PhD Childhood Studies

Program Overview

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We offer research supervision in the following:

• Children, psychoanalysis, and psychoanalytic theory
• Psychosocial Studies of children and childhood
• Sociologies of childhood
• Histories of children and childhood
• Children, parenting, and families
• Childhood, politics and ideology
• Ethical research with children
• Childhood and identity
• Children’s friendships and peers
• Gender and sexuality
• Geographies of childhood and youth
• Children, media, and popular culture
• Children with disabilities and critical disability studies
• Children in/and refugee studies
• Comparative childhoods
• Childhood innocence
• Child development
• Trauma
• Looked after children
• Therapeutic communities

Our graduates in Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies go on to a number of different destinations, including further study and training. Many of our students are already professionals so return to their existing fields with deeper understanding of their work, using this for their personal development and for increasing their potential for promotion and leadership in their existing or new roles. Why we're great.

• High quality research and teaching that is grounded in academic research and professional and clinical practice.
• A supportive and enabling academic environment for graduate studies with excellent training and development opportunities
• Access to Freud’s original letters and research for your studies

Our expert staff

Within our Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies , you will be allocated a supervisor whose role it is to guide you through the different stages of your research degree. In some cases, you may have joint supervision by two members of our staff (which may include co-supervision from colleagues located in another department). The support provided by your supervisor is a key feature of your research student experience and you will have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss progress on your research. Twice a year, you will have a supervisory panel meeting, which provides a more formal opportunity to discuss your progress and agree your plans for the next six months.

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Specialist facilities

If you are studying within our Department, you will have access to our extensive facilities to aid your learning and research. In particular, our Albert Sloman Library is well stocked with books, journals, electronic resources and major archives relevant to our work and, in addition, we have our own library of specialist books and journals.

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Your future

Our graduates go on to a number of different destinations, including further study and training. Many of our students are already professionals, clinical and non-clinical, so return to their existing fields, either in jobs or further training, and use study with us to deepen their understanding of their work.

Program Outline

Course structure

A research degree doesn't have a taught structure, giving you the chance to investigate your chosen topic in real depth and reach a profound understanding. In communicating that understanding, through a thesis or other means, you have a rare opportunity to generate knowledge. A research degree allows you to develop new high-level skills, enhance your professional development and build new networks. It can open doors to many careers. We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We’ll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, or in response to COVID-19, we’ll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

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Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose. Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

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Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits. In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available. Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code . For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

HR	100	4	FY
The department or school the module will be taught by. In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.	The module number.	The UK academic level of the module. A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course. A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules. A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.	The term the module will be taught in. AU : Autumn term SP : Spring term SU : Summer term FY : Full year AP : Autumn and Spring terms PS: Spring and Summer terms AS: Autumn and Summer terms

Year 1 View Psychoanalytic Studies - Research on our Module Directory

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Assessment

The main mode of teaching is by individual supervision. Each supervisory process is unique in its rhythm, style and content and, therefore, you and your supervisor should agree on the nature and timing of each stage of your research. As a guideline, you might expect to spend the first year of your PhD (or first two years, if part-time) undertaking your literature review and refining your research question/focus. In your second year (or third and fourth years, if part-time) you work on your methodology, data collection and data analysis. In your third year (or fifth and sixth years, if part-time): you complete your data analysis, final results, and drafting.

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Dissertation

Within our Department, the normal period of study for a PhD is three years (six years if part-time or distance learning). Assessment is by submission of a thesis of no more than 80,000 words. Research theses will be examined by two examiners, one internal and one external. An oral examination is usual for all PhD and doctoral theses.