DOCTORAL STUDY AT AUN
- What is Involved?
- How you Study
- How we match your interests
- How we develop your research skills
- Application Requirements
- The Research Proposal
A PhD involves researching and writing an original dissertation of up to 100,000 words to make a new contribution to knowledge. The PhD dissertation either presents important new information or interprets existing information in an important new, or more nuanced way.
The first two years generally involves selected coursework to prepare you for your research. Then under the guidance of experts in your field, you independently undertake an original research that culminates in the dissertation.
We have world-class experts in various fields. Please visit the graduate school website for a list of our distinguished faculty and their areas of research interest.
Research training at AUN takes place at three main levels:
- Through your formal courses.
- Through regular consultation with your supervisors.
- Through regular research seminars and tutorials organized by the Graduate School. Details of the graduate research seminar will be provided through email and on notice boards in the PhD Study Rooms.
All the above trainings are complementary to your independent study and research. One does not replace the other. As a research student, we expect that you will be an integral part of the intellectual life of your department and school. Please refer to the PhD Handbook for more information.
We are particularly interested in recruiting intellectually strong, highly motivated, and talented graduates. Entry requirements include a first or upper second class bachelor’s degree and master’s level degree in a relevant discipline. A strong 2:2 with cognate experience may also be considered.
The research proposal is the most important part of the doctoral application and must be considered very carefully. The proposal allows us to assess your strength (other than through your academic qualifications), the suitability of the proposed research and the availability of experts to supervise the work. To be clear, the proposal should give us an opportunity to:
- assess the candidate’s knowledge of the subject,
- match the proposed research with the appropriate experts/supervisors,
- assess whether we have the expertise needed to supervise the work
- develop the rightly tailored support to help the student succeed.
The proposal should contain a 3,000 - 5,000-word explanation of the proposed research, stating why the research is of value. The content of a doctoral proposal may vary considerably, but must generally contain the following elements:
- A working title: The title of the research will expectedly change over the course of the research, but it is a good start to have a title that encapsulates the intention of the project.
- Aims of the research: The research aims should show the overall purpose of the study and should generally be well focused and concise.
- Research questions or hypotheses: The proposal should show what research questions or hypotheses can help achieve the aims listed.
- Context and literature: The proposal should demonstrate your knowledge of the research area and the current debates in the field. So, the proposal should contain a review of current literature related to your intended research, highlight the gaps, and show how original research can help fill them. A competent literature review will show how the proposed research builds on current knowledge and what new understanding the research could bring. The literature cited should be relevant and up to date.
- Candidate’s Interest: Be sure to demonstrate your interest and knowledge gained either from previous study, employment, or lived experience.
- Methodology: The proposal should contain a clear description of the research methodology, including basic details of methods of data collection and analysis. It should show the type of data required and how you intend to collect and analyze them. Most importantly, it should say how the methods chosen will address the research aims previously described.
- Timeline: A schedule showing key activities, milestones, and potential outcomes would be useful. A realistic timescale for completing the project will demonstrate that you have thought through the process. It will also allow departmental reviewers to assess whether the project is achievable within a four-year timescale.
- What is Involved?
- How you Study
- How we match your interests
- How we develop your research skills
- Application Requirements
- The Research Proposal
A PhD involves researching and writing an original dissertation of up to 100,000 words to make a new contribution to knowledge. The PhD dissertation either presents important new information or interprets existing information in an important new, or more nuanced way.
The first two years generally involves selected coursework to prepare you for your research. Then under the guidance of experts in your field, you independently undertake an original research that culminates in the dissertation.
We have world-class experts in various fields. Please visit the graduate school website for a list of our distinguished faculty and their areas of research interest.
Research training at AUN takes place at three main levels:
- Through your formal courses.
- Through regular consultation with your supervisors.
- Through regular research seminars and tutorials organized by the Graduate School. Details of the graduate research seminar will be provided through email and on notice boards in the PhD Study Rooms.
All the above trainings are complementary to your independent study and research. One does not replace the other. As a research student, we expect that you will be an integral part of the intellectual life of your department and school. Please refer to the PhD Handbook for more information.
We are particularly interested in recruiting intellectually strong, highly motivated, and talented graduates. Entry requirements include a first or upper second class bachelor’s degree and master’s level degree in a relevant discipline. A strong 2:2 with cognate experience may also be considered.
The research proposal is the most important part of the doctoral application and must be considered very carefully. The proposal allows us to assess your strength (other than through your academic qualifications), the suitability of the proposed research and the availability of experts to supervise the work. To be clear, the proposal should give us an opportunity to:
- assess the candidate’s knowledge of the subject,
- match the proposed research with the appropriate experts/supervisors,
- assess whether we have the expertise needed to supervise the work
- develop the rightly tailored support to help the student succeed.
The proposal should contain a 3,000 - 5,000-word explanation of the proposed research, stating why the research is of value. The content of a doctoral proposal may vary considerably, but must generally contain the following elements:
- A working title: The title of the research will expectedly change over the course of the research, but it is a good start to have a title that encapsulates the intention of the project.
- Aims of the research: The research aims should show the overall purpose of the study and should generally be well focused and concise.
- Research questions or hypotheses: The proposal should show what research questions or hypotheses can help achieve the aims listed.
- Context and literature: The proposal should demonstrate your knowledge of the research area and the current debates in the field. So, the proposal should contain a review of current literature related to your intended research, highlight the gaps, and show how original research can help fill them. A competent literature review will show how the proposed research builds on current knowledge and what new understanding the research could bring. The literature cited should be relevant and up to date.
- Candidate’s Interest: Be sure to demonstrate your interest and knowledge gained either from previous study, employment, or lived experience.
- Methodology: The proposal should contain a clear description of the research methodology, including basic details of methods of data collection and analysis. It should show the type of data required and how you intend to collect and analyze them. Most importantly, it should say how the methods chosen will address the research aims previously described.
- Timeline: A schedule showing key activities, milestones, and potential outcomes would be useful. A realistic timescale for completing the project will demonstrate that you have thought through the process. It will also allow departmental reviewers to assess whether the project is achievable within a four-year timescale.