Garden History PhD

The University of Buckingham is:<br/>- Home of the two-year degree, the University of Buckingham, based in the South East of England, is ranked 6th for Student Satisfaction in the UK (National Student Survey, 2020).<br/><br/><br/>- We are proudly independent and not-for-profit, and offer courses in Allied Health, Business, Computing, Education, Humanities, Law, Medicine, Psychology and Security and Intelligence. We are one of the few universities in the UK that offer September and January start dates for almost all of our courses.<br/><br/><br/>- Based in Buckingham on a riverside campus, we are only 20 minutes’ from Milton Keynes central station and a short drive from Bicester, Aylesbury, Banbury and Northampton. There is free parking on-site and we are within easy reach of London and Oxford.<br/><br/><br/>- Our award-winning small class tutorials ensure every student is known by name and supported throughout their studies, including by dedicated personal tutors.<br/><br/><br/>- As pioneers of the two-year degree, we offer a condensed version of the traditional three-year degree, meaning you can gain a full honours degree and complete your studies a whole year earlier. Alternatively, you can complete both your undergraduate and master’s degree with us in just three years: saving you time and money.<br/><br/><br/>The PhD in Garden History is an advanced research degree, awarded on the basis of a thesis and an oral viva voce examination. The primary purpose of the PhD is the preparation and presentation of a substantial piece of independent and original academic research, completed in three years if studying full-time and usually six years if studying part-time. There is also the possibility of early submission in cases where the student makes particularly rapid progress.<br/><br/>There is an enormously broad range of possible thesis subjects in Garden History, ranging from the history of garden design and the creation of particular gardens through to evolving attitudes towards nature and its relationship to the built environment, the Sublime and the Picturesque, and the critical assessment of garden-designers and their work, from Charles Bridgeman and William Kent to Geoffrey Jellicoe and Russell Paige. Given sufficient evidence to illuminate it, almost any aspect of the history of gardens and their creators may potentially form an appropriate focus of study.<br/><br/>A large proportion of our PhD students are engaged in full-time study, but there is also an option for part-time study where this fits better with a student’s other commitments. Part-time study can be ideal for those who are looking to gain a postgraduate qualification without leaving employment and wish to develop their careers while they continue earning, or for those who are home-based for whatever reason and wish to develop their skills. All students are expected to engage with the academic life of the University, to attend skills-training meetings where these are relevant, as well as research seminars and workshops.<br/><br/>PhD students are expected to attend the Humanities Research Institute’s graduate Research Days in their area of research. These Research Days provide an opportunity for PhD students to share their work with their peers, and to engage with visiting experts in their field.<br/><br/>The University of Buckingham PhD is intended to impart all the skills necessary for the student to work as an independent researcher and writer – skills that are valued by both academic and non-academic employers. But the PhD can be undertaken just as fulfillingly as an exercise in the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, and as a means of exploring areas of enquiry that are of particular interest to the student. A number of our most successful student researchers are those who take up doctoral study at the end of a successful career in a different field or profession.