers addressing the following areas:

• your academic qualifications, training and/or professional experience;
• the proposed year, term (i.e. October or January) and mode of study (i.e. Full time/Part time);
• how you intend to fund your study;
• your proposed project title, disciplinary field, keywords and key research questions;
• the area of your research and its potential original contribution to knowledge;
• whether Practice Research forms part of your project and, if so, how it may operate in the context of your inquiry, and what resources might be required;
• an indicative bibliography of sources that have informed the project’s conception (key books, articles, and/or performances consulted).

Please note that Central does not accept expressions of interest submitted via email; the online process must be completed in order to progress to the next stage in the application process.

The Research Degrees Team will review your Expression of Interest form and provide feedback as appropriate.

Applicants with projects that demonstrate an alignment with Central’s specialisms, and supervision availability, will be invited to proceed to the second stage of the application process. Research Services will write to such applicants to request a full proposal and personal statement, which will be considered by a minimum of two senior members of staff and/or proposed project supervisors.

Full Proposal and Personal Statement

Research Proposal

No more than 2,000 words and covers the following:

• Overview of the project (approx. 350 words)
• Key research questions (approx. 150 words)
• Research context (literature and performance review) (approx. 400 words)
• Methodologies (please include details of any other archival or practice resources that you will wish to draw on (approx. 300 words)
• Timeline (approx. 300 words)
• Indicative bibliography (approx. 400 words)                                                                      

Personal Statement

No more than 1,300 words and covers the following:

• Why do you wish to undertake this project at Central?
• Practice – if appropriate to your application please provide details of qualifications and previous experience in the fields relevant to your proposed practice. You may provide a URL link to 5 mins of your current practice. (approx. 400 words)
• What training you envisage needing to realize this project? Please delineate any specialist technical equipment or software needs or other resources that you have identified. (approx. 400 words)
• Ethics: what kind of ethical issues merit consideration in undertaking this research? (approx. 300 words)

Please be aware that you may be asked to provide further information during the admissions process.

Research Services will collate and provide feedback on full proposals.

Applicants who have viable projects will be called to interview, which will normally be held with the proposed potential supervision team. Interview panels may, on occasion, also include a member of the Research Degrees core academic team. Interviewees will be notified of all panel members in advance.

Applicants will receive written confirmation of the final decision from Central’s Admissions and Student Recruitment Office.

If you are offered a place, the formal offer will lay down the framework within which you will be conducting research.

For example:

• whether you will be full-time or part-time
• the annual fees you will be required to pay in the first year, including information about whether there are any additional charges (e.g. for materials, production support, etc.)
• the outline of the proposed research programme, the normal length of study and the facilities which will be made available
• the name of the lead supervisor.

Your topic for research will normally have been agreed at the interview stage and will be included in the offer letter. Where this is not the case, it must be formalised by the Research Degrees Sub-committee no later than one month after registration.

Candidates register initially for the MPhil (unless you are transferring research begun for a PhD elsewhere).

To transfer to the PhD, you will submit a substantial piece of work-in-progress around nine months after you have begun your MPhil for full-time students; this time is pro-rata for part-time students. Details on length of format, time required and assessment of work, can be found in the programme specifications for each postgraduate course in the prospectus.

You are advised to submit an Expression of Interest as far as possible in advance of your desired start date.

The School has two start dates for the programme, in October and January.

Should you be transferring your PhD from another institution, you will need to follow the same application procedure.