Preparing a Research Proposal

Identifying a Topic

Before applying for a PhD, there are a number of questions you need to consider. Most important amongst these are:

• Does your proposed PhD topic fit with the broader research interests of the School?
• Does the School include members of staff with specialist expertise in your chosen area of research?

If you think your proposed project fits within the broad interests of the School, the next step is to identify a member of academic staff who may be able to supervise you, and who can help you develop your research proposal. You can do this by viewing the individual research interests listed on our staff pages, or through the find an expert tool. You can also find information by viewing the Research Centre pages.

Finding the Right Supervisor

If you think your proposed project fits within the broad interests of the School, the next step is to identify a member of academic staff who may be able to supervise you, and who can help you develop your research proposal. You can do this by viewing the individual research interests listed on our staff pages, or through the find an expert tool. You can also find information by viewing our Research Centre pages.

Preparing a Research Proposal

Your research proposal is a key part of your application. It is one of the key criteria that the School (and funding bodies) uses to differentiate between different applicants. 

The research proposal should not exceed 2000 words. Bibliography, references and appendices are excluded from the wordcount. If your proposal goes over the word limit, you may be marked down.

Before making your final application, it is likely that you will need to revise your proposal several times. Whilst your potential supervisor may help you do this, it is important that you present them with as clear a proposal as you can, when you first make contact with them.

The keys to writing a strong research proposal are:

• To formulate a precise, interesting research question; this may take the form of a hypothesis to be tested, or a more open-ended enquiry.
• To establish the relevance and value of the proposed research question in the context of current academic thinking.
• To outline a clear and practical methodology which enables you to answer the research question, and to describe and evaluate any data or source material you will draw upon.
• To suggest what you hope to discover at the end of your research and what new areas it might open up.
• To demonstrate that your research will not take longer than three years.

Statement of Purpose

Applicants must also submit a Statement of Purpose within their application.

Candidates should use the Statement of Purpose to set out information which is NOT set out in their Research Proposal. The Statement of Purpose should be a one side A4 document, containing the following information:

• Previous academic and other experience relevant to your proposed research.
• Why you wish to undertake this research at Queen Mary (thinking about where the project fits with the School and supervisors research interests).
• What research training and professional preparation you have already received.
• Any further training you think you may need to complete the PhD.
• Any ethical issues you will need to consider in undertaking your research.

Entry Requirements

We are committed to appointing only the very best candidates to our PhD programme. Applications are accepted based on their previous academic performance, the quality of their research proposal and the availability of two suitable members of staff to supervise the chosen topic. Our current entry criteria are:

• Undergraduate degree with First Class Honours.
• Masters (MA, MSc or MRes, usually not an MBA) at Distinction level in Business, Management or discipline related to your research topic.
• Overall IELTS score of 7 with 6.5 in writing at the time of application, if English is not your first language.
• Applicants must be based in London for the duration of the programme.

We normally expect to see examples of First Class academic work (marks of 70 or above).

Borderline cases are considered when applicants have relevant work experience.

Fees and Funding

Undertaking a PhD is a serious financial commitment, and involves careful financial planning at the time of application and for the duration of the programme. Prices will almost inevitably rise and you must allow for this when planning your finances. Your costs will comprise both tuition fees and living costs.

Tuition fees

Full tuition fee information is available on Queen Mary's tuition fee pages.

Funding

A number of University and external funding opportunities are available to PhD research students. Find out more on the University's scholarships web page.