Local Government and Public Policy

Entry requirements

You should posses either an excellent undergraduate degree with evidence of research ability; or undergraduate and postgraduate degrees which are not necessarily in fields directly related to the intended area of research. Besides formal qualifications, a key factor determining whether the Department decides to accept a candidate is the quality of his or her research proposal and its relevance to our own interests.

Successful completion of a research thesis demands a high level of self-discipline, motivation and commitment to the subject of research. Great importance is placed on work experience, when relevant.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Whilst the traditional PhD requires you to engage entirely in research training, this programme enables you to gain added value from taught, subject-based modules.

This degree allows you to broaden and deepen your subject knowledge at the same time as undertaking your own research and developing a set of transferable professional skills in preparation for a variety of careers.

Your coursework in year 1 will be taken in the MA in Social Research programme, within the University’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) recognised Doctoral Training Centre. This programme provide postgraduate researchers with a thorough and advanced education in social research design and the most up-to-date training in methods of data collection and analysis. The combination of core modules and short courses on more advanced topics provides flexibility to relate training to the thesis topic.

If you pass the coursework component, you will progress to normal PhD study in years 2 – 4. You will work closely with your supervisors in designing and undertaking your own research project, leading to an 80,000 word thesis. You will also undertake additional training in advanced methods and transferable skills, guided by the regular training needs analysis that forms an essential basis for your Career Development Plan.

We are particularly interested in receiving applications on one of the four themes:

• Governance, institutional design and leadership
• Co-production, democratic and social innovation, and inclusion
• Policy-making, implementation and service delivery
• Smart, sustainable and creative approaches to policy challenges