MPhil/PhD in Cities Programme

Programme Code: RPCP

Department: Sociology

For students starting this programme of study in 2020/21

Guidelines for interpreting programme regulations

The MPhil/PhD in Cities is an interdisciplinary degree offered through the Sociology Department. Research within this programme addresses not only works within the discipline of sociology but also other fields that comprise urban studies, such as architecture, design, urban geography, urban history, and planning. A Cities PhD thesis should assume a scholarly audience that includes sociologists as well as other urbanists. Through theory, empirical focus and/or methods, students must engage with urban space as a conceptual category, significant contextual feature, or object of analysis.

In addition to progressing with their research, students are expected to take the listed training and transferable skills courses. Students may take courses in addition to those listed, and should discuss this with their supervisor.

Prerequisite Requirements and Mutually Exclusive Options

# means there may be prerequisites for this course. Please view the course guide for more information.

Footnotes

A : SO501 is required.

Progression and upgrade requirements

In the Summer term of each year the progress of each student registered in the Department is discussed at the MPhil/PhD Board, which is a general meeting of all research student supervisors. This Board decides whether to recommend to the School that students be permitted to proceed to the next year of study. If progress is unsatisfactory, a course of action to assist students to reach performance standards deemed appropriate by supervisors may be required, or a recommendation may be made that the student not be allowed to re-register. The following benchmarks are used by the MPhil/PhD Board to determine if students are progressing appropriately:

By Summer Term Year 1 for Full Time Students: Submission of Formative Essay for SO500, including approvals from the Ethics Committee and Health and Safety

By Summer Term Year 2 for Full Time Students: Upgrade from MPhil to PhD Student

By Summer Term Year 3 for Full Time Students: Successful completion of the Third Year Progression Package

In addition, students are expected to have completed requirements as laid out by the supervisory team. The PhD is an individual project and will require research and writing tailored to that project.

Full time students are required to have submitted their Upgrade materials in Week 6 of the Michaelmas Term of Year 2, and to have successfully defended their research design in viva voce by the end of the Michaelmas Term of Year 2. Upon successful completion, the student will upgrade from MPhil to PhD student. All full-time research students are required to have made the transition from MPhil to PhD (upgrading) student within two years of first registration and to have submitted their PhD thesis within four years. Part-time students are expected to be upgraded to PhD student by the end of their third year, and to submit their thesis within eight years.

The decision to upgrade a student from MPhil to PhD is taken by a panel consisting of two academics from the Department. For upgrade, students submit a 10,000 word research proposal that includes: 1) the research question(s); 2) a concise literature review through which the significance of the proposed research is articulated; 3) a discussion of research methodology; 4) preliminary data collection and analysis or a ‘pilot’ study; and 5) discussion of research ethics and risks. This material is then assessed by viva voce, with the supervisor(s) in attendance and available to be consulted by the panel. A written report is made by the panel on the basis of both the written upgrade submission and the viva, 

Students should aim to have a complete a first draft of their thesis in years three to four and allow three to six months for revision and submission. To facilitate this, students are required to submit a Third Year Progression Package no later than Week 6 of the Lent Term in the 3^rd Year for full time students. The decision to progress a student from the third to the fourth year is taken by a panel consisting of two academics from the LSE with at least one being from the Sociology Department. Students are to submit: a) two draft chapters (an introduction and a substantive chapter) totalling no more than 20,000 words; b) a thesis outline; c) a timeline for completion and d) a bibliography. This material is then assessed by viva voce, with the supervisor(s) in attendance and available to be consulted by the panel.

Award of the PhD

The PhD is awarded according to the rules of LSE and the department, as follows:

A thesis to be submitted by monograph. The thesis will:

1. consist of the candidate's own account of their investigations. Work already published, either by the candidate or jointly with others, may be included only if it forms an integral part of the thesis and so makes a relevant contribution to its main theme and is in the same format as the rest of the thesis. The student must clearly state the part played by the candidate in any work done jointly with the supervisor(s) and/or fellow researchers;
2. be an integrated whole and present a coherent argument;
3. be written in English and must be presented in line with published School guidance;
4. include a full bibliography and references

Note for prospective students:
For changes to graduate course and programme information for the next academic session, please see the graduate summary page for prospective students. Changes to course and programme information for future academic sessions can be found on the graduate summary page for future students.