Adam
Dorsey

Why did you decide to do postgraduate study?

“During my undergrad degree, I developed a passionate interest in examining philosophical thought and writing philosophically.  With this in mind, when I explored the Philosophy MA (by research), which is essentially a shortened PhD, I discovered that I would have the opportunity to continue to feed my passion through an extended critical study of a field(s) of my choosing. Such a prospect, along with my desire to enter academia, made the decision to embark on postgraduate study an easy one.”

What made you choose NTU?

“Although I had a number of potential universities in mind, I chose NTU due to the wide-range of extra funding opportunities available, such as the Vice-chancellors scholarship award, as well as the 25% off for alumni.  Additionally, I was attracted by the relatively small size of the philosophy department, which ensured I received focussed and timely feedback and advice.”

What do you enjoy most about your course at NTU?

“I enjoy the freedom of the course.  For me, being able to study in a similar way to a PhD, as well as being able to explore a topic of my choosing, made the course both stimulating and extremely fun.”

What do you think about the course staff – include lecturers, tutors, administrators and technical staff within this. How do they support your learning and University experience?

“During my course, I was supported by a range of skilled and knowledgeable lecturers, administrators, librarians, and seminar tutors.  No matter their role, or the type of advice I needed, all the staff I had contact with were extremely supportive and helpful, providing timely, relevant, and very useful advice and feedback. There is a strong postgraduate community at NTU, which is supported by the students union, as well as the academics.  Beyond the actual study aspect, the students union offered a wide range of social and pastoral events, which really helped me build a broad network, in addition to providing support in relation to paying tuition fees, accommodation, and childcare.”

Why would you recommend your course / NTU to someone looking to study in that area?

“I would highly recommend the MA (by research) at NTU for a number of reasons. Firstly, if you are thinking of continuing with postgraduate study to PhD or Mphil level the M(res) provides an excellent platform, introducing students to the type of study involved and the level of work expected.  Secondly, the option to study a field or topic of my own choosing, which included formulating my own questions, and producing an extended thesis of 20000 words, ensured the course was both personally stimulating and enjoyable. Thirdly, the commitment, as well as breadth and scope of knowledge possessed by the supervision and teaching staff, is excellent, which for me ensured that no matter what direction my thesis took, timely and relevant advice was always available.  The level of support provided by the many library, administration, and student’s union staff is outstanding, providing a safe, comfortable, and extremely engaging study, as well as social, environment.”

What has been your greatest achievement at NTU so far?

“Being awarded a vice-chancellors scholarship for my M(res) philosophy course, being awarded an AHRC Midlands 4 Cities Doctoral Training Scholarship to undertake a PhD in philosophy at NTU, and most recently, obtaining a teaching position in the philosophy department at NTU."