About
This course trains students to become independent researchers in an area of the humanities or social sciences, contributing original knowledge in their chosen discipline. The doctorate program develops skills in critical thinking, analysis, research, project management, and writing. Students gain a sophisticated, cutting-edge knowledge of their research speciality.
Target Audience
Ages 19-30, 31-65
Target Group
The course is suited for those who intend to conduct original research in the pursuit, discovery, or creation of new knowledge. It provides training for those seeking advanced study and employment in research-focused fields.
Mode of attendance
Full-Time and Part-Time
Structure of the programme
Entire programme is divided into three modules, each building upon the previous. It has a large research component consisting of both structured research preparation and the creation of an extensive final thesis in which students undertake cutting-edge, original, independent research.
All students are required to complete 3 stages of the thesis, during which they are closely supervised in producing a substantial piece of written research. The thesis allows students to produce sustained and focused research in a structured and personalised environment.
Tier One
Advanced Research Planning and Methodology (MQF 8, 1500 Hours)
Tier Two
Research Progress and Progress Review (MQF 8, 1500 Hours)
Tier Three
Thesis Completion and Viva Voce Examination (MQF 8, 1500 Hours)
Although these tiers are represented as co-equal in duration, in practice many students will find that they vary: For example, perhaps the plan of study (from Advanced Research Planning and Methodology) is completed midway through year 1, but the research phase may well take three semesters. Their equivalence here represents the importance of the three moments of the degree, rather than prescribing a specific model to a student and their supervisor.
Grading System
Within any individual module assessment is of two kinds: assessment of regular assignments (typically weighted 20% as a whole) and assessment of a final assignment or project (typically weighted 80%). These grades, however, are regarded only as indicators of progress while the student is progressing through the program.
The Ph.D. is awarded on a pass/fail basis as a consequence of the viva voce examination.
Dates of Next Intake
Rolling admission
Pass rates
2023 pass rates will be publicised in the next cycle, contingent upon ensuring sufficient student data for anonymization.
Identity Malta’s VISA requirement for third country nationals: https://www.identitymalta.com/unit/central-visa-unit/
How students have found success through Woolf
Course Structure
About
This module prepares a student to contribute new knowledge to scholarship in the humanities or social sciences, such that they can conduct (in subsequent modules) a programme of original, publishable research that advances the state of knowledge in their chosen field.
The main goal of this module is the completion of a Research Plan. The module prepares students to embark upon a substantial, sustained, unified piece of research at the MQF 8 level. The module is taught by the proposed thesis supervisor as a form of preparation specific to the thesis and the requirements of its subject matter. The thesis supervisor must possess a research doctorate in the field and sub-field of the proposed dissertation, or failing that, recent peer-reviewed scholarship in that area that demonstrates academic expertise. Approval of the match between a doctoral student and supervisor will rest with the dean of the college, and must be reported to Woolf’s QAETAC committee.
This module is not a general introduction to research or research methodologies, but a practical preparation for students preparing to embark upon the thesis. Although these skills are highly transferable to other research domains, it remains the case that the purpose of the module is scoped to the needs of the specific thesis for which it prepares the student.
Because the module’s exact contents will vary according to the needs and interests of the student or small cohort undertaking doctoral studies, there is no fixed syllabus. Topics that might be covered include:
Formulating and scoping research questions
Research design
Quantitative and qualitative methods
Theoretical approaches, including the history of theoretical models in a specific discipline
Ethics and research design
Data protection
The module will also include some practical instruction in preparing the ‘Research Plan.’
The module results in a highly structured ‘Research Plan’ for embarking upon independent research at the MQF 8 level in the subsequent modules.
In order to provide context for the submission of the ‘Research Plan’ (which is the purpose of this phase of the module), the student will gain a proficient knowledge of relevant research methods and planning. Thus, in connection with the core learning outcomes resulting from the research plan, the student will additionally gain a proficient understanding of the wider context of research methods and evaluate the fittingness of the chosen method. In this phase a student must, under the guidance of their supervisor:
Propose his or her thesis topic
Identify a provisional title
Evaluate research methods and select the likeliest methodology for the proposed research
Write an abstract of the proposed research
Compose a provisional table of contents for the thesis
Compose an annotated bibliography
Write a literature survey covering the primary and secondary sources
Schedule a timeline to completion, including a work agreement that establishes mutually-agreed upon expectations with the supervisor for meetings, responses to student work, and any other relevant practices.
The thesis supervisor finally prepares the student for external examination of the ‘Research Plan’.
By the end of the first year, if not earlier, the Research Plan is submitted as a digital portfolio containing six elements:
Provisional thesis title
Abstract, including proposed methodology
Expanded table of contents
Literature survey
Annotated bibliography
Timeline to completion
The Research Plan provides students with a clear framework to guide their research question, a structure into which they can fit their scholarly research, and a pathway to the completion of the thesis. The Research Plan also formally specifies the discipline the student is studying; this discipline must also be the supervisor’s scholarly field. During the module, students meet with their supervisor twice per month.
The student’s attention is directed to literature on the topic of the proposed thesis, and thus methodological research guidance, beyond the oral instruction of the student’s supervisor, will be provided within the domain of study specific to the student’s thesis. This will vary considerably, depending upon the topic of the thesis, and it forms a natural component of the literature survey. (Thus, it is neither appropriate nor possible to list here the bibliographic references that will be needed by the student. We have, however, provided valuable works of general research guidance and reference, and works to aid the student in evaluating the best research method for the thesis.) Although the nature of the training will vary by discipline and by the focus on human subjects, the supervisor will include scholarly ethics as a topic during this period.
The ‘Research Plan’ is submitted to be examined by an academic in the same field, selected by the thesis supervisor with the approval of the college dean (for the role of college deans, see Woolf’s MFHEA-approved Policy of Quality Assurance). The examining academic must possess a research doctorate.
Teachers


Intended learning outcomes
- Develop a comprehensive knowledge of received critical or scholarly paradigms beyond that associated with Master’s-level study.
- Critically understand the diverse scholarly views on methodological paradigms. This understanding forms the basis of an original research question.
- Develop a specialised knowledge of key strategies related to the analysis of critical paradigms or methodologies.
- Apply an in-depth domain-specific knowledge and understanding to the evaluation of critical paradigms and can use this understanding to advance research questions.
- Propose appropriate, well-scoped solutions to complex and changing reception of methodological paradigms.
- Assess, analyse, and criticise the various strategies for handling matters arising in the context of critical paradigms and methodologies.
- Employ the standard modern conventions for the presentation of scholarly work and scholarly referencing.
- Can communicate to specialist and nonspecialist audiences about the conclusions of state-of-the-art scholarly research.
- Compare and evaluate the different methodologies recommended in scholarly sources pertaining to how scholars should handle critical paradigms.
- Demonstrate self-direction in research and originality in solutions when engaging scholarly disputes.
- Manage interdisciplinary issues that arise in connection to methodological paradigms within each field.
- Solve problems and be prepared to take independent decisions related to the methods and principles of research, including prioritizing and scheduling research activities.
- Create a research-based approach to a discipline-specific (or interdisciplinary) problem, integrating knowledge from new research.
- Design a scholarly project that conforms to contemporary standards around research ethics.
- Act autonomously in identifying research problems and solutions related to at least one critical paradigm in the course, and can map these to a timeline.
- Apply a professional and scholarly approach to research discipline- based problems.
About
Advanced Research Progress and Progress Review helps a student who has just completed the ‘Research Plan’ to undertake a cadence of supervised, original research leading to a substantial portion of their research thesis being completed (2-4 chapters or equivalent). This module operationalizes the work agreement made in the previous one.
Although students may request twice-weekly meetings early in the writing process, it is expected (and students typically prefer) not to meet more than twice per month thereafter. This allows the student time to develop their independent research and writing. As the student advances in independence and confidence in their research, and under the discretion of their supervisor, they may reduce their supervisory meetings to 1 time per month (not inclusive of ‘Work in Progress’ seminars). The schedule of proposed meetings should be adjusted appropriately for students on a part-time schedule.
Under the supervision of their supervisor, and through regular submissions and synchronous feedback sessions, students hone and strengthen their ability to conduct innovative, original research at the very forefront of an academic discipline.
While the focus of year one was on preparing the ‘Research Proposal’, the focus of year two is on the actual work of research, whether that be in the library, working with datasets, or deep reading in the scholarship on a chosen topic, producing extensive notes and questions, and rough drafts of chapters or thesis sections. In addition to direct intervention on the student’s work, faculty contributions might include exploring innovative new research methods, research integrity, or, where relevant, implications for policy and other applications.
In addition, supervisors in year two will facilitate the student’s participation in the broader scholarly community, whether through presenting in the ‘Work in Progress’ seminar for graduate students and scholars, or through recommended and invited academic conferences.
Teachers





Intended learning outcomes
- Critically understand the diverse scholarly views on specific methodological approaches in the humanities or social sciences.
- Demonstrates an increasingly systematic knowledge of a highly- specialised field of study.
- Develop a specialised knowledge of key strategies related to research methods in a specific humanities or social sciences discipline.
- Develop a critical knowledge of methodological debates in a humanities or social sciences discipline.
- Apply an in-depth domain-specific knowledge and understanding to selecting and defending a research method in the humanities or social sciences.
- Assess, analyse, and criticise the various strategies for handling matters arising in the context of humanities or social sciences research methods.
- Employ the standard modern conventions for the presentation of scholarly work and scholarly referencing
- Demonstrates mastery in the selection and analysis of research, academic writing, designing, developing, and sustaining an argument, culiminating in innovative scholarly research.
- Communicate expertise to a wide audience, including peers, recognizing the different strategies for reaching broader audiences.
- Propose appropriate solutions to complex and changing technological, social, or cultural problems pertaining to the humanities or social sciences.
- Compare and evaluate the different methodologies recommended in scholarly sources pertaining to how researchers should settle interpretative questions.
- Solve problems and be prepared to take leadership decisions related to the methods and principles of research.
- Apply a professional and scholarly approach to research problems pertaining to qualitative and/or quantitative methods in a scholarly discipline.
- Demonstrate self-direction in research and originality in solutions developed for creating knowledge in the humanities or social sciences.
- Efficiently manage interdisciplinary issues that arise in connection to quantitative or qualitative methods in the humanities or social sciences.
- Demonstrate increasing authority in a specialized academic field, and can make judgments about scope and relevance for a well- defined research problem.
- Demonstrates a sustained commitment to the exploration of a scholarly project and the development of new knowledge.
About
Entering the third year of doctoral studies, students will have a well-defined research topic, a clear structure organising their research, a firm grasp of the relevant literature, a practical timeline in which to conduct their research, and a substantial body of drafted thesis chapters or sections (equivalent to 2-4 chapters).
In this module, the aims of the methodology module are fulfilled and the research of the past two years is brought into one overarching argument. The exact length of the thesis will vary by method and discipline, but ordinarily will not exceed 80,00-100,000 words, exclusive of any appendices.
The thesis will constitute a substantial, original, independent piece of research, which is clearly articulated in relation to the primary evidence and secondary literature, and which is organised in relation to the plan first envisaged in the methodology module.
Regular supervision meetings keep the student on-course with the timeline agreed in the methodology module. Supervisory meetings concentrate on a pre- submitted piece of research in a pattern that continues until the first draft of the thesis is complete.
Although students may request twice-weekly meetings early in the writing process in module two, it is expected (and students typically prefer) not to meet more than once or twice per month by this stage of the thesis. This allows the student time to develop their independent research and writing.
All full-time students must meet with their supervisor at least once per month.
After the completion of the first draft, meetings focus on the harmonisation of the parts, adjustments to the overall argument, and the supervisor seeks to ensure that the student guides the thesis with a single, coherent line of enquiry.
The final meetings with the student focus on polishing the editorial aspects of the thesis, and helping the student prepare for examination.
While there is not a formal requirement that a piece of the thesis will have been published already, the thesis should contain publishable work, and the student should graduate with a clear plan of revision toward publication (e.g., a series of articles, direct publication, or recasting the argument as a book for a more general audience).
Teachers



Intended learning outcomes
- possess expert knowledge at an MQF 8 level of the topic addressed in the thesis.
- become familiar with different types of textual and non-textual evidence used for the field of enquiry;
- attain a comprehensive overview of the most important primary and secondary literature in the field of enquiry;
- understand and intervene in key theoretical, methodological, or historiographical debates for the field of enquiry;
- apply historical and critical approaches to the interpretation of primary and secondary sources in such a way as to make a genuinely new contribution to knowledge;
- assess, analyse and critique primary sources and secondary literature;
- compare different approaches to the designated field of enquiry and make critical choices between them;
- understand and apply standard modern conventions concerning the presentation of scholarly work and scholarly referencing.
- summarise a wide-ranging body of information from multiple sources;
- deliver a thesis in a structured, well-scoped, and orderly way;
- justify the choice of pursuing a research topic according to a specific scholarly methodology fitting to a domain of enquiry.
- identify a specific, unique, and well-scoped domain of research enquiry for the proposed thesis;
- demonstrate practical skills in gathering information from a variety of primary and secondary sources and in applying it to specific disciplinary questions;
- manage complex, sustained research on a problem in the humanities or social sciences, and develop new interpretive strategies;
- conduct a programme of research that contributes to professional knowledge.
- grasp the theoretical issues that affect the proposed field of enquiry and the relative strengths and weaknesses of alternative approaches in the secondary literature;
Entry Requirements
Application Process
Submit initial Application
Complete the online application form with your personal information
Documentation Review
Submit required transcripts, certificates, and supporting documents
Assessment
Your application will be evaluated against program requirements
Interview
Selected candidates may be invited for an interview
Decision
Receive an admission decision
Enrollment
Complete registration and prepare to begin your studies
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