Higher Education

Overview

Why choose this programme

Our Department of Higher Education is one of the largest departments in the UK dedicated to multidisciplinary research solely in higher education, investigating academic identity and development, assessment and feedback, and learning and teaching in the disciplinary context.

We’ve secured research grants from a variety of funders, including the British Academy, the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the Leverhulme Trust, the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA) and the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE).

In the Higher Education programme of the University of Surrey you’ll benefit from our vibrant research culture and you’ll work alongside leading academics who’re at the forefront of their respective fields, giving you access to expertise in a range of areas of higher education.

What you will study

Our PhD is research-based, so you’ll spend most of your time developing a research question, conducting original research, analysing your results and writing up your research findings, all under the guidance of your project supervisors. We’ll also give you tailored research methods training through online and face-to-face tutorials.

Current students are researching topics including:

• Pedagogical content knowledge of English as a second or foreign language teachers: effects of teacher education and expertise. 

• Promoting English foreign language students’ willingness to communicate through teacher classroom behaviour and strategies in the Saudi context.  

• Re-imagining students’ becomings: new approaches to thinking and doing transition. 

• Role of self-perception in the reconstruction of teacher’s identity: exploring the impact on foreign trained English teachers in higher education institutions. 

We’ll equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to shape professional practice and policy, allowing you to pursue highly a fulfilling career in academic, research and learning development positions within the higher education sector. Graduates also take up roles as researchers for government think-tanks, as well as policy research advisers.