Introduction

Students may now apply for PhD study on a part-time registration. Research students are allocated a UK supervisor and a local supervisor (which is approved by the University); required to submit annual progress reports; and they may also attend lecture modules on appropriate topics. Students must sit a viva at the end of the programme.

Research students are encouraged to give seminars, publish their findings and present at international conferences. They are also required to visit the University once a year for a week to have face to face meetings with their supervisors.

Research Themes

We have four overall research themes:

• Operations and Management (including logistics, international joint ventures and simulation)
• Materials and Sustainability (including plastics processing and light materials)
• Manufacturing Technologies (including automation and robotics, laser processing, joining, life cycle manufacture, experiential engineering and haptics)
• Digital Technologies (including digital manufacturing and healthcare, e-security, visualization and communications)

Duration and tuition Fee

The normal registration period of a part-time PhD study is 5 years. The current annual tuition fee is £9,276 (2011/2012 academic year) which is subject to revision by the University.

Entry requirements

Students should have a good Masters degree or equivalent

How to apply

Students are advised to submit the research proposals, curricula vitae and academic qualifications to the Regional Office for initial review. Students will then be contacted to further discuss their applications with the local Programme Director.

Guide to write a research proposal

An important part of your PhD application is the research proposal so we want to know what your research interests are so that we may direct your application to potential supervisors. The proposal does not need be long, but the quality should be high and no more than 2-3 pages should be sufficient. Ideally your proposal should address the points below however as long as we get a clear idea of your research interests then we can consider your application.

• Ensure that your research interests match those in WMG (view), or contact us for clarification of research areas.
• Outline the main objectives of your research, providing details of two or three key aspects.
• State your target audience for this project.
• Explain what the main outcomes of the project are that you would want to see
• Outline what methods/approaches you intend to use to achieve the aims of your project.
• Indicate your suggested data collection procedures, including sources and any possible difficulties.
• Explain any analytical techniques you intend to use for your research.