The School's PhD programme is designed to enable you to undertake a substantial piece of research whilst gaining the skills and wider experience that will help with your next steps, whether you wish to pursue a career in or beyond academia. Every PhD is different, but a broad outline of your pathway as a PhD student is provided below.
Year 1
At the start of each year you will conduct a training needs analysis with your supervisors in order to identify the skills, both generic and subject-specific, that you will need in order to complete your research successfully. The Centre for Academic, Professional and Organisational Development (CAPOD) provides in-house training on a range of generic skills, whilst training for specific research methods may involve travel to institutions further afield.
You will meet regularly with your supervisor and will start work on your research. For many students, the first chance to share their research with a wider audience comes at the School's PGR Conference, held each April.
You will have two reviews in your first year as a PhD student, followed by an annual review in each subsequent year. These are intended to make sure that you are settling into and progressing in your studies in St Andrews, and to give you a chance to get advice from staff beyond your supervisory team.
Year 2
You will be in a more intensive stage of your study, carrying out the necessary research and data collection on which your thesis will be built. This may be something you can do from your desk, or may require fieldwork or placements away from St Andrews.
You will be expected to present your research at the School's PGR Conference in April, and will be encouraged to attend relevant conferences at workshops at a national and international level.
This may be a good time to gain experience teaching undergraduate students. The School offers a wide range of paid teaching opportunities to PhD students, such as leading tutorials, helping with lab classes and fieldtrips and marking assignments.
Year 3
You will spend this year trying to complete your research for your thesis and work towards submitting the final draft and having your viva defense.
You will continue to build on your research from the preceding years, with an increasing emphasis on analysing and interpreting your data and writing up your findings. As well as working towards the completion of your thesis, you will be encouraged to submit your work to academic publications, where it can be picked up by a wider audience.
As in previous years, you will be expected to present your research at the School's PGR Conference in April, and will be encouraged to share your findings at national and international conferences.
Year 4 (if needed)
If not completed in year 3 you will complete and submit a final draft of your thesis and have your viva defense. During the year you will continue working on publications, conferences and even applications for funding, as you will now be ready to enter the job market.
