Training and support for MPhil/PhD students

Your research is important to us.

We aim to provide high-quality research training and supervision for both part-time and full-time MPhil and PhD students, ensuring that students receive from staff the support and guidance necessary to complete a thesis to a high standard and in an appropriate time, whilst at the same time showing care in our attention to individual student needs.

We provide excellent support for our students and do our best to help them suceed at their research. We particularly recognise how difficult it can be to do your research part-time. Most of our part-time research students only come to the College for occasional meetings with their academic supervisors or for research seminars, and those who require computing or physical laboratory equipment can also come into the School in the evenings or at weekends.

• Vibrant research environment. Some 25 research centres serve as focus for cross-discipline collaboration.
• Research training: Birkbeck offers a range of courses and training through the Graduate Research School and Bloomsbury Skills network. We also have departmental events and your supervisor will be able to suggest more specialist training inside and outside the College if necessary
• Research seminars: As a research student, you will be able to attend research seminars held by the many research groups and centres in the College. There are events at lunchtimes and in the evenings as well as during the day and at weekends. Many of these are organized through the Birkbeck Institute of Social Research (BISR), including a dedicated seminar series for research students carrying out qualitative research.
• Expert supervision: Each MPhil/PhD programme director oversees the academic well-being of research students, and our supervisors will support you throughout your research. Read our code of practice for MPhil/PhD students .
• Superb library access: As a research student at Birkbeck, you will have full access to all libraries of the University of London (although not necessarily borrowing rights in all cases) and all School computing facilities and laboratories.
• View our Birkbeck guide for prospective MPhil/PhD students .
• Download our 'General Thoughts on Starting your PhD' (: 100k)