Postgraduate
degrees
People choose to study at postgraduate level
for a number of reasons: to realise an ambition,
increase employability, increase their knowledge
in a specialist subject or to change direction.
We aim to provide a breadth of courses and
research opportunities to help people move
to the next level, whatever their aspirations.
About 50% of our full-time master’s students
are from overseas so you will be working with
people from all over the world. We know that
everyone is an individual. We welcome original
thinkers and inquiring minds. When you leave
Keele, you will leave with much more than a
qualification. In difficult economic times,
we aspire to help people develop and enhance
their skills and abilities but also to challenge
themselves and carry the values and qualities
they have learned with them for the rest of their
lives. Keele offers a number of postgraduate
routes to help get the course that is right for
you: PGCert and PGDip, MA and MSc, MRes,
MPhil and PhD.
A taught master’s degree typically takes one
year to complete although some courses may
have a duration of 18 months. Some courses are
available part-time to UK/EU students but visa
restrictions mean that the part-time option is
not open to International students.
Teaching will mainly be through lectures,
seminars and small discussion groups where
tutors will help direct your learning, rather
than telling you what you should know. The final
third of the study period is usually spent writing
a dissertation or research project or working
on a consultancy project for a local company
if offered. These all provide opportunities to
consolidate and demonstrate knowledge and
experience gained throughout the programme.
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Postgraduate
research degrees
What does a research degree involve?
The principal research degree available at
Keele is the PhD, which includes the design
and implementation of an original research
project leading to the creation and interpretation
of new knowledge. It is written up into a
thesis which describes your research project,
its definition, purpose, methods, results and
conclusions. These are degrees by research
alone. You will produce a thesis, which at PhD
level is a work of original scholarship worthy
of publication in a learned journal. You work
closely with an academic supervisor who
provides guidance and support. You will also
have opportunities to develop skills you need
to carry out your research and broaden your
generic skills as a professional researcher.
Students requiring a visa to study in the
UK can only register for a full–time PhD.
What are the entry requirements?
Most research degrees require a good first
degree (usually at least a 2.1) or an equivalent
qualification in a relevant subject. Some also
require additional criteria such as relevant
work experience.
English language – Minimum IELTS of 6.0
(with a minimum sub–test of 5.5) to 7.0 or
equivalent, depending on current subject area
For further details of entry requirements visit:
www.keele.ac.uk/pgresearch/
entryrequirements