Dissertion only degree?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by renshi, Apr 11, 2005.

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  1. renshi

    renshi New Member

    Hello does anyone have any info on foriegn Dissertion only degrees? I have looked at a few out of country websites and lol you need a Rocket Science degree to figure them out.


    Thanks
     
  2. Jack Tracey

    Jack Tracey New Member

    There's lots and lots of information available. What specifically do you want to know?
    Jack
     
  3. agilham

    agilham New Member

    I seem to recall that you're interested in a PhD in History, but most of what I'm about to say covers pretty much any subject. However, I'm only covering entry to PhD programmes in the United Kingdom. As far as I am aware, the process is similar in the antipodes and in places like Malaysia, India and Singapore, but I have no personal experience of those systems.

    The first question is: do you have an appropriate qualification? If want to do a PhD in History over here you should probably have majored in history (although politics or economics is allowable if you're interested in economic or political history). Secondly, you must have at least a 3.3 undergraduate GPA (3.5 or above is usually preferred nowadays) and quite often an MA.

    The next thing to decide is what you want to do your PhD in and where. As the only piece of work that really counts for the PhD over here is your thesis, that means you should already have identified a suitable area of study and potential research topic. Most history departments will want a short essay of between 500 and 1000 words to accompany your application, describing your potential research area, your initial ideas about your approach and why you think yours is a good research topic. If you're not certain about what you want to do your research in, it'll probably be best to do a taught MA/MPhil before applying to do your PhD.

    The above process of thinking about your research topic will probably narrow down your list of potential universities quite substantially. If, for instance, I was interested in late Roman trade and banking, it wouldn't be much use talking to the University of Essex (or just about anywhere else for that matter). On the other hand, if I was interested in the relationship between New England and Eastern England in the early modern era, I'd be very interested in talking to several members of staff at Essex. You may also wish to consider at this point whether you wish to pursue your studies at a pre-1992 or a post-1992 university. The other thing do is have a peek at the theses in progress and completed at http://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Resources/Theses/index.html as it'll give you a very good idea of what's current in your field and who's supervising it.

    Having identified a number of universities with members of staff in your interest area, take a long, hard look at the university or departmental websites dealing with part-time study. It's no use, for instance, thinking that because Cambridge offers part-time PhDs and the world's leading expert in your field is there that you'll be able to get in to Cambridge. Cambridge make it very clear on their website that only in exceptional circumstances will anybody from outside the UK be admitted to part-time postgraduate study. After looking at the rules for part-time study, you may find that the residence requirements at some universities are beyond you. Manchester, for instance, demands attendence at a two week research methods seminar at the beginning of the PhD. This is all very well if you have 21 days of statutory holiday like we do, it's not so wonderful if you're lumbered with the US two weeks or so of holiday time.

    At this point you should (hopefully) have a list of five or six universities/professors that you think may be interested in you. Depending on the preferences of the department, you should then send a polite email or letter to either the postgraduate admissions tutor or the professor in question asking about the possibilities of part-time, external study for an MPhil or PhD. Things to ask about include: residencies, co-supervision by somebody in your home area, whether the department is happy with external part-timers.

    You should also think about finances. We ask for fees in sterling, you get paid in dollars. A friend of mine started a PhD at Edinburgh in the 1980s with a huge wedge of savings and the dollar riding high at $1.80 to the pound. By the end of his first year, the dollar was at $1.08 to the pound and his savings pile was looking a bit sickly. Double your chosen university's part-time fees to get a probable maximum fee (it's been a long while since pound's been worth more than two dollars), then add about 5 percent for each subsequent year.

    Completion rates for part-timers, both in the US and over here are abysmal. Only start the process of doing a PhD part-time if you really, really love your area of study . . . because if you don't you won't finish your thesis.

    Finally, if you want to get into a UK university for the coming academic year, you're going to have to get your skates on. Quite a few places prefer applications to be completed by Easter, and most of them prefer to get applications finished by July.

    Angela
     
  4. Jack Tracey

    Jack Tracey New Member

    Angela has graciously provided a lot of information. One aspect that she mentioned that I would like to emphasize is the fact that, for the most part, these dissertation-only doctoral programs are NOT distance learning programs by design. Most of the people who are enrolled in these programs live within reasonable driving distance of the university and probably make regular trips to campus for things like use of the library, graduate seminars, etc. It is possible that if you approach the topic (and the professor) in the right manner, with the right dissertation topic, that they may be willing to entertain the idea of meeting with you only once per year (assuming regular email/telephone contact is maintained). I would advise you not to assume that you are making a common request. Beyond all that, you should also check the application deadlines. In South Africa, their first semester starts in February. The deadline in usually somewhere around Christmas. Good luck.
    Jack
     

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