Keele University Prospectus Postgraduate | 2016 | Page 18

POSTGRADUATE PROSPECTUS 2016

Not all
postgraduate
courses are
the same
Keele offers a number of postgraduate
routes to help you get the course that
is right for you.
PgCert and PgDip

A full taught master’s course contains 180 credits.
This is made up of 120 credits of taught units and
60 credits for a dissertation. You can choose to
conclude your studies after the successful completion
of half the taught units and receive a postgraduate
certificate. If you successfully complete all of the
taught units, but choose not to undertake the
research project and dissertation, you will receive
a postgraduate diploma.

MA and MSc

You may prefer to take an MPhil degree which is
a shorter programme, with a smaller scale project,
than a PhD. These programmes consist of a thesis
based on a specified re search topic. They offer broad
training in the skills and techniques of contemporary
research and can be taken as stand-alone degrees
or as a step towards a higher research qualification.
MPhil programmes are usually one year in duration,
two years part-time.

Professional doctorates

Professional doctorate programmes are increasingly
the choice of professionals in a number of fields,
particularly health and education. They are divided
into two stages:

Our taught master’s courses are 12 months full-time
or two to three years part-time. The first two-thirds
are taught, with assessment through coursework and
examinations. The final third of the course is a research
project and usually includes writing a dissertation.

Stage 1 is a two year programme of research training
and interaction with peers. Modules are then
assessed and the number of credits and modules
varies with the programme. At the end of stage 1
there is a progression process.

MRes

The stage 2 research project is based on your
professional practice and lasts a minimum of two
years. Your research findings should be broadly
transferable to the workplace. Your final degree is
awarded on the basis of a thesis which sets out the
definition, purpose, methods, results and conclusions
of your research project in the same way as for a PhD.

The Master’s of Research provides a great introduction
to research methods and is ideal if you want to
pursue a research-related career or doctoral study.
You will train in a range of research skills and
methodologies, enabling you to approach a research
project in a systematic and professional way. If you
wish to take a doctoral programme in the humanities
and social sciences you may be asked to undertake
research training for a year (or equivalent). An
MRes programme will help prepare you to go on to
successfully complete a PhD. MRes programmes are
usually one year in duration, two years part-time.

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MPhil

PhD

The principal research degree available at Keele is the
PhD, which includes designing and implementing 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.