Part-time PhD at Cranfield advice

Hi there,

I'm looking at various programmes but for personal reasons only want to do a PhD on a part-time basis. Cranfield is on my radar. I know it's a great place but is it really worth doing a PhD there over and above say Oxbridge or some of the big RGs?

The universities I am looking at at Cambridge, Oxford, LSE, Manchester, St Andrews, LSHTM and possibly the London Business School. I have quite a diverse educational background hence why I named those universities.

Ideally if anyone else here studies or studied for a PhD and if on a part time basis, be great to hear from you. Thanks.

Reply 1

Cranfield University

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Original post by Anonymous

Hi, thanks for your question!

I'm a current Cranfield PhD student, and I did my undergraduate degree at Cambridge, so maybe I can offer some personal reflections on your question.

Cranfield has some quite unique advantages to consider. We are postgraduate only, which for me is a serious advantage in creating a more mature atmosphere with a focus on research. We have a strong focus on applied science, engineering, technology and business. Being in a more rural setting gives a significant advantage in terms of the space available for facilities. There are substantial specialist facilities here.

In your question you mention part-time PhDs specifically. I believe that Cranfield has excellent experience with part-time study and part-time PhDs, due to our more mature student profile. Many of our students have prior industrial experience or other prior experience. Some interesting statistics I found on our website: 48% of our students and learners are over 30 years old. 44% of our students and learners study part-time.

You also mention your diverse educational background. This would likely be well-suited to a Cranfield PhD. We do not have typical 'departments' e.g. Chemistry, Physics, Biology. Instead, we have Themes: Aerospace, Defence and Security, Energy and Sustainability, Environment and Agrifood, School of Management, Manufacturing and Materials, Transport Systems, Water. We work in multi-disciplinary ways to address global challenges.

Finally, if you are looking for strong links to the wider world outside of academia, Cranfield has very significant involvement with industrial and other collaboration partners. I enjoy attending talks from high-profile speakers in governmental, NGO and industrial leadership positions.

Please feel free to ask anything else you're curious about and I will do my best to answer!

Gemma
1st year Environment & Agrifood PhD student
Cranfield Student Ambassador

Cranfield University

Cranfield

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