Applying, fees and funding

Applying, fees and funding

Entry requirements

Applicants for MPhil or PhD should normally have a minimum of a first or second-class degree or a Masters degree in a relevant discipline. A period of pre-PhD study is required for some subjects before entry to a PhD.

Applicants for part-time study within Business should consult the University Graduate School about whether a traditional PhD or the DBA is most appropriate.

English Language Requirements for all research degree programmes

Overall IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score of 6.5 with minimum sub-scores of 6.0 in all component sections (writing, reading, listening and speaking) or an overall TOEFL score of 94-95 (internet based – IBT) with a minimum score of 22 in each of the four component sections (writing, reading, listening and speaking).

Applicants who do not meet the English language proficiency requirement will normally be asked to successfully complete an English language course at Nottingham Language Centre.

The application process

Applying for an MPhil or PhD will require certain judgments to be made by you and by the University. You will need to decide whether NTU can offer the right environment, facilities and support for you to complete your research. The University will need to decide whether you have the appropriate experience and background to undertake the project successfully. Together we will need to decide whether we can offer you expert supervision in your chosen research field.

It is advisable to contact the University as early as possible so that these decisions can be given the consideration they require.

To make an application to undertake an MPhil or PhD, you will need to do the following.

1. Complete an Application Form

This will include your personal details and information about your qualifications, employment and any research training or experience you may have. You will also need to identify your source of funding (e.g. self-funded or Government-sponsored).

You are welcome to submit your CV as well as completing the main application form. However, we cannot accept CVs without a fully completed form.

Please note that if you are accepted onto a postgraduate research programme, you will be required to provide documentary evidence of your qualifications before you enrol.

2. Produce a research proposal

To apply for a PhD/MPhil in all Schools (except Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, and Science and Technology) please submit a research proposal (of 1000-2000 words) which addresses the following points:

Provisional title
The topic or area to be investigated (the subject or field you wish to research)
The problem or hypothesis to be tested (the research question(s) or problem you wish to address, the problem)
The methods and techniques to be used in the research (how you propose to go about the research)
A provisional timetable for the project indicating anticipated activities
The relationship of the proposed research to the published literature and to current research in the field (how your project relates to other work)
An indication of the contribution to knowledge that the thesis is anticipated to make (what you hope to find out)
Details of previous work in the proposed field, or relationship to prior experience or study
Bibliography of sources already consulted or identified as of relevance to your proposal

If you are applying for a PhD/MPhil in Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences or Science andTechnology, please do not produce a reasearch proposal. Instead you should attach a short (no more than 1 side of A4) statement, outlining the topic you wish to research, identifying a potential supervisor (academic profiles can be found on School web pages). Final agreement on the research project title will be reached before an offer of a study place is made.

3. Provide appropriate references

You will need to give details of two people who are familiar with your academic development. For example these could be tutors who have taught you during your undergraduate or Masters degree but not your proposed supervisor.