MPhil/PhD
Education

You'll research

We are particularly interested to hear from those who would like to work within areas such as:

• Art practice and learning
• Children’s literature and education
• Curriculum policy and practice
• Social justice and education
• Race, politics and education
• Progressive pedagogies
• Multilingualism
• Global education
• Education governance
• Education policy
• Early years education
• Comparative education
• Educational research ethics as situated practice

Programme aims

To help you:

• Identify appropriate issues of educational significance for your enquiry
• Select appropriate methods and methodologies by which to investigate these
• Appreciate the epistemological and technical assumptions that underpin this choice
• Design and execute a well-founded enquiry
• Analyse and interpret findings with accuracy, rigour, and originality
• Identify the practical and professional implications of educational enquiry
• Pursue doctoral training and development and achieve socially impactful research
• Build connections with postgraduate alumni working in HE as well as in a range of employment sectors

Structure

We ensure that you’re supported by highly qualified supervisors who you work with to a mutually agreed timetable and maintain regular tutorial contact throughout your research. An induction and research training programme is provided and you’re normally expected to follow this. There is an annual appraisal of your progress, and every effort is made to ensure good communication between yourself, your supervisors, and other relevant members of staff.

You’ll join a vibrant research community with many opportunities to lead and engage in work-in-progress seminars, research clusters, the annual postgraduate conference, create your own research communities, and get support for writing for publication.

You’ll have additional support from the Graduate School, where there’s a lively programme of interdisciplinary seminars, as well as core research training to support your studies. The Graduate School also has its own virtual research community, running in parallel to the physical School and providing online seminars and research training programmes.

All MPhil and PhD students and academic staff are invited to research seminars run by the Department’s three Research Centres: the Centre for Language, Culture and Learning (CLCL), the Centre for the Arts and Learning and the Centre for Identities and Social Justice. In addition to academics from inside and outside the University, research students also have an opportunity to contribute to seminars on work in progress.

Facilities

In addition to the facilities available in the Graduate School, the Department has good facilities for research students including a study room, which looks out on to the College Green.

Take a virtual tour of the campus

How to apply

Apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system

Before submitting your application you'll need to have: 

• Details of your education history, including the dates of all exams/assessments
• The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively an electronic copy of your academic reference
• Contact details of a second referee
• A personal statement – this can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online. Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement
• An electronic copy of your educational transcript (this is particularly important if you have studied outside of the UK)
• Details of your research proposal (please also see below guidelines)

You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.

Before you apply for a research programme, we advise you to have a look at the staff research interests to see if Educational Studies is the right department for you and whether a member of staff matches your research interests.

The University of London requires that students have two supervisors. Nominating supervisors in your application indicates that you have a good grasp of your research and helps us to direct your application to appropriate members of staff and in determining a good match between your research and the Department.

You should not contact supervisors directly. The Director of Postgraduate Research will contact supervisors after receipt of your application.

When to apply 

We accept applications from October for students wanting to start the following January or September.

Selection process 

Once you have submitted your application, it goes to Goldsmiths central admissions department and is subsequently sent out to the Department of Educational Studies for a first-pass review.

Successful candidates are invited to a remote interview. Unfortunately, due to the number of applications we receive, we are not able to offer feedback on unsuccessful applications. 

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the application process, contact Dr Vally Lytra, Director of Postgraduate Research, v.lytra(@gold.ac.uk).

Find out more about applying for a research degree.

Guidelines for writing a research proposal

A good research proposal is required if you are interested in studying at MPhil or PhD level at Goldsmiths. It should indicate the topic that you are interested in and your experience and understanding of the area. The proposal forms a basis for discussion if you are interviewed and is important in helping us decide the supervisory support needed.

Whatever topic that you choose to research there will be a considerable investment of time and energy on your behalf. In view of this you need to consider carefully what you want to find out, whether the work is important to you and will sustain your interest and commitment over a number of years.  Please also refer to our information on writing a research proposal.

The proposal should be between 1,500 and 2,000 words long. Although the exact form may vary according to what you intend to do, you should aim to include the following:

Title: This may only be a working title but it should clearly indicate the field of study and your research focus within it.

Introduction: This should outline the general field of study and why you regard researching a particular aspect of this to be important. It is helpful to indicate how your own experience has led you to the particular research questions that you are asking and why you think you are in a good position to carry out the research.

Main research questions: State clearly what you aim to find out. Try to make your research questions sufficiently focused so that they can be adequately addressed within the time and the resources that you have available.

Reviewing the literature: You need to show that you are aware of the main debates and issues relevant to your study. Key contributions in the literature should be cited and commented upon and the links with the work that you intend to do must be made explicit. Try to make clear what is already known in the immediate area and indicate how your work will add something new and distinctive to what already exists.

Methodology: You are asked to provide a brief overview of your intended research approach. For example, empirical research may draw on observation, interviews or document analysis that can be described qualitatively or quantitatively. Whichever approach you use it must be clear how any data or practice will help you answer your main research question. You need to show that you are aware of the different methods and analyses that you could use and provide a brief rationale for those most suited to your research. Indicate details such as where you will carry out your work, others who may be involved, over what period of time, and whether you will be able to obtain permissions or access needed.

Ethical issues: Briefly indicate any particular considerations that might arise regarding issues such as protecting your participants from harm, and respecting their autonomy and privacy.