Digital Participation | Research Degrees

Award Award	Duration Duration	Start dates Start dates	Application Application
PhD or Professional doctorate PhD or Professional doctorate	PhD: Full-time: 3–4 years Part-time: 6–8 years Professional doctorate: Part-time: 4–8 years PhD: Full-time: 3–4 years Part-time: 6–8 years Professional doctorate: Part-time: 4–8 years	October October	November to January November to January

The Digital Participation, Social Justice and Equitable Learning programme investigates how communities can meaningfully engage with scientific research through innovative learning technologies and methodologies, such as citizen inquiry and co-production. Empowering communities to participate in research is seen as a vehicle for developing critical literacies and individual agency, bringing positive change to communities and producing evidence that can influence policy and practice. Our approach aims to benefit all individuals by building their research capacity and addressing existing inequalities and divides.

Our research spans community and citizen science education, co-produced technology design, civic education, and innovations in digital learning that enable public participation and social justice. We examine how technology-enhanced research participation can be implemented and governed to advance equity and inclusion – identifying and removing barriers that may prevent individuals and communities from participating fully. In our research, "learning" comes from becoming more agentic, critical and engaged with community issues and is viewed as a lifelong, empowered practice. We address pressing questions, including but not limited to:

Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) and an MA or research methods training at MA level (or equivalent). If you are not a UK citizen, you may need to prove your knowledge of English.

UK fee UK fee	International fee International fee
Full-time: £5,006 per year Full-time: £5,006 per year	Full-time: £12,705 per year Full-time: £12,705 per year
Part-time: £2,503 per year Part-time: £2,503 per year	Part-time: £6,353 per year Part-time: £6,353 per year

Some of our research students are funded via the Faculty or The Grand Union Doctoral Training Partnership and others are self-funded.

For detailed information about fees and funding, visit Fees and studentships.

To see current funded studentship vacancies across all research areas, see Current studentships.

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