Research training programme

We encourage our research students to develop personally and professionally. While working on your research project, you will develop skills that will help you during your time here and in your future career. At the start of each academic year, your supervisory team will review your particular training needs.

Business, Law and Social Sciences

You will be asked to take and pass a pre-agreed set of modules in research methods during Year One. You will also take the programme of supporting studies over the course of your three year PhD programme - including fortnightly workshops, and a research student conference in May.

Arts, Humanities and Education and Art, Design and the Built Environment

You will follow a programme of supportive training and development that includes:

research methods
ethics and codes of practice
communication tools, and
other discipline-specific and generic skills.

You will take modules run by experts, ensuring that you receive the best portfolio of training for your project. We offer a postgraduate diploma level programme in research practice methodology which is unique among universities in the UK.

Science and Technology and Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences

In the first year of study, all students attend:

an induction session
a two and a half day research methods workshop
a project approval writing workshop
an effective researcher course.

Training on transfer report writing and PhD completion, including the viva process, is given in the second and third years respectively. Students are expected to attend school research seminars and conferences and present their work at these events.

Your supervisor will advise on any subject-specific training and more generic training will be provided throughout the research degree programme.