Education PhD

The School of Education's Education PhD enables students to develop advanced research skills and build new knowledge with an emphasis on providing a pathway for those interested in a career in education research.

We welcome applications through research proposals to study for an Education PhD at the University of Brighton.

As an Education PhD student, you will undertake applied research, combining theoretical analysis with fieldwork data collection to produce leading edge studies.

The research of our supervisory staff generates knowledge that advances social justice and fosters critical understanding of learning and teaching in diverse cultures and complex worlds.

Staff and PhD student research spans broad areas of education, including for example: investigating children and young people’s rights in UK and international contexts; researching the learning, development and working lives of educators in different educational settings; mentoring and coaching in education settings; and examining pedagogical practices in higher education.

We carry out innovative, creative and participatory research involving children, young people, adults and those who work with them. We also specialise in narrative and biographical methodologies and approaches and, as part of this, listen to educators’ and learners' stories and examine their life histories, to better understand their experiences and world views.

Our PhD students have gone on to a variety of different roles following the successful completion of their research. These include academic posts as lecturers and postdoctoral research assistants at Brighton and elsewhere. Many have gone on to management positions in related areas such as business consultancy.

ApplY to 'Education' in the portal

Key information

Education PhD study is available on a full-time or part-time basis. As one of our postgraduate research students, you will:

benefit from a supervisory team comprising two members of academic staff with expertise in your area of interest. Depending on your research specialism you may also have an additional external supervisor from another school or another research institution, or an external partner from government or industry
benefit from access to a range of electronic resources via the University’s Online Library, as well as to the physical book and journal collections housed within the Aldrich Library and other campus libraries.

Full-time Education PhD students also have access to desk space and a desktop PC.

Academic environment

Staff and doctoral student research spans broad areas of education, including for example: investigating children and young people’s rights in UK and international contexts; researching the learning, development and working lives of educators in different educational settings; mentoring and coaching in education settings; and examining pedagogical practices in higher education.

Based at the university’s Falmer campus, the department of Education has over 90 academic and research staff. Staff expertise spans a range of disciplines covering policy, pedagogy, practice and professional development within early years, primary, secondary, further and higher education, as well as within youth work and other non-formal educational contexts.

PhD students take an active role in a range of intellectual and social activities within the School. Postgraduate students working in Education are encouraged to integrate into one or more of our three Research and Enterprise Groups (REGs) listed above. These groups provide students with opportunities to present ‘work in progress’ and network with other researchers.

The Brighton Doctoral College offer a training programme for postgraduate researchers, covering research skills and transferable (including employability) skills. Attendance at appropriate workshops within this programme is encouraged, as is contribution to the School's various seminar series. Academic and technical staff also provide more subject-specific training.

Research themes

Researchers within the department are engaged in work across a broad range of areas; we are, therefore, able to accommodate a wide range of doctoral research interests. Our particular areas of expertise currently include:

children and young people’s learning and education
children and young people’s rights and voice
educators’ initial, early and continuing professional learning and development
the role of video technology in facilitating professional learning and development
educators’ use of digital tools
professional identities
educator wellbeing
educator retention
mentoring and coaching
professional migration and boundary crossing
pedagogy in formal and informal contexts
higher education pedagogy, policy and practice.

Some of our supervisors

Dr Nancy Barclay

My supervisory interests encompass a range of topics within primary mathematics pedagogy and the application of policy in the primary classroom. I have a particular interest in social factors influencing the learning of mathematics and issues of equity in mathematics learning particularly relating to the learning experiences of those identified as lower attaining. I am also interested in reserach focusing on school governance and school improvement and research from a critical realist perspective. I am interested in supervision of research which utilises qualitative and mixed methods approaches as well as that utilisting large quantitative data sets.

Current and recent supervision at Masters and Doctoral level includes collaborative teacher learning in primary schools, the development of fluency in calculation in primary school mathematics, mathematics anxiety in high school students, primary school leadership in response to inspection, values in secondary mathematics education.

Dr Alison Barnes

Alison’s supervisory interests include learning, teaching and professional development in schools and higher education, mathematics education pedagogy and learning, including the role of affect and emotions, and intervention approaches to research. She is interested in supervising students with interests related to these areas.

Alison is Co-Leader of the Professional Doctorate in Education. She supervises students on the PhD, EdD and MA programmes in the UK and the Mauritius Institute of Education.

Doctoral completions:

Stefanie Edwards: Promoting and sustaining Lesson Study as a form of effective professional learning: an investigation of the practices enacted by teacher, school and system leaders

Dr Andy Chandler-Grevatt

My research interests and supervisory interests include: Science education, formative assessment, classroom assessment, teacher assessment literacy. Science teaching and learning: including the nervous system, learning about the brain, microscopes in the classroom and moss. organisms. Science teachers, teacher well-being, teacher recruitment and retention, emotional needs of teachers.

Prof Andrew Hobson

Andy is interested to work with applicants seeking to conduct research relating to the professional learning, development and/or well-being of teachers, leaders and other professionals. Specific foci may include but are not restricted to studies of:

Mentoring and/or coaching for early career teachers / professionals
Mentoring and/or coaching across professions
Judgementoring
ONSIDE Mentoring
Co-mentoring (collaborative, compassionate mentoring and coaching)

Prof Michael Jopling

I would like to hear from prospective students who are interested in undertaking research in areas such as addressing disadvantage in education, leadership and school improvement, vulnerability and wellbeing, and (post)digital technologies in education. Other areas in which I have supervised include:

Theory and mythology in teaching and learning
Digital ethnography and pedagogy
Pupil voice and classroom talk in secondary schools
The self-improving school system
Challenging school readiness
Inclusive practice

Dr Jools Page

I am working with PhD and EdD students within the field of Early Years and I welcome enquiries from prospective candidates who are interested in my specific areas of specialism which include:

'Professional Love'
Infants, toddlers & children under 3 years of age
Attachment based relationships - Love, Care and Intimacy
Theory, policy and practices with infants and toddlers
Quality and learning/ policy, practice and pedagogy
The Rights of babies and young children
Professional adult roles – e.g primary caregiving/key person approach
Parent roles

I have supervised ten students to successful completion of their doctorates and examined 17 full doctoral theses.

For further supervisory staff including cross-disciplinary options, please visit research staff on our research website.

Making an application

You will apply to the University of Brighton through our online application portal. When you do, you will require a research proposal, references, a personal statement and a record of your education.

You will be asked whether you have discussed your research proposal and your suitability for doctoral study with a member of the University of Brighton staff. We recommend that all applications are made with the collaboration of at least one potential supervisor. Approaches to potential supervisors can be made directly through the details available online. If you are unsure, please do contact the Doctoral College for advice.

Please visit our How to apply for a PhD page for detailed information.

Fees and funding

Funding

Undertaking research study will require university fees as well as support for your research activities and plans for subsistence during full or part-time study.

Funding sources include self-funding, funding by an employer or industrial partners; there are competitive funding opportunities available in most disciplines through, for example, our own university studentships or national (UK) research councils. International students may have options from either their home-based research funding organisations or may be eligible for some UK funds.

Learn more about the funding opportunities available to you.

Tuition fees academic year 2024–25

Standard fees are listed below, but may vary depending on subject area. Some subject areas may charge bench fees/consumables; this will be decided as part of any offer made. Fees for UK and international/EU students on full-time and part-time courses are likely to incur a small inflation rise each year of a research programme.

MPhil/PhD
	Full-time	Part-time
UK	£4,786	£2,393
International (including EU)	£15,900	N/A
International students registered in the School of Humanities and Social Science or in the School of Business and Law	£14,500	N/A

PhD by Publication
Full-time	Part-time
N/A	£2,393

Contact Brighton Doctoral College

To contact the Doctoral College at the University of Brighton we request an email in the first instance. Please visit our contact the Brighton Doctoral College page.

For supervisory contact, please see individual profile pages.