MPhil/PhD Sociology frequently asked questions

Can I do my PhD overseas while being registered for a PhD at Goldsmiths?

We don’t offer a distance learning MPhil/PhD programme. We require our students to be resident in the UK, and close enough to Goldsmiths to engage in the regular activities. However, we support our students in conducting research further afield or overseas if required by their programme of work. Our students have carried out fieldwork in Greece, Turkey, Taiwan, USA, Mexico, and many other places.

Can I work while doing a PhD?

Doing a PhD is a full-time activity. It takes up 9am-5pm five days a week at the very least, so working while doing a PhD is not a good idea. If you need to do paid work while doing your PhD, then we would encourage you to do a part-time PhD. However, some of our PhD students do have a particular work organisation as their object of study, and sometimes it makes sense for them to double up (in an ethnographic sense) the research and the work.

Will I find doing a PhD lonely?

A PhD can be lonely work. You are working on something in a particular kind of way that makes what you’re doing unique. But the Department has a very lively, supportive, and friendly research culture. We have lots of discussions, and a friendly ear and a cup of tea is always at hand.