Doctoral Research
The Department is proud of its thriving community of research students. A recent HEFCE study found that King's College London is the most successful university in Britain in terms of PhD completion rate. The Department of War Studies is recognised by the British Academy, the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council.
Nearly 200 students are currently undertaking doctoral research. Every year about 60 new students join the programme. They work under the supervision of faculty members from the Department of War Studies and also from the Department of Defence Studies. The Department is especially interested in receiving applications from students planning their research projects in fields that will enhance the strength of the Department’s research groups, programmes and centres and assumes that normally research students will be attached to one or more of these, and that in all cases will enhance research culture and contribute to the War Studies research strategy.
PhD structure
The upgrade to a PhD degree from an MPhil is not automatic in the Department.
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Students who wish to be considered for the PhD go through a formal upgrade. This is to ensure that all students have an appropriate research subject which can be completed within the allotted timescale.
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A PhD involves a thesis of 100,000 words and normally a minimum three-year registration and a maximum of four years (four to seven years for part time students).
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A thesis for the PhD degree must form a distinct contribution to knowledge of the subject and afford evidence of originality shown by the discovery of new facts and/or by the exercise of independent critical thought.