Allied Health Professions PhD/MA by Research

Entry requirements

• MA by Research: at least a 2.1 honours degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject area
• PhD: a master’s degree or equivalent in a subject area relevant to the proposed research topic
• We actively encourage applications from students from a range of diverse backgrounds who demonstrate appropriate research experience and achievement
• EU and international students need IELTS 6.5 overall (no less than 6.0 in writing and 5.5 in any other band) or equivalent

• Please provide a copy of your research proposal. This should be 1,000 words (excluding references and appendices) following the structure outlined in this research proposal guide.

  Please note; we’re unable to process applications without a proposal for the School’s consideration. Not supplying one will delay the processing of applications.

Months of entry

February, October

Course content

A research degree will open the door to work in full-time research, healthcare practice and administration, and, if you’re a practitioner, to a greater understanding of your professional practice. We provide a broad research environment for candidates from a range of health and care settings – with extensive professional and academic expertise in healthcare environments, ranging from primary care to public policy.

We offer supervision for cross-disciplinary projects linking to management, public health, health promotion, education and social care. Our particular strengths lie in workforce development, health and wellbeing, mental health, intervention design and evaluation, and public health.

For some candidates the Centre for the Study of Faith, Science and Values in Healthcare may provide a particular focus. The centre is concerned with a whole person approach to healthcare. It seeks to establish a scientific and values-based paradigm for the integration of body, mind and spirit in the promotion of health and wellbeing, as well as the healing of illness and the prevention of dysfunction.

The university offers a range of research training events and students are encouraged to attend national and international academic conferences. To support the development of your research skills, you are required to undertake the Postgraduate Certificate in Research Methods and you will be encouraged and supported to publish in both academic and professional outlets.

Research areas

• Workforce development
• Health and wellbeing
• Professional development
• Mental health nursing
• Physical activity promotion in health care and community settings
• Intervention pathways and effectiveness for patient care
• Public health
• Intervention design and evaluation

This research contributes to the research priority area Learning and Professional Contexts.

Industry Links

Our researchers have active leadership roles across the health and care communities in the county – a level of community involvement that means our students join a group of engaged researchers who push forward both new knowledge and professional practice.

Applied research has been carried out for a variety of organisations including Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust, Sue Ryder Leckhampton Hospice, Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals NHS Trust, Skills for Care, and the Greenwich Primary Care Trust.

Some current topics include:

• investigating the clinical benefits from closer links in a three-way therapeutic relationship between carers, service users and clinicians
• evaluating the implementation of the Sherborne Developmental Movement Programme with children with severe autistic spectrum disorders
• considering the effects of obesity and wellbeing on women’s fertility.