A An MRes is a RQF level 7 Postgraduate Research master’s course and requires to present the results of research carried out during the approved period of study and should demonstrate advanced understanding of the area of study. The course does not have any taught components like regular taught masters. In An MAD/MSD course, you’ll conduct independent research which you will then write up a dissertation, present and defend it in an oral examination, viva voce.

A An MRes is a RQF level 7 Postgraduate Research master’s course and involves undertaking a research project at Master’s level but places more emphasis on research skills than a traditional taught master’s degree. For students who wish to proceed to doctoral research, MRes study can be an excellent preparation for them. In An MRes course, you’ll conduct independent research which you will then write up as a thesis and present in an oral examination - also known as viva voce.

A An MPhil is a RQF level 7 Postgraduate Research master’s course which is considered as precursor of the PhD. It is normally a full-time one year course, can be studied as a stand-alone course or as part of an integrated doctorate course. In an MPhil course you will need to critically investigate and evaluate an approved topic, write a thesis and then present and defend this thesis by viva voce.

A A PhD also known as DPhil is a RQF level 8 Postgraduate Research doctorate course and considered as the highest level of degree that a student can achieve. It is normally a full time three year course in the UK. Students studying for a PhD are required to produce original research that expands the boundaries of knowledge, normally in the form of a thesis, and defend their work before a panel of other experts in the viva voce examination. On completion of a PhD degree, you will be entitled to use ‘Dr’ title before your name.

A Professional Doctorate courses are Postgraduate Research degrees at RQF level 8. These programmes take several different forms, but have in common the integration of professional and academic knowledge in a qualification which, whilst equivalent in status and challenge to a PhD, is designed for those pursuing professional rather than academic careers. In DProf courses, you will require to submit a thesis and defend it in viva voce examination. Like a PhD graduate, you can use ‘Dr’ title once you qualify with a professional doctorate course.

A A PhD by publication is a postgraduate research degree that's based on research you've already undertaken over a significant period of time (at least five to ten years) and have a number of publications arising from this work which have already been published. As well as submitting the published work, candidates for the PhD by Publication need to prepare a critical analysis of around 15,000 words and to undertake an oral examination (viva) on the critical analysis and the published work. The course is normally a part-time one and are available to faculty members.

A The Doctor of Medicine (MD) is a doctoral degree open to medical graduates and practitioners (technically, anyone holding a medical qualification that meets registration requirements with the General Medical Council). It is usually laboratory-based though it will focus on a specific clinical research topic. It is equivalent in requirements and format to the PhD.

A An Integrated Doctorate is a four-year full-time postgraduate research programme. Integrated Doctorates are referred to as ‘New Route’, ‘4 year’ or ‘1+3’ (MPhil + PhD/DPhil) programmes. Unlike stand-alone PhD graduates, Integrated Doctorate students will graduate with two separate qualifications: i) a RQF level 7 MPhil degree and ii) a RQF level 8 PhD/DPhil degree.

A To apply for a postgraduate research course, you will normally require the following documents including –

• Certificate and official transcripts of your previous degree/s
• English language proficiency certificate
• Details of two referees or two reference letters dated within last 2 years
• A research proposal
• A personal statement
• Up-to-date academic CV
• A portfolio of artwork or samples of your written work (if applicable)
• Published work i.e. book, journal, article etc. (if any)

A Your application for PhD and postgraduate research masters courses must be supported by a written proposal for your theses. In the proposal, you should give clear, academically sound, description of the area that you intend to work in and the type of research that you are looking to undertake. The research proposal should describe ‘what’ you will investigate, ‘why’ it is important to investigate those and ‘how’ you will conduct the investigation. This will help universities to understand your interests, assess your ability to successfully complete a PhD or Postgraduate research masters courses and find an appropriate supervisor for you.

As a general guideline, a research proposal should be around 2,000 to 3,000 words that you write to outline the project you want to undertake – it is a concise and coherent summary of your proposed research for your theses.

Your research proposal aims should be centred on –

• Relevance
• Context
• Approach
• Feasibility

A There is no formal structure for proposal; as a general guideline you may follow the following structure and suggestions that get positive outcomes –

• A working title
• Introduction
• Literature review
• Key research questions
• Research design and methods
• Significance of the research
• Work plan and timescale
• Conclusion
• Bibliography or reference list

A The research design and methodology is the most important part of the research proposal. The section should cover answers for questions as outlined below –

Research type

• Are you going to perform qualitative or quantitative research? Combination of both?
• Will you collect original data or work with primary/secondary sources?
• Is your research design descriptive, correlational or experimental? Something completely different?
• If you are undertaking your own study, when and where will you collect the data? How will you select subjects or sources? Ethics review? Exactly what or who will you study?

Research methods

• What tools and procedures will you use (e.g. systematic reviews, surveys, interviews, observation, experiments, bibliographic data) to collect your data?
• What tools/methods will you use to analyse your data?
• Why are these the best methods to answer your research question(s)? This is where you should justify your choices.

Practicalities

• How much time will you need to collect the data?
• How will you gain access to participants and sources?
• Do you foresee any potential obstacles and if so, how will you address them?

A The assessment of Postgraduate Research (PGR) courses for degree awards involve –

• Peer review
• Examination of written thesis
• Viva voce examination to discuss and defend the thesis

A A thesis is the acquisition and dissemination of new knowledge of learned and existing information, while the purpose of a dissertation is to develop a personal unique and original concept in a particular area of research.