North American Postgraduate Guide
STAGE 1 – CHECK ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Before you apply, check course information on the website www.durham.ac.uk/courses to ensure that you can: • Meet the academic department’s entry requirements • Meet the financial requirement of the programme you are interested in, including tuition fees and living costs (for more information on fees and funding see page 22-23) If you would like to study for a research degree you will need to contact your academic department and check your research interests are compatible and that you can find a suitable supervisor for your thesis. You should then contact your chosen supervisor with a brief statement of your intended research topic before writing your research proposal (see bottom left). Departmental web pages can be found at: www.durham.ac.uk/departments and will give the details of any special requirements plus guidance regarding personal statements, supporting documentation and references. Contact details and information about research specialisms can also be found here.
Most postgraduate programmes have no formal deadline but you should check your department web page as there are deadlines for particular programmes. Once we receive your application we will process it as quickly as possible and most applications are processed within four to six weeks of receipt. Please note that all correspondence will be sent via email.
STAGE 3 – APPLY FOR COLLEGE If you are successful in receiving an offer to Durham you will then need to apply for college application and membership as all postgraduates are members of one of our colleges. As well as being accepted by a department. You can find more information about colleges on page 11. The Colleges Postgraduate Office will contact you once you have accepted your offer from the University with an online application form. You can choose to apply for accommodation in one of our colleges or just for membership if you want to live in private accommodation. Queries should be directed to the Colleges Postgraduate Office at colleges.postgrad@durham.ac.uk
WRITING A RESEARCH PROPOSAL
STAGE 2 – COMPLETE THE APPLICATION FORM Applications should be made using the online application form at: www.durham.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply. When completing the online application form you will be asked for the following information:
A research proposal is an academic statement about the topic you wish to study, which is required as part of the application to a research programme. The proposal must demonstrate that you have carefully considered what you wish to study and why Durham University is the best place for you to undertake your research, including examples of how your research fits into the department or institute’s research interests.
• Personal details
As a guide, a research proposal should be approximately 2,000 words and should include:
• Information about your education and qualifications
• A working title
• The names and addresses of two academic referees
• A general overview of the topic
• A personal statement where you can highlight why you wish to apply for the programme and provide further information about your academic interests, career to date, experience and qualifications.
• Identification of the relevant literature
Please note that application to some postgraduate programmes requires payment of an application fee. Your department’s web page will provide information regarding this.
• Key research questions • Methodology • Timescale/research planning • Bibliography More guidance on how to write a research proposal for your particular subject can be found on your department’s web pages. Durham Castle
www.durham.ac.uk
19