Education/Lifelong Learning

Entry requirements

Good degree in a relevant subject.

Months of entry

January, October, April

Course content

As a research student, you will be interested in your own development as a lifelong learner and will seek to engage in critical debate and key issues of education and lifelong learning. You will develop your skills as an independent and active learner, and apply your research skills with theoretical perspectives and understandings of lifelong learning. On completing an MPhil/PhD degree you will have developed advanced skills in research and scholarly writing, and will be able to use these to embark on, or further, a career in research.

An MPhil/PhD is an advanced postgraduate research degree that requires original research and the submission of a substantial dissertation of 60,000 to 100,000 words. At Birkbeck, you are initially registered on an MPhil and you upgrade to a PhD after satisfactory progress in the first year or two. You need to find a suitable academic supervisor at Birkbeck, who can offer the requisite expertise to guide and support you through your research. Find out more about undertaking a research degree at Birkbeck.

We have academic experts in education after the compulsory phase, including adult, community, further and higher education as well as professional learning, and supervision is offered in a range of areas. These include:

• lifelong learning
• higher education policy and practice
• lifelong learning and widening participation policy and practice
• workplace learning
• transitions from learning to working
• the academic workplace
• professional learning and education
• post-compulsory education
• adult education
• continuing education
• gender and education
• education in later life
• education and social class
• community-based learning.

Qualification and course duration

MPhil/PhD

Further details of qualification

Up to four years full-time or seven years part-time.