The MPhil requires one year of full-time study (minimum of two years part-time). Students research their chosen topic and write a dissertation of at least 60,000 words. Supervisions are held at a minimum of one hour 3 times each term, approximately every three weeks. The MPhil is an internationally recognised research degree. The Department's lively research culture includes regular research seminars, which offer the chance to hear visiting scholars from elsewhere in the UK and from overseas as well as opportunities for staff and postgraduates to present research in progress in a friendly and constructive environment. These occasions also allow postgraduate students to broaden their knowledge of the subject and gain a better sense of how research develops as part of an interactive process. Those who take up a postgraduate research opportunity with us will not only receive support in terms of close contact with supervisors and specific training related to students area of research, they will also benefit from dedicated careers advice from our Careers and Employability Service.