Session give to MA students in the Manchester Institute of Education

1. Considering a PhD after an MA
Dr Jenna Mittelmeier
Manchester Institute of Education (MIE)
12 December 2019

2. CONSIDERING A PHD:
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
• Why do you want to do a PhD?
• How does it fit into your career plans?
• Can your topic keep you interested for 3+ years?
• Do you enjoy research and writing?
• Are you comfortable with studying independently?

3. CONSIDERING A PHD:
REASONS THAT ARE NOT
STRONG ENOUGH
Don’t do a PhD just because:
• It looks prestigious
• It’s the next degree you can do
• There is social pressure to succeed
• You aren’t sure what to do next

5. CONSIDERING A PHD:
PHD-LEVEL CAREERS IN
EDUCATION
Think carefully about your intended career plans
and whether a PhD is necessary. Some example
roles with an education PhD include:
• Academia
• Education administration
• Educational leadership roles
• Leadership roles in private sector companies
• Researcher or data analyst

6. CONSIDERING A PHD:
WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE DO
YOU WANT?
What do you want to gain from your PhD?
• What skills do you want to gain?
• What opportunities do you want (publishing,
conferences, training, etc.)?
• What kind of relationship do you want with a
supervisor? How do you want to be treated?
• How do you prefer to work? (by yourself or as part
of a team?)

7. CONSIDERING A PHD:
CHOOSING THE RIGHT
INSTITUTION
Doing a PhD isn’t always just about getting into
the highest ranked school. You should consider:
• The research focus of the department
• Support provided to PhD students
• Development opportunities for PhD students
• Perspectives towards PhD research
Consider: Making a visit or speaking to current
PhD students in the department

8. CONSIDERING A PHD:
CHOOSING THE RIGHT
SUPERVISOR
Consider:
• Their research expertise and profile
• Their professional network and reputation
• Their philosophies towards doctoral supervision
• Their level of formality towards you
• Whether you like them as a person and want to
work closely with them for 3+ years

9. CONSIDERING A PHD:
CHOOSING THE RIGHT
SUPERVISORWho will guide your project?
The relationship between you and your supervisor(s)
is central to the success of a PhD.
An interested supervisor should help support your
application and research proposal with critical
feedback.

10. CONSIDERING A PHD:
CHOOSING THE RIGHT
SUPERVISOR• Look for someone whose expertise matches your
research topic or idea
• Consider papers you’ve liked or cited often
• Look at university webpages to see staff interests
• Don’t: contact people whose research interests
don’t match your own. Be selective! 

11. USUAL PROCESS FOR PHD ADMISSIONS
• Write an initial PhD proposal
• Reach out to potential supervisors
• Identify someone who agrees to work with you
(and you want to work with!)
• Apply to their university
• Interview with their university

12. CONTACTING A POTENTIAL
SUPERVISOR
• Keep the email brief
• Attach your CV and research proposal
• Outline your intended research area and why
you think they are a good fit
• Ask if they are currently accepting PhD students
and would be interested in discussing your
proposal further

13. Dear Dr/Prof [Name],
My name is [name] and I have recently graduated from
the University of Manchester’s MA in Education
(International) programme. I am seeking a PhD
opportunity related to my research proposal, which is
entitled [title]. Given your related expertise in [area], I
was wondering if you are currently accepting PhD
students and would be interested in discussing my ideas
further? I have attached my CV and a copy of my current
proposal. I look forward to hearing from you!
Kind regards,
[name]

14. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR A
PHD
EXAMPLE FROM MIE:Length of study: 3 years
Entry requirements:
• A first or second class Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent)
• A relevant master’s degree with a merit AND a minimum
average grade of 60% in both the taught course units and
your dissertation
• Demonstration of language ability.
IELTS score minimums: 7 overall, 7 writing, 6 in other
sections
More information: http://bit.ly/2PqCutT

15. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR A
PHD
AT MIE:Your completed application should include:
• two references;
• a degree certificate and transcript for your bachelor's and
master's degrees;
• a research proposal;
• evidence of your English language proficiency;
• a personal statement outlining your reasons for wishing
to study on the programme, and the experience and skills
you will bring;
• a detailed CV.

16. PLANNING YOUR APPLICATION:
FUNDING (EXAMPLES FROM MIE)
Funding is available at most universities, but the deadlines for
starting in Oct 2020 are likely quickly approaching.
At MIE, most require a PhD application submitted by
January or February 2020
To make time to develop a good application, most current
students will likely want to consider submitting to start in
October 2021
Funding details:
https://www.seed.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-
research/opportunities/

17. PLANNING YOUR APPLICATION:
FUNDING EXAMPLES
China Scholarship Council:
• For Chinese citizens
• Covers three years of tuition, living allowance,
airfare, and visa
• Recipients must return to China after completion
• Must specify interest in PhD application
• Due date: January 2020

18. PLANNING YOUR APPLICATION:
FUNDING EXAMPLES
President’s Doctoral Scholar Awards
• For all applicants
• Covers tuition and living stipend for three years
• Automatically considered
• Due date: 10 February 2020

19. PLANNING YOUR APPLICATION:
FUNDING EXAMPLES
SEED Postgraduate Research Scholarship
• For all applicants to MIE
• Covers tuition and living stipend Separate
application in addition to PhD application
• Due date: 10 February 2020

20. PLANNING YOUR APPLICATION:
USING YOUR MA TO SUPPORT
YOUR PHDSuggestions for using your MA to strengthen
your application to a PhD:
• Conduct primary research for your dissertation
• Use your dissertation as a small scale ‘pilot study’
for your PhD
• Use your dissertation and assignments to
develop your PhD proposal research questions
• Focus on developing study skills – writing, public
speaking, communication, etc.

21. Your proposal is an essential part of how universities judge whether
you have what it takes to excel as a doctoral candidate and for you
to share your ideas and interests with them.
Remember, in a PhD proposal you aren’t committing to doing specifics
and a fuller proposal is required to complete the first year. Keep your
proposal concise. You have lots to cover so cover only what is relevant to
your project.
At MIE, a proposal should be 2000 – 3000 words.
Useful guidelines: http://bit.ly/2C1J3Qa
https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/admissions/how-to-
apply/research-proposal/
PLANNING YOUR APPLICATION:
YOUR RESEARCH PROPOSAL

22. 1. What is your purpose?
2. Why is it important?
3. Why hasn’t it been done before/why should it be done
now?
4. Why should you (and your supervisors) do it?
5. Who will use your results?
6. What do you want to find out?
7. How are you going to do it?
YOUR RESEARCH PROPOSAL:
KEY ELEMENTS

23. Depending on the institutional requirements,
research proposals usually include:
• Abstract
• Literature review
• Research questions
• Methods
• Work plan
• References
YOUR RESEARCH PROPOSAL:
STRUCTURE

24. 1. WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE?
ABSTRACT
• Needs to be clear to a non-specialist reader – so use
language without jargon
• Will require a brief statement of the ‘problem’ that your
research will address
• An opening paragraph of a proposal will:
 usually start with a statement of the problem (1-3 sentences
max)
 then a statement of what your research proposes to do (1-2
sentences)
 A statement of your research questions

25. This is a longer section of your proposal.
You’ll review the key literature – or evaluate your idea – to
show:
• why the problem is important and
• what research others have done on it
• Not too long : 1-2 pages
• Leads to an identification of current gaps in knowledge
2. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
LITERATURE REVIEW

26. Having identified the ‘gaps’ in current
knowledge, you need to show why the
research is timely and relevant (e.g. who
cares? What is the impact of this work?)
3. WHY SHOULD THIS RESEARCH
BE DONE NOW?
LITERATURE REVIEW

27. This is one of the most important
elements of the proposal
Keep your questions focused and specific,
linking clearly back to your literature review.
4. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO
FIND OUT?
RESEARCH QUESTIONS

28. This is where you give a general plan for your project
and demonstrate that it is feasible to complete:
• What kind of information is relevant to answer the research
questions?
• What kind of methods will be needed?
• Is it feasible within the time period you’ll have?
5. HOW WILL YOU DO IT?
METHODS AND WORK PLAN

29. • All proposals are a statement of intent, not a
description of how things will turn out
• However they must be as credible as possible:
o Show you have a clear understanding of what you
want to do
o Show that it is worth doing (and paying for)
o Show you have a realistic judgement of what is
involved and your capacity to do it
Advice:

30. Helpful Book:

31. ANY
QUESTIONS?