Postgraduate research student development

The University Researcher Development Framework (URDF) has been designed to meet the needs of all research students at the University of Brighton. The purpose of the programme is to support the intellectual and research development of postgraduate students and to add value to their research degree experience.

In line with the training policy directions of the UK Research Councils and Vitae (the national champion for personal, professional and career development of postgraduate researchers – see the Vitae researcher development framework), the university recognises that training in research skills and techniques is a key element in the development of a research student. The URDF brings together students from different disciplines, helping to foster the university community of scholars. This in turn enables research students to broaden their horizons and interact with scholars from other disciplines and the public: an essential skill in today’s world.

The aims of the programme are:

To develop critical awareness and purposeful application of research methods to a range of problems; and
To encourage the development of the intellectual and personal skills relevant to being an effective researcher.

The University Researcher Development Framework (URDF)

At the core of the URDF programme are eight units*, mainly delivered in workshop format, that provide a broad framework for doctoral study.

Within the eight units are taught modules, these are designed for students who need to develop research skills, meeting English language requirements before commencing their self-directed research.

In addition, students have access to a wide range of research methods and other modules that they can access, depending on their skills and training requirements. The university also provides a training programme for those who wish to teach in Higher Education.

The unit 'Communicating in the English language' is designed to support those for whom English is not their first language. The unit will address all forms of communication, including meetings with supervisors, writing and presenting work and participating in viva voce examinations.

The list of available modules changes from time to time, so you will be given an up-to-date module guide when you join the university.

*these workshops are only available to staff members and students of the University of Brighton

Online courses provided by Epigeum

The URDF is supported by two online courses developed by Epigeum. Epigeum is the leading publisher of online courses designed to transform the way in which universities support their core activities of research, teaching and learning. These online courses provide students, researchers, lecturers and professional staff with access to top-quality developmental opportunities in essential skills at a time and place of their choosing.

The Research Skills Programme

The research skills programme this is designed to provide PhD students and early career researchers with a broad range of essential skills and knowledge to improve their effectiveness as researchers. It will also help researchers to hone the vital transferable skills needed for pursuing a career outside of academia. The programme is made up of a short introductory course and 17 full-length courses divided into four key areas: Research Methods, Research Ethics, Transferable Skills and Entrepreneurship in the Research Context.

Statistical Methods for Research

The statistical method for research programme features five courses and is designed to provide research students with a strong foundation in statistics, covering key areas such as confidence intervals, hypothesis testing and statistical modelling.

Seminars and Lecture series

Postgraduate Research students have the opportunity to access local seminar series delivered via Schools. We actively encourage students to access seminars across all disciplines as it can help broaden your understanding of research and also embed you into the local research community at Brighton.

As well as local seminars, the university is proud to host world leaders in research through its series of lectures. In recent months the university has hosted lectures by Sir Mark Moody-Stewart, Sir Christopher Frayling and Dr Etienne Wenger.

Dr Wenger delivered a Masterclass to a group of our research students. It was a wonderful opportunity for students to spend time in the company of a world leading researcher of social theory. See what our research students had to say

Peer-group research culture

Students benefit from immersion in a cross-university peer-group research culture concerned with generic issues and aspects of the research process, as well as the more specialist techniques necessary for individual projects and disciplines. The programme is about developing a familiarity with the range of approaches and analytical techniques within varied fields. Specialist sessions are included in the programme, but are offered in a way that emphasises how and why they are apt for certain analytical purposes, how they are implemented, and how they can be used most effectively.

Centre for learning and teaching

During your research degree, you may be presented with opportunities to teach. It is compulsory for any student wishing to undertake teaching to complete a short course in Teaching in Higher Education.

To support you, the University’s Centre for Learning & Teaching (CLT) delivers two courses ‘Teaching and learning in HE‘ and ‘Supporting learning in HE’*.

More information is available on the training provided by CLT

*these courses are only available to staff members and students of the University of Brighton