The Open Professional Studies PhD allows you to select a topic of your choice within any of our professional areas of expertise, namely: adult education, career development work, coaching, counselling, education, psychotherapy, early childhood, social work, and social policy. Warwick's Centre for Lifelong Learning provides a rich, transdisciplinary academic environment supported by a dedicated team including supervision and personal tutoring.
This PhD provides an opportunity to undertake in-depth research linked to our expertise in any professional field within the Centre for Lifelong Learning. Our faculty has expertise in a range of people-focused professions. Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research projects linked to one or more of our main professional areas are welcomed.
Teaching and learning
We provide a pleasant PhD study room and dedicated personal tutor support in addition to the supervisory team. A combined staff and student seminar programme provides a collegiate forum for sharing and discussing current topics and ideas.
Entry requirements
2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject or a good Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject. Supported by a good research proposal (2500 words).
IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.
Please adjust your country as required:
We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications. For more information, please visit the international entry requirements page.
We typically ask for two academic references for research courses.
You will be asked to include an email address for your referee(s) when submitting your application and we will contact them for you.
There are no additional entry requirements for this course.
Research themes
Research themes for this PhD can include:
Lifelong learning in any context including workplace, community, and formal education, plus informal learning in the family or elsewhere
Lifelong learning at any age including childhood, young adulthood, mid-life, and/or later years
Lifelong learning as it relates to career development work, coaching, counselling, early childhood practice, psychotherapy, social work, and/or social policy
Theories of learning
Professional and vocational education
Popular and radical education
Issues of culture, class, gender, ethnicity, age, sexual identity, and/or disability
Access to learning, retention, and drop-out
Transitions, learner identity, and career development
Transformative learning
Motivations to learning
The above is not an exclusive list of research areas and you are free to propose additional topics or themes: Research proposal guidance.
We provide this named PhD route covering a range of professional and academic areas linked to lifelong learning. This results in a PhD with the named route 'Adult Education and Lifelong Learning' on the University transcript. If you prefer to follow a PhD without a named route, there are also strong links between this PhD and our Open Professional Studies Route PhD (P-X3S1). So this option can be pursued. You can discuss the choice of route with the Director of Graduate Studies.
Supervisors and proposals
There are several routes to finding a PhD supervisor at University of Warwick. Searching for a supervisor and submitting a research proposal will look different depending on the opportunity you are applying for. Below you’ll find guidance from the department about what is required for this course.
For more general advice, including top tips for finding and contacting a potential supervisor, and what to include in your research proposal visit the university’s guidance webpages.
Please hover above the names listed below for a quick overview then click to view the full profile.
Applicants are encouraged to contact their potential supervisor. The most important aspect is the nature of your project and its potential for supervision in our department.
You are asked to view your intended supervisor's profile and read their work. Please think about what might make your proposed PhD attractive to your supervisor, and customise the proposal accordingly.
How does your project relate to your intended supervisor's work?
How might your project enhance, advance, or develop it?
Could you take it in a different direction?
What kind of methods and approaches are likely to appeal to your potential supervisor?
We receive a large number of proposals every year and only have capacity for proposals that are carefully tailored to our specific areas of expertise.
When putting together your research proposal please:
Provide an overview of your research question, explaining why it is of academic and or practical importance
Outline the main objectives of your research, providing details of two or three key aspects
Indicate the importance of previous related research and how your own research question might make a useful contribution to the area
Briefly state the main research techniques (interviews, case studies, modelling, literature review, etc.) you might use
Indicate your suggested literature and/or data collection procedures, indicating sources and any possible difficulties
Explain the techniques you intend to use
Add an outline timeline of activities
Fees and scholarships
Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and assessment and some student amenities.
We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.
Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?
If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.
As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of research trips in the UK and overseas. In addition, you should consider the more general costs below:
Access to research material that is not available via university resources
Printing and binding a personal copy of your dissertation
Robe hire for your degree ceremony
Find out about the different funding routes available, including; postgraduate loans, scholarships, fee awards and academic department bursaries.
(We work with over 20 partners, including professional bodies and partner colleges, and are always looking to build new partnerships)
85%
1st and 2nd class degrees
(From 2016 to 2022, 85% of our undergraduate have achieved a first or second class honours degree)
Transform your future through learning that fits your life.
Why study with us?
For more than 30 years, our Centre has supported adult learners in achieving their personal and professional ambitions, whatever their background. And with options to study on campus or online, as well as apprenticeships, you can make your course fit around your life.
Here, you’ll discover that learning has no limits as you explore ideas around four interconnected themes: concepts of lifelong learning, people-focused professions, wellbeing and identity, and participation and collaboration. Immerse yourself in a culture of growth that inspires staff, students and the wider community.
If you’re studying on, you can take advantage of a wide range of modern facilities designed to support student life. From flexible study spaces and the Library, to gyms, cafés, bars and restaurants, you’ll find places to focus, connect and recharge. You’ll also enjoy access to the Students’ Union and convenient campus parking, helping you balance study alongside work, family and other commitments.
If you’re studying online, you can still access all of the same academic and student support. Plus, if you’re near to the University, you’re free to use the facilities on campus.
Why Warwick
Your university experience is defined by far more than your course or the career path you follow. At Warwick, it’s where you discover who you could become.
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Warwick is ranked 68th in the world and top 10 in all major UK league tables
Our alumni community still call Warwick home. From a few hundred in 1965 to more than 310,000 alumni, and it's ever-growing.
As Warwick graduates, our students have access to employability support for two years after graduation, including access to careers appointments, job vacancies and professional networks.
Applications for courses starting in academic year 2026/27 are now open.
For research courses that start in September and October 2027, the application deadline for students who require a visa to study in the UK is 2 August 2027.
For courses starting at other times of year we recommend that you submit your application a minimum of 3 months prior to your intended start date.
This should allow sufficient time to complete the admissions process and to obtain a visa to study in the UK if required. We will still accept late applications, however cannot guarantee that the application will be processed in time to complete the admissions process if received late or there are a number of conditions to meet.
If applying late please include your degree certificates and transcripts, English proficiency evidence (if needed) and ensure referees can submit references promptly to allow time for CAS and visa processing (if applicable).
This information is applicable for 2027 entry. Given the interval between the publication of courses and enrolment, some of the information may change. It is important to check our website before you apply. Please read our web page 'Important information to consider before making an application' in advance of applying to Warwick.
Next steps
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