How to apply
There are several ways you can apply for postgraduate study at The University of Manchester.
- Apply online
- Download a copy of the application form
- Request a printed version of the application form
Visit our how to apply section on the main University website for full details on each application option including:
- Supporting information you will need to submit
- Advice for international applicants
- The application process
See: University How to apply section
Entry requirements
PhD: A First or Upper Second class honours degree or/and a Masters qualification in Education or a related subject area, or its overseas equivalent.
Applicants who hold a lower second honours degree or its overseas equivalent may be offered MPhil leading to PhD in the first instance. Following completion of one year's registration and a satisfactory performance at the School review panel, such candidates may transfer to year two of PhD registration.
DEdPsy: Applicants must be qualified educational psychologists and hold a First or Second class honours degree in Psychology (or equivalent) and have successfully completed a Masters degree in Educational Psychology. Applicants for the DEdPsy have to submit an outline of an idea for a piece of research (the equivalent to the research proposal required for PhD and MPhil) that could be carried out in the latter part of the course. The purpose of this proposal is to allow the applicant to reflect on the key elements of research and to be able to discuss their idea(s) at the interview.
Applicants who are successfully admitted to the course will be taught research skills through the first three assignments and may change their mind when it comes to deciding on the topic for the thesis. The proposal should be less than 1000 words and would be expected to cover the following points:
- Title, idea or question to be explored
- Background information exlaining how this relates to the work of edcuational psychologists as applied psychologists
- An outline of the background literature relevant to the proposal with a focus on 2 or 3 main papers/books/articles
- Consideration of a possible methodology, how will the problem be explored and data collected
- How do you propose to make sense of the data? What kind of analysis might you use?
During the interview the applicant will be expected to talk informally about their proposal with tutors and to explore how the idea might be developed into a research project.
Students who are successful in their application will need to complete a more detailed research proposal in Year 3 of this part time course and before commencing on the thesis.
MPhil: A First or Second Class Honours UK Bachelor's degree or its overseas equivalent. Professional qualifications other than a Bachelor's Degree and/or relevant and appropriate experience may be taken into account for entry to an MPhil programme.
MSc Educational Research: A First or Second Class Honours UK Bachelor's degree or/and a Masters qualification in Education or a related subject area, or its overseas equivalent.
Research Training
It is essential that research students studying for either PhD or MPhil have adequate research training. Previous research training needs to meet the standards required by ESRC accredited training programmes in Education. If this is not the case an offer may still be made but on the condition that applicants undertake and pass the core units from the MSc in Educational Research during the probationary year of study.
English language qualifications
Students whose first language is not English require a minimum of IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL 600 (paper-based) or 250 (computer-based).
Research Proposal
Applicants for PhD/MPhil have to submit a 1000 word research proposal with their application. The research proposal is expected to cover the following:
- title
- how the proposed research relates to previous research in this field
- main questions or hypotheses to be addressed
- justification of these as worthy of investigation
- overview of the proposed research methodology
- sources and type of data and methods of collection
- methods of analysis
- main stages in the conduct of the proposed research with time allocation.
It is likely that in most cases the research questions and methodology will be refined and adapted during the course of the year in consultation with the supervisor. Nevertheless, the quality of this initial presentation is a very important factor in deciding whether to offer a place (and on what basis) to an applicant.