Land Economy Research

Entry requirements

Applicants for this course should have achieved a UK High 2:1 Honours Degree.

Months of entry

October

Course content

This course combines taught elements and research methods training with a significant level of independent research. Students admitted to this course will be those who have a strong background in land economy-related subjects and who may already have some research experience. They will normally be those aspiring to and who have good prospects of proceeding to the PhD prior to an academic career.

Candidates study one core or two optional modules chosen from a list of options taught by the Department of Land Economy. They are also required to satisfactorily attend and complete the Social Sciences Research Methods Centre (SSRMP) training programme, and to complete a 20,000-word dissertation, supervised by one of the academic staff within the department. The dissertation will review the literature and develop research hypotheses, and possibly involve some preliminary data collection and analysis.

The SSRMP programme is described on the SSRMP website. Candidates must take six SSRMP core modules and produce a research methods essay of not more than 4,000 words as part of this programme. It is anticipated that the research training provided by the SSRMP plus the dissertation (20,000 words) and the choice of specialised modules from the other Land Economy MPhils will provide the necessary and sufficient background for commencing PhD research.

MPhil courses offered by the Department of Land Economy share common aims:

• Enable students of high calibre to pursue their education at an advanced applied level drawing on the primary disciplines of economics, planning and environmental policy, with additional specialisms in finance and law.
• Provide students with opportunities both to build on and develop material which they may have studied at the undergraduate level as well as to broaden their knowledge base.
• Equip students with the necessary skills to pursue careers at a high level in a range of areas, including business and finance, civil service, public service, property professions, environmental agencies and organisations, national and international agencies and further study.
• Provide opportunities for education in a multidisciplinary environment so as to advance the understanding of cognate disciplines and their applications.
• Provide opportunities for learning with colleagues from different social, economic and legal systems.
• Provide students with appropriate skills and experience to enable them to use information and resources critically and to equip them with the means to undertake their own research.
• Provide an educational environment with a strong research ethos that brings together students from a wide variety of backgrounds and fosters an international approach to common problems.

Information for international students

Language Requirement

IELTS (Academic)

Element Score

Listening 7.0

Writing 7.0

Reading 7.0

Speaking 7.0

Total 7.5

TOEFL Internet Score

Element Score

Listening 25

Writing 25

Reading 25

Speaking 25

Total 110

CAE

Score: Grade A & B (overall score of 193, with no element lower than 185 plus a Language Centre assessment)

CPE

Score: Grade A, B, or C (with at least 200 with no element lower than 185).