Research proposal and personal statement

When you apply for a Professional Doctorate with us, you are required to submit a research proposal & personal statement that outlines – among many other things – the nature of your research, and why it’s important. To help make yours as compelling as possible, read our helpful hints for creating a clear, concise and engaging research proposal.

What should I put in my research proposal?

Most application proposals are approx.1,000 – 1,500 words. A good research proposal will clearly identify the nature and scope of your research, and provides a meaningful context for its significance. It will also highlight your general and specific aims for the work and outline how you plan to meet them.

Here’s a checklist of what to include, when you write your proposal:

Define your research

• What is the professional/research problem you want to study?
• What’s the nature of the problem and why is it problematic?
• Why is your research significant, who is it significant to, and why is it relevant now?
• How will your research make an original contribution or stimulate debate within your chosen profession/field?
• What academic research has been done in your chosen area, what ideas and findings has it developed, and how will your research build on the existing knowledge?
• Which authors and which models have been most influential in this area, and why?
• Are there any possible ethical issues arising from your research – and if so, how will you address them?

Define your research aims and methods

• What are the general and specific aims of your research?
• What research methods have you considered?
• What authors have influenced your consideration of research methods, and how?
• What would be the most useful methodology for your research and what kinds of data will it yield?
• How will you gain access to any data relevant to your study?

What should I put in my personal statement?

Your personal statement is an opportunity to tell us about yourself, and to outline why you’re a compelling candidate for a professional doctorate with us. In your statement, you should demonstrate your enthusiasm for your professional/research topic and highlight the skills you’ve gained from your academic studies and your work or life experience. Here’s a checklist of what you should include:

• Your reasons for choosing your topic of research
• The aspects of your topic of research that interest you most
• How your choice of research fits in with your future career plans
• Why you would like to study in the UK (for EU/International students)
• Please provide details of your current or previous employment

Final thoughts

• If accepted, your proposal will set the topic and direction of your research for the duration of the programme (for a part-time DSE this could be 6 years!), so it must be something that you are personally interested in. You will need self-motivation and commitment and, above all, you should be able to enjoy exploring your chosen topic.
• Aim to leave the reader of your proposal excited, interested and wanting to know more. The reader should be left with a clear sense of purpose of the research, and should be able to understand what you hope to achieve without having to re-read the proposal.
• You are not expected to know everything at this stage! But you are expected to spend time and thought on your proposal in order to clearly present your ideas for a research topic. The proposal is about you demonstrating that you are capable of the chosen level of study and have the potential to carry it through to a successful conclusion.