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Apply for postgraduate study
Application process
Supporting documents required - Taught degrees
1. A transcript (in English or a certified translation) giving full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained.
2. English language proficiency results - for applicants whose first language is not English.
If you have undertaken a full degree programme in the UK, Anglophone Canada, USA, Australia or New Zealand, the English language requirements may be waived provided that your degree was completed no more than two years before the start of your programme.
3. At least one completed reference form:
Check whether one or two references are required for the programme for which you are applying.
You should supply at least one reference from an academic referee who is in a position to comment on the standard of your academic work and suitability for postgraduate level study. Where this is not possible, we will accept references from other sources that provide evidence of your ability to undertake postgraduate study and suitability for your chosen programme.
Your referee(s) can either complete a paper copy of the form and post it to us or complete it electronically and send via email. If your referee emails your reference to us we can only accept this if it is sent from a university or company email address. Paper reference forms should be endorsed by an appropriate institution/company official stamp. Alternatively we can accept a letter of reference on official institution/company letterhead.
Please send scanned or certified copies of transcripts and not the originals*; however, in order to apply for a UK student visa and register at the start of your programme, you will need to produce your original certificates and transcripts.
*If we are unable to offer you a place and you have posted original documents to us that you wish to be returned to you, you will need to notify the University within three months.
Essential documentation required for an initial decision on Taught Degree applications
We understand that you will want to receive a decision from us as soon as possible after sending your application but may not yet have completed all your academic and/or English language qualifications at the time of application and will also need time to contact your referee(s). Please send as many of the required supporting documents as possible with your application; as a minimum to enable us to make an initial decision on your application, you will need to:
(a) complete the Module Information section of the application form giving details of any outstanding modules and your expected date of completion;
(b) send any interim transcripts that you have to support your application.
If you have not yet completed your academic or English language qualifications, if your academic profile meets our requirements, we will normally be able to make you an offer which is conditional on completing these qualifications and supplying any required references. You will need to provide evidence that you have met these conditions before your offer can be considered unconditional (thus enabling you to apply for a visa if you are an international student). For further information see ‘Once you have an offer’.
Supporting documents required - Research degrees (MbyRes/MPhil/PhD)
1. A research proposal (1,000-2,000 words).
Your research proposal should cover the preliminary ideas of your
research area, indicating the general area of study, objectives and
hypotheses, methodology, sources of data, etc. For Science and
Engineering applications a shorter outline of your topic may be
sufficient. You are advised to contact the relevant Department for further guidance on the appropriate format for your
proposal, and to watch the section about writing a suitable research proposal in our online module Considering a UK PhD? Your Next Steps.
This information will assist us in considering your application and in determining whether we can offer supervision in the area you wish to study. If you have not identified a single research topic, you should outline several subjects which interest you and which could serve as a basis for further discussion. Your prospective School or Department may ask you to provide a more detailed research proposal before we can make a decision on whether to offer you a place.
2.Reference forms
You should submit two references from academic referees who are in a position to comment on the standard of your academic work and suitability to undertake a research degree. Your referees can either complete a paper copy of the form (using the pdf version) and post it to us or complete it electronically (using the Word version) and send via email. If your referee emails your reference to us we can only accept this if it is sent from a university or company email address. Paper reference forms should be endorsed by an appropriate institution/company official stamp. Alternatively we can accept a letter of reference on official institution/company letterhead.
3.A transcript (in English or a certified translation) giving full details of subjects studied and grades/marks obtained.
4.English language proficiency results for applicants whose first language is not English.
If you have undertaken a full degree programme in the UK, Anglophone Canada, USA, Australia or New Zealand, the English language requirements may be waived provided that your degree was completed no more than two years before the start of your programme.
