Course content

Research Information

Associated Research
The School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work combines a rich tapestry of disciplinary strengths, in Sociology, Education, Social Policy and Criminology, so that we proudly proclaim ourselves as key advocates for, the worth and value of the Social Sciences.

Our research is organised through a series of sevent research centres:

The Center for Children’s Rights (CRC)
The Center for Shared Education (CSE)
The Centre of Language Education Research (CLER)
The Centre for Applied Behaviour Analysis (CABA)
The Centre for Justice Studies (CJS)
The Centre for Technological Innovations in Mental Health and Education (TIME)
The Centre for Inclusion, Transformation and Equality (CITE)
The Centre for Child, Youth and Family Welfare (CCYFW)

Research Impact
The School attracts significant funding each year. Recent funding successes include large research awards from prestigious research councils; AHRC, ESRC, NIHR and the MRC.

Research Success
We also secure funding at a local level with peer reviewed funding streams, such as, for example HSC Research and Development Office, DHSSPS and charitable bodies. School research informs thinking and contributes to policy making at local, national and international levels.

PhD Opportunities
The School attracts research students from many parts of the world.

Any project and funding opportunities can be found on the link below.

Current PGR Student Profiles
Morgan Mattingly, United States of America
Project title - Expanding and Evolving Resources of Refugees: From Camp to Resettlement

I research refugee education and digital inequality at QUB, looking at how digital education resources can address gaps in education experienced along journeys and be designed with (rather than for) people from refugee communities. I chose the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work (SSESW) at Queen's University Belfast because, in addition to being home to many leading researchers in different fields, it offers so many opportunities to develop interdisciplinary knowledge as a postgraduate! Postgraduate seminars and workshops from the many disciplines in the school are frequently offered, allowing Postgraduate Research students to engage with one another and learn new skills. Additionally, while conducting my own research, I have been guided by my supervisors and the many wonderfully engaged staff of SSESW who are eager to share knowledge of theories, ethics, methods, and more. SSESW is truly a fantastic and supportive community in which to develop research skills and this dedication to research shows!

PRIMARY SUPERVISOR Professor Alison MacKenzie
SECONDARY SUPERVISOR Dr Evropi Chatzipanagiotidou

Current PGR Student Profiles
Oluwadamilola “Dami” Osekita
PhD Sociology (Children’s Rights)
Project title: Examining state-civil society cooperation and legislation in creating enabling environments for children’s rights in Europe and Africa: Dynamics, challenges, lessons and policy options

I chose to pursue my PhD in SSESW at QUB for several compelling reasons. To begin, Queen's University Belfast is one of the few universities that has a centre dedicated to children’s rights research, globally. And the Centre for Children’s Rights is one of the centres situated in the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work (SSESW). In addition, SSESW has an outstanding reputation for its wealth of renowned experts in their various fields with opportunities for interdisciplinary research. Moreover, I was excited at the prospect of being part of a diverse and dynamic community of scholars and students, knowing it would provide an intellectually stimulating environment to achieve both my academic and career goals. Despite other offers from different parts of the world, SSESW felt like the right place to continue my academic journey.

Working towards a PhD can be isolating, however, SSESW offers not just academic support to its students but also fosters a sense of community from coffee afternoons, to writing retreats hence creating an environment that nurtures intellectual growth and well-being. Plus, I am part of a bunch of brilliant and passionate academics at the Centre For Children’s Rights.

PRIMARY SUPERVISOR: Professor Dirk Schubotz
SECONDARY SUPERVISOR: Professor Laura Lundy

Career Prospects

Introduction
Many of our PhD graduates have gone on to lead successful careers in academia, government organisations, the community and voluntary sector, private industry and consultancy. Throughout their studies, PhD in Criminology students are mentored by their PhD supervisors, with these supervisors not only providing help and support to complete the PhD research but also providing advice to PhD students on their career development. Students also benefit from unique initiatives, such as Researcher Plus, which bolster a student’s employability. Moreover, opportunities to engage with potential future employers are available through the work of PhD supervisors, participation in conferences and seminar, as well as the activities of the Graduate School. Additionally, PhD in Criminology students have access to a dedicated Careers Consultant to provide one-to-one support and advice on applying for jobs, preparing for interviews, developing C.V.s and enhancing career prospects.
https://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/careers-support-for-students/

Employment after the Course
For further information on career development opportunities at PhD level please contact the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Career Development Team on ahssdevoffice@qub.ac.uk / +44 28 9097 5175 The AHSS Development Officers will be happy to provide further information on your research area career prospects.

Learning Outcomes

A research degree offers students an opportunity to foster their capacity for independent research and critical thought. It also allows students to explore an area of interest and so understand and solve theoretical and practical problems within the field. Undertaking a research degree can enhance a student’s written and oral communication skills and a PhD is almost always a formal requirement for an academic post.

Course structure

PhD students are expected to undertake continuous training throughout their studies to enhance their skills and improve their employability. In particular, PhD students are expected to partake in research training modules that are offered by the School to develop their theoretical and research skills. These modules focus on quantitative and qualitative research methods, and include participatory action research, arts-based research methods and multimodal interaction analysis, for example. Students are provided with the School’s PhD student training and engagement programme at the start of the academic year and this outlines the various modules that they can choose to attend. PhD students are expected to assess their training needs and identify appropriate training programmes under the guidance of their supervisor.

PhD students will also take part in various seminars and activities designed to enhance their knowledge and develop their skillsets through membership of one of the School’s research centres. Moreover, additional training and personal development programmes are provided by the Subject Librarian from the McClay Library and the Graduate School

Students will normally register, in the first instance, as an 'undifferentiated PhD student' which means that students have satisfied staff that they are capable of undertaking a research degree. The decision as to whether a student should undertake an MPhil or a PhD is delayed until they have completed a 'differentiation'. Differentiation takes place 9-12 months after registration for full time students and 18-30 months for part time students. Students will be asked to submit work to a panel of two academics who will then meet with the student to verbally discuss their submitted work and proposed PhD project. Based on this discussion, the panel will make a judgement about their capacity to continue with their PhD studies based on the feasibility of their research design and commitment. Sometimes students are advised to revise their research objectives or to consider submitting their work for an MPhil qualification rather than a doctoral qualification, but this outcome is very rare.

Assessment processes for the PhD in Criminology differ from taught degrees as students are expected to present drafts of their work to their supervisor at regular intervals who will provide written and oral feedback. Supervisors will offer feedback on draft work at regular intervals throughout the PhD in Criminology. After successful completion of a ‘differentiation’, students will be required to undergo an annual progress review once a year. This will involve submitting written work and the student presenting their work to a panel of academics within the School. This process is intended to support students to successfully complete their PhD studies.

The final assessment of the doctoral degree is both oral and written. Students will submit their written thesis (approximately 80,000 words) to an internal and external examining team, who will review the written thesis before inviting the student to orally defend their work at a Viva Voce.

A PhD in Criminology usually runs for 3-4 years full-time or 6-8 years part-time. Students can apply for a writing up year (thesis only) in year 4 should it be required. A PhD in Criminology is open to both full and part-time candidates and is often a requirement for a career within academia. Full-time students are frequently attracted to research degree programmes because they offer an opportunity to pursue an area of academic interest in some depth. For part-time students, the research degree provides an exciting opportunity for professionals already working in the field to extend their knowledge on an issue of professional interest or related to their professional responsibilities.

If you meet the Entry Requirements, the next step is to check whether we can supervise research in your chosen area. We only take students to whom we can offer expert research supervision from our academic staff. Your research question needs to engage with the research interests of one of our staff.

The Application Process:

Please review the eligibility criteria on the webpages. If you believe that you meet these criteria, then follow the steps below:

Using the School filter option within our ‘Find A PhD Supervisor Tool’ (https://www.qub.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate-research/find-a-phd-supervisor/), select ONE potential supervisor from our list of Academic Staff and send an email containing:

a brief CV (1-2 pages maximum);
a concise statement that you are interested in studying for a PhD, stating when you would start, and how you would plan to fund the research;
a brief statement of the research question or interest, and how the question could be investigated.

Our academic staff welcome approaches from prospective students. Staff can liaise with applicants to develop a research proposal of mutual interest. The potential supervisor should get back to you within a couple of weeks. They may invite you to meet with them or they may invite you to apply formally.

If you have difficulty identifying or contacting an appropriate supervisor, please contact our Director of Graduate Studies or the SSESW PGR Team (email: sseswresearch@qub.ac.uk) who will be happy to help.

For part-time study – the closing date for this option is 31st August each year.

Full-time study (self-funding): full-time candidates who do not wish to compete for a studentship or who are not eligible to compete for a studentship the closing date is 31st August each year.

Scholarships are only available to full-time students. Candidates wishing to apply for scholarships available within the School must apply for full-time study at the same time. Available scholarships and closing dates are detailed on the Find A PhD page: https://www.qub.ac.uk/Study/PostgraduateStudy/Postgraduate-research/

Assessment

Assessment processes for the research degree differ from taught degrees. Students will be expected to present drafts of their work to their supervisor at regular intervals who will provide written and oral feedback;

A formal assessment process takes place annually. This Annual Progress Review requires students to submit written work and present their work to a panel of academics from within the School. Successful completion of this process will allow students to register for the next academic year.

The final assessment of the doctoral degree is both oral and written. Students will submit their thesis to an internal and external examining team who will review the written thesis before inviting the student to orally defend their work at a Viva Voce.

Assessment processes for the PhD in Criminology differ from taught degrees as students are expected to present drafts of their work to their supervisor at regular intervals who will provide written and oral feedback.

A formal assessment process takes place annually either differentiation or annual progress review. This will involve submitting written work and the student presenting their work to a panel of academics within the School. This process is intended to support students to successfully complete their PhD studies with successful completion of an APR each year, allowing students to register for the next academic year.

The final assessment of the doctoral degree is both oral and written. Students will submit their written thesis (approximately 80,000 words) to an internal and external examining team, who will review the written thesis before inviting the student to orally defend their work at a Viva Voce.

Feedback

Supervisors will offer feedback on draft work at regular intervals throughout the period of registration on the degree.

Facilities

The School is situated across a suite of three buildings in Belfast's Queen's Quarter. We provide student and staff common rooms, computer suites and study spaces. Explore the teaching and social spaces in our School through our 360 Virtual Tour:https://youtu.be/vB0jafwkgd0

PhD students will have access to a shared office space and access to a desk with personal computer and internet access.

Learning and Teaching

-

-
-

Entrance requirements

Graduate
The minimum academic requirement for admission to a research degree programme is normally an Upper Second Class Honours degree from a UK or ROI HE provider, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University. Further information can be obtained by contacting the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work.

International Students

For information on international qualification equivalents, please check the specific information for your country.

English Language Requirements

Evidence of an IELTS* score of 6.5, with not less than 5.5 in any component, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University is required. *Taken within the last 2 years.

International students wishing to apply to Queen's University Belfast (and for whom English is not their first language), must be able to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study or research. Non-EEA nationals must also satisfy UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) immigration requirements for English language for visa purposes.

For more information on English Language requirements for EEA and non-EEA nationals see: www.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs.

Tuition Fees

Northern Ireland (NI) 1	TBC
Republic of Ireland (ROI) 2	TBC
England, Scotland or Wales (GB) 1	TBC
EU Other 3	£22,500
International	£22,500

¹ EU citizens in the EU Settlement Scheme, with settled or pre-settled status, are expected to be charged the NI or GB tuition fee based on where they are ordinarily resident, however this is provisional and subject to the publication of the Northern Ireland Assembly Student Fees Regulations. Students who are ROI nationals resident in GB are expected to be charged the GB fee, however this is provisional and subject to the publication of the Northern Ireland Assembly student fees Regulations.

² It is expected that EU students who are ROI nationals resident in ROI will be eligible for NI tuition fees. The tuition fee set out above is provisional and subject to the publication of the Northern Ireland Assembly student fees Regulations.

³ EU Other students (excludes Republic of Ireland nationals living in GB, NI or ROI) are charged tuition fees in line with international fees.

All tuition fees quoted relate to a single year of study unless stated otherwise. All fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

More information on postgraduate tuition fees.

Criminology costs

There are no specific additional course costs associated with this programme.

Additional course costs

All Students

Depending on the programme of study, there may also be other extra costs which are not covered by tuition fees, which students will need to consider when planning their studies . Students can borrow books and access online learning resources from any Queen's library. If students wish to purchase recommended texts, rather than borrow them from the University Library, prices per text can range from £30 to £100. Students should also budget between £30 to £100 per year for photocopying, memory sticks and printing charges. Students may wish to consider purchasing an electronic device; costs will vary depending on the specification of the model chosen. There are also additional charges for graduation ceremonies, and library fines. In undertaking a research project students may incur costs associated with transport and/or materials, and there will also be additional costs for printing and binding the thesis. There may also be individually tailored research project expenses and students should consult directly with the School for further information.

Bench fees

Some research programmes incur an additional annual charge on top of the tuition fees, often referred to as a bench fee. Bench fees are charged when a programme (or a specific project) incurs extra costs such as those involved with specialist laboratory or field work. If you are required to pay bench fees they will be detailed on your offer letter. If you have any questions about Bench Fees these should be raised with your School at the application stage. Please note that, if you are being funded you will need to ensure your sponsor is aware of and has agreed to fund these additional costs before accepting your place.

How do I fund my study?

1.PhD Opportunities

Find PhD opportunities and funded studentships by subject area.

2.Funded Doctoral Training Programmes

We offer numerous opportunities for funded doctoral study in a world-class research environment. Our centres and partnerships, aim to seek out and nurture outstanding postgraduate research students, and provide targeted training and skills development.

3.PhD loans

The Government offers doctoral loans of up to £26,445 for PhDs and equivalent postgraduate research programmes for English- or Welsh-resident UK and EU students.

4.International Scholarships

Information on Postgraduate Research scholarships for international students.

How to Apply

Apply using our online Postgraduate Applications Portal and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply.

Find a supervisor

If you're interested in a particular project, we suggest you contact the relevant academic before you apply, to introduce yourself and ask questions.

To find a potential supervisor aligned with your area of interest, or if you are unsure of who to contact, look through the staff profiles linked here.

You might be asked to provide a short outline of your proposal to help us identify potential supervisors.

Download Postgraduate Prospectus