Research in the Faculty of Engineering, Computing and the Environment

Complete the appropriate postgraduate application form, to be found on this webpage.

You will be asked for names and contact details of two referees. References must be from professional or academic contacts and cannot be from family members or friends. At least one reference should be from someone who knows you from your most recent academic qualification (but is not a member of the supervisory team for the project).  We cannot accept references provided via an applicant.

You will need a detailed research proposal. Please see the details given below on preparing a proposal.

When submitting a project proposal as part of your application please ensure that it is all your own work and where you have made use of the work of others this is clearly indicated through a citation or acknowledgement. Please be aware that the University takes any act of plagiarism seriously and will conduct a plagiarism check on all research proposal documents submitted for application. If plagiarism is identified the application may be unsuccessful. The University will not accept a lack of understanding of the requirements for acknowledging the work of others as a legitimate defence for academic misconduct.

Degree and/or masters certificates and transcripts.

For international students who have not previously studied in the UK or a majority English-speaking country, evidence of English language proficiency is required. Please read Kingston University's English language entry requirements.

This should do more than convey the key words associated with the proposed research. It should describe the content and direction of your project.

This should provide a brief overview of the wider background of the proposed research and identify the discipline(s) within which it falls. You might also refer to the way in which your own background gives you competences in your chosen area.

Develop your proposal to show you are aware of the debates and issues raised in relevant bodies of literature. Provide evidence for why you believe your research is needed, using an analysis of published work. Refer to key articles and texts, to show you appreciate their relevance to your research area. Demonstrate that your proposed area has not been studied before: identify your niche which will lead on to the thesis preparation.

You need to demonstrate that the topic can be completed within the normal time period allowed; you need to show that it is manageable, so focus on key questions within your niche area.

State specific aims and objectives of the research to be undertaken, in a logical sequence.

Show how you anticipate achieving your aims. Demonstrate an awareness of the methodological tools available to you and show some understanding of which tools would be suitable for your research.

It may be that a qualitative method, including the analysis of interviews, is appropriate. Alternatively, your approach may involve forecasting or statistical, financial or econometric modelling. In other cases you may be combining methodologies. You need to specify the approach you feel will be most appropriate. You should include a back-up plan or risk mitigation in case of unforeseen problems.

Demonstrate an awareness of the need for planning and the timescale of the research. Your timescale should be realistic, taking into account the requirement for upgrade monitoring (PhD applicants) and timely thesis submission. The timeline should show which aspects of the project you will be completing in each year of registration and the anticipated time required for each, and time for writing up the thesis (by the end of month 36 for full-time or month 72 for part-time) should be included. 

Please note: use "month 1", "month 2", "month 3" etc, in the timeplan/Gantt chart, not calendar months.

The timeline for PhD should include the following indicative milestones:

Monitoring milestones

• Upgrade Monitoring Report (9-10M FT, 20-22 M PT)
• 2nd year Annual Monitoring Report (21-22M FT, 42-44M PT)
• 3rd year Annual Monitoring Report (33-34M FT, 66-68M PT)
• PhD Thesis Submission or Application for Writing Up Extension (36M FT, 72M PT)

Proposed research milestones

• Apply for Research Ethics Approval (1-6M FT, 1-12M PT)
• Discipline-specific Training (1-9M FT, 1-18M PT)
• Complete Draft Literature Review (6-15M FT, 12-30M PT)
• Data Collection/field work (3-18M FT, 6-36M PT)
• Data Analysis / Experiments / Methodology (ongoing 6-36M FT, 12-72M PT)

Dissemination milestones

• 1st year Internal (seminar/conference) presentation: (6-12M FT, 12-24M PT)
• 2nd year Internal/external (seminar/conference) presentation: (12-24M FT, 24-48M PT)
• 3rd year Internal (seminar/conference) presentation: (24-36M FT, 48-72M PT)

You should include a short list of references to key articles and texts including in the application.

• Broad topic areas which would be unmanageable as research topics.
• Vague descriptions of research areas.
• Subject areas where your chosen school has no expertise.
• Plagiarism (for more information on this, please see the Kingston University policies and regulations).