Psychology - Research

Overview

The School of Psychology has a thriving, well-resourced and engaged PhD community that is central to its research environment. Students are strategically appointed to research projects with the express purpose of enhancing research capacity and development in prioritised areas for which the School aims to enhance world-leading research.



Subject Summary

You’ll enjoy the high level of spontaneous peer-support, initiative, and engagement that exists among our diverse community of psychological doctoral researchers. Your research may cover topics such as Development, Social, Cognitive, Health and Biological Psychology. You may wish to continue within academia to take up postdoctoral research positions, fellowships or lectureships in psychology, move into clinical or educational psychology training, or take up a research position in the private or public sectors.



Mode of study/ duration

Registration is on a full-time or part-time basis, under the direction of a supervisory team appointed by the University. You will be expected to submit your thesis at the end of three years of full-time registration for PhD, or two years for MPhil (or part-time equivalent).

Graduate

The minimum academic requirement for admission to a research degree programme is normally an Upper Second Class Honours degree from a UK or ROI HE provider, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University. Further information can be obtained by contacting the School.

How to Apply

Apply using our online Postgraduate Applications Portal and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply.

3 academic years full-time.

Entry Year: 2024/25

Career Prospects

Introduction

For further information on career opportunities at PhD level please contact the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences Student Recruitment Team on askEPS@qub.ac.uk. Our advisors - in consultation with the School - will be happy to provide further information on your research area, possible career prospects and your research application.

Research information


Associated Research

Subject-specific postgraduate modules in research design and methods are delivered as part of the PhD training portfolio to complement the generic University training and further topic-specific research training is also available.

Students are expected and encouraged to publish during their PhD research and are supported in doing so through their research training.


Students are a central part of the research environment of the School and participate in School-level seminars and research meetings.


The School has made extensive material investments in infrastructure, including two computer labs and access to several suites of dedicated research labs, to support their research.


The School of Psychology has a postgraduate research community of around 50 PhD students who are very well resourced and supported in their research.

The School of Psychology at Queen's ranked in the top 10 psychology departments in the UK for research intensity in REF 2014 and provides an excellent environment in which to carry out PhD research.


Other opportunities exist to attract funding from non-governmental sources. Current and previous PhD sponsors include professional services firms, international Governments, charities, and technology companies. We also welcome self-funding students on a full-time or part-time basis.


One distinctive aspect of the PhD experience in the School of Psychology is the high level of spontaneous peer-support, initiative, and engagement among this community of Doctoral researchers. This is valued and fostered by the School through its support of the postgraduate conference and postgraduate week activities as well as wide-ranging involvement of research students across many aspects of School life.


Our PhD community also organizes numerous social events each year that are very popular amongst both staff and students. There is a range of sources of funding available for PhD students. Every year the Department for Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland (DEL) funds a number of PhD students to undertake research on pre-specified topics within the School of Psychology. These topics and the names of the associated supervisors are typically advertised online in December with a closing date in February. Last year's topics spanned research topics across Development, Social, Cognitive and Biological Psychology. Selected applicants are invited to interview and the successful candidate is offered a fully funded place with fees paid and an annual maintenance stipend for the three years of the PhD. Eligibility criteria can be found at: http://go.qub.ac.uk/delterms


Students who wish to self-fund or explore external funding sources are advised to peruse our staff webpages (http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/psy/Staff/) and to contact potential supervisors to discuss potential topics. Most students continue within academia to take up postdoctoral research positions, fellowships or lectureships in psychology. Some continue into clinical or educational psychology training while others take up research positions in the private and public sectors.