Education PhD (Doctor of Philosophy)

Why choose this course?

The Education PhD is designed for educators and education-related professionals who want to conduct original research related to their professional environment or area of educational practice, both for current and future educational practitioners. Whether you are seeking a beginning or advancement in your professional career in education, this PhD will help you extend your professional understanding and develop advanced skills for research, reflection, evaluation, and dissemination.

Our academic staff have extensive experience working with multi-agency partners, researching professionals at the master and doctoral levels, and leading national and international research-active projects.

As a postgraduate researcher, you will have one-to-one supervision with a lead supervisor and a second supervisor from our Faculty. Your supervisor is the key person who supports and guides your research. With your supervisors' guidance, you will research a topic of your choice in great depth. Your research topic may concern education at any educational phase (from Early Years to Higher Education) or setting (e.g. library, prison, museum or a heritage, health and social care service).

Please view the Faculty's staff profiles to see if our staff specialisms match the topic you would like to study.

Mode Duration Attendance Start date
Full time 3 years You are required to attend supervision meetings, Graduate Research School training sessions, training sessions run by the Faculty, and other research events or training beneficial to your research skills and personal development. March 2025
October 2025
Part time 6 years You are required to attend supervision meetings, Graduate Research School training sessions, training sessions run by the Faculty, and other research events or training beneficial to your research skills and personal development. March 2025
October 2025

Reasons to choose Kingston University

  • At Kingston University you will have access to an expert academic supervisory team, as well as training and teaching opportunities to help you develop your ideas and achieve your goals.
  • You will have the support of the academic and postgraduate community; the high calibre of Kingston University's students and alumni provide excellent networking opportunities.
  • Your PhD supervision will be highly specialised to your needs and interests. In addition the course is delivered in a flexible format, so you can choose a full or part-time programme according to what suits you best.

What you will study

The programme is made up of individual supervision and, as such, can be extremely flexible to accommodate your needs.

As a PhD student, you will be expected to attend the University's research training sessions and a series of in-house seminars. The latter may be online (synchronous or asynchronous) or in-person, take the form of research 'masterclasses' led by experienced academic staff intended to reflect on different aspects of conducting education research or research seminars led by research students who present and discuss work-in-progress. You are also invited to attend research seminars arranged for academic staff members. There will be many opportunities to engage with other doctoral students and staff members beyond your supervisors.

There is also a series of sessions organised by the Graduate Research School on researcher development and managing doctorate (up to the stage of thesis submission and viva examination). The sessions are open to all PhD students and run by various faculty members.

For further information about the Education PhD programme (including the availability of supervision in an area of your interest), please contact Dr Christos Dimitriadis.

Teaching experience

You may have the opportunity gain teaching experience, to help you pursue a career in academia.

Presenting ongoing research

Once a year, all PhD students are given the opportunity to present to the faculty about their PhD research. This ongoing engagement offers students and staff the chance to share and help each other develop their ideas.

Entry requirements

Typical offer

The normal minimum requirement for admission to the PhD is a postgraduate Masters degree in a discipline that is appropriate to the proposed research programme, or, in exceptional circumstances, a first or upper second class honours degree or equivalent in a subject appropriate to the proposed programme of study.

If you have any questions about your suitability or applying for this degree, please contact the PhD education lead, Dr Christos Dimitriadis.

International

All non-UK applicants must meet our English language requirements. For this course it is Academic IELTS of 7.0 overall with special conditions in all elements. Please make sure you read our full guidance about English language requirements, which includes details of other qualifications we'll consider.

Applicants who do not meet the English language requirements may be eligible to join our pre-sessional English language course.

Applicants from one of the recognised Majority English Speaking Countries (MESCs) do not need to meet these requirements.

Country-specific information

You will find more information on country specific entry requirements in the International section of our website.

Find your country:

Non-standard qualifications

In exceptional circumstances, we may consider you for admission to a research degree without the conventional qualifications. If you have substantial relevant professional experience, including publications or written reports, the University will consider these as a potential alternative basis for an application for admission to a research degree programme.

Additional requirements

You will be asked to include the following documents with your application:

  • A draft research proposal or project outline
  • Your academic transcripts and/or certificates
  • English language qualifications, if required
  • A photograph or scan of your passport
  • You may also wish to attach a CV or other relevant documents, for example a portfolio

Teaching and assessment

Guided independent study (self-managed time)

A PhD, unlike a taught degree, consists entirely of independent study, guided by the supervisory team.

Support for postgraduate students

As a student at Kingston University, we will make sure you have access to appropriate advice regarding your academic development. You will also be able to use the University's support services

Your workload

As a guide, for a full-time PhD you should commit to a similar number of hours to a full-time job – approximately 35 hours of PhD work a week. For a part-time PhD, this would be halved. We would also expect you to take a similar number of holiday days to full-time or part-time employment.

How you will be assessed

Your PhD thesis should be around 80,000 words and will be the subject of an oral examination, the 'viva voce'. You will need to show how you have critically investigated your area of research and made an independent and original contribution to knowledge.

Feedback summary

We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 20 working days.

Your timetable

PhD students do not receive a timetable, but you will be asked to agree a schedule of supervisory meetings with your team.

Find a supervisor

This programme is delivered by the Faculty of Health, Science, Social Care and Education.

Experienced and research-active academic staff from the Faculty are keen to support you in undertaking doctoral research into your area of study or practice to successful completion. Which staff members are appropriate will depend on your research area and the topic you want to study for your doctorate.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

Please view our research degree fees page for further details.

Scholarships and bursaries

Kingston University offers a range of postgraduate scholarships, including:

If you are an international student, find out more about scholarships and bursaries.

We also offer the following discounts for Kingston University alumni:

Additional costs

Depending on the programme of study, there may be extra costs not covered by tuition fees. Students will need to consider these costs when planning their studies. Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessment and operating University facilities such as the library, access to shared IT equipment and other support services. Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. 

Where a course has additional expenses, we make every effort to highlight them. These may include optional field trips, materials (e.g. art, design, engineering), security checks such as DBS, uniforms, specialist clothing or professional memberships.

Textbooks

Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment.

Computer equipment

There are open-access networked computers available across the University, plus laptops available to loan. You may find it useful to have your own PC, laptop or tablet which you can use around campus and in halls of residence. Free WiFi is available on each of the campuses. You may wish to purchase your own computer, which can cost from £100 to £3,000 depending on your course requirements.

Photocopying and printing

In the majority of cases written coursework can be submitted online. There may be instances when you will be required to submit work in a printed format. Printing, binding and photocopying costs are not included in your tuition fees, this may cost up to £100 per year.

Travel

Travel costs are not included in your tuition fees. However, we do have a free intersite bus service which links the campuses, Surbiton train station, Kingston upon Thames train station, Norbiton train station and halls of residence.

Facilities at Kingston Hill

There is a wide range of facilities at our Kingston Hill campus, where this course is based.

Kingston Hill is a leafy, hillside campus situated about three miles away from Kingston town centre. It is a quiet, secure place to study with easy access to London, meaning it provides the best of all worlds for our students.

Find out more about the Kingston Hill campus in the virtual tour.

Library

One of the highlights of the Kingston Hill campus is the modern library, called the Nightingale Centre after Florence Nightingale, who was a regular visitor to Kingston Hill.

The library provides a spacious and attractive place for students to meet and study and features a cafe, more PCs and zoned study areas. Long opening hours give you plenty of access to specialist education books, journals and online resources.

Find out more about the Nightingale Centre in the virtual tour.

Computer and online facilities

There are many computers (PCs and Macs) available for you to use across the Kingston Hill campus when you need a place to study. Access to the wireless network across the campus means you can also work from your laptop or mobile device.

Using IT to support your studies is crucial. Kingston has an innovative virtual learning environment called Canvas. This allows you to access course materials and contact fellow students and staff while away from the campus.

After you graduate

As a research graduate, you will be an important part of the research community at Kingston, and remain part of our networks. You will be able to access the Careers and Employability Service for up to two years after you graduate, and benefit from Alumni library membership for just £60 per year.

Course changes and regulations

The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Course changes explained.

Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.

Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.

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