Overview

The details

Course: Childhood Studies

Start date: January 2025

Study mode: Full-time

Duration: 3 - 4 years

Location: Colchester Campus

Based in: Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies

We offer research supervision in the following:

Children, psychoanalysis, and psychoanalytic theory
Psychosocial Studies of children and childhood
Sociologies of childhood
Histories of children and childhood
Children, parenting, and families
Childhood, politics and ideology
Ethical research with children
Childhood and identity
Children's friendships and peers
Gender and sexuality
Geographies of childhood and youth
Children, media, and popular culture
Children with disabilities and critical disability studies
Children in/and refugee studies
Comparative childhoods
Childhood innocence
Child development
Trauma
Looked after children
Therapeutic communities

Our graduates in Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies go on to a number of different destinations, including further study and training. Many of our students are already professionals so return to their existing fields with deeper understanding of their work, using this for their personal development and for increasing their potential for promotion and leadership in their existing or new roles.

Why we're great.

High quality research and teaching that is grounded in academic research and professional and clinical practice.
A supportive and enabling academic environment for graduate studies with excellent training and development opportunities
Access to Freud's original letters and research for your studies

Our expert staff

Within our Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, you will be allocated a supervisor whose role it is to guide you through the different stages of your research degree. In some cases, you may have joint supervision by two members of our staff (which may include co-supervision from colleagues located in another department).

The support provided by your supervisor is a key feature of your research student experience and you will have regular one-to-one meetings to discuss progress on your research. Twice a year, you will have a supervisory panel meeting, which provides a more formal opportunity to discuss your progress and agree your plans for the next six months.

Specialist facilities

If you are studying within our Department, you will have access to our extensive facilities to aid your learning and research. In particular, our Albert Sloman Library is well stocked with books, journals, electronic resources and major archives relevant to our work and, in addition, we have our own library of specialist books and journals.

Your future

Our graduates go on to a number of different destinations, including further study and training.

Many of our students are already professionals, clinical and non-clinical, so return to their existing fields, either in jobs or further training, and use study with us to deepen their understanding of their work.

Entry requirements

UK entry requirements

You will need a Merit at Masters degree level, or equivalent, in a related discipline. A well-developed research proposal is also essential.

You will normally be required to attend an interview/Skype interview for acceptance, and acceptance is subject to research expertise in the department.

International & EU entry requirements

We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.

Sorry, the entry requirements for the country that you have selected are not available here. Please contact our Graduate Admissions team at pgquery@essex.ac.uk to request the entry requirements for this country.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, we require IELTS 7.0, or equivalent with a minimum of 5.5 in all other components.

Structure

Course structure

A research degree doesn't have a taught structure, giving you the chance to investigate your chosen topic in real depth and reach a profound understanding. In communicating that understanding, through a thesis or other means, you have a rare opportunity to generate knowledge. A research degree allows you to develop new high-level skills, enhance your professional development and build new networks. It can open doors to many careers.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website and in line with your contract with us. However, if we need to make material changes, for example due to significant disruption, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Components and modules explained

Components

Components are the blocks of study that make up your course. A component may have a set module which you must study, or a number of modules from which you can choose.

Each component has a status and carries a certain number of credits towards your qualification.

Status	What this means
Core	You must take the set module for this component and you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Core with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component but you must pass. No failure can be permitted.
Compulsory	You must take the set module for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Compulsory with Options	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.
Optional	You can choose which module to study from the available options for this component. There may be limited opportunities to continue on the course/be eligible for the qualification if you fail.

The modules that are available for you to choose for each component will depend on several factors, including which modules you have chosen for other components, which modules you have completed in previous years of your course, and which term the module is taught in.

Modules

Modules are the individual units of study for your course. Each module has its own set of learning outcomes and assessment criteria and also carries a certain number of credits.

In most cases you will study one module per component, but in some cases you may need to study more than one module. For example, a 30-credit component may comprise of either one 30-credit module, or two 15-credit modules, depending on the options available.

Modules may be taught at different times of the year and by a different department or school to the one your course is primarily based in. You can find this information from the module code. For example, the module code HR100-4-FY means:

100

The department or school the module will be taught by.

In this example, the module would be taught by the Department of History.

The module number.

The UK academic level of the module.

A standard undergraduate course will comprise of level 4, 5 and 6 modules - increasing as you progress through the course.

A standard postgraduate taught course will comprise of level 7 modules.

A postgraduate research degree is a level 8 qualification.

The term the module will be taught in.

AU: Autumn term
SP: Spring term
SU: Summer term
FY: Full year
AP: Autumn and Spring terms
PS: Spring and Summer terms
AS: Autumn and Summer terms

COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY

Psychoanalytic Studies - Research

(0 CREDITS)

View Psychoanalytic Studies - Research on our Module Directory

COMPONENT 01: COMPULSORY

Psychoanalytic Studies - Research

(0 CREDITS)

View Psychoanalytic Studies - Research on our Module Directory

Assessment

The main mode of teaching is by individual supervision. Each supervisory process is unique in its rhythm, style and content and, therefore, you and your supervisor should agree on the nature and timing of each stage of your research.

As a guideline, you might expect to spend the first year of your PhD (or first two years, if part-time) undertaking your literature review and refining your research question/focus. In your second year (or third and fourth years, if part-time) you work on your methodology, data collection and data analysis. In your third year (or fifth and sixth years, if part-time): you complete your data analysis, final results, and drafting.

Dissertation

Within our Department, the normal period of study for a PhD is three years (six years if part-time or distance learning). Assessment is by submission of a thesis of no more than 80,000 words.

Research theses will be examined by two examiners, one internal and one external. An oral examination is usual for all PhD and doctoral theses.

Fees and funding

Home/UK fee

£4,786 per year

International fee

£18,750 per year

Fees will increase for each academic year of study.

Masters fees and funding information

Research (e.g. PhD) fees and funding information

What's next

We hold Open Days for all our applicants throughout the year. Our Colchester Campus events are a great way to find out more about studying at Essex, and give you the chance to:

tour our campus and accommodation
find out answers to your questions about our courses, graduate employability, student support and more
talk to our Fees and Funding team about scholarship opportunities
meet our students and staff

If the dates of our organised events aren’t suitable for you, feel free to get in touch by emailing tours@essex.ac.uk and we’ll arrange an individual campus tour for you.

A sunny day with banners flying on Colchester Campus Square 4.

Set within 200 acres of award-winning parkland - Wivenhoe Park and located two miles from the historic city centre of Colchester – England's oldest recorded development. Our Colchester Campus is also easily reached from London and Stansted Airport in under one hour.

Find out more

View from Square 2 outside the Rab Butler Building looking towards Square 3

If you live too far away to come to Essex (or have a busy lifestyle), no problem. Our 360 degree virtual tour allows you to explore the Colchester Campus from the comfort of your home. Check out our accommodation options, facilities and social spaces.

At Essex we pride ourselves on being a welcoming and inclusive student community. We offer a wide range of support to individuals and groups of student members who may have specific requirements, interests or responsibilities.

Find out more

The University makes every effort to ensure that this information on its programme specification is accurate and up-to-date. Exceptionally it can be necessary to make changes, for example to courses, facilities or fees. Examples of such reasons might include, but are not limited to: strikes, other industrial action, staff illness, severe weather, fire, civil commotion, riot, invasion, terrorist attack or threat of terrorist attack (whether declared or not), natural disaster, restrictions imposed by government or public authorities, epidemic or pandemic disease, failure of public utilities or transport systems or the withdrawal/reduction of funding. Changes to courses may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will also keep students informed appropriately by updating our programme specifications. The University would inform and engage with you if your course was to be discontinued, and would provide you with options, where appropriate, in line with our Compensation and Refund Policy.

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