Do you want to know more about the PhD degree in the Institute for Archaeology and Antiquity before you apply? Then this guide is for you.
What is a PhD and how do I get one?
Over the course of three years (full-time) or six years (part-time) you will develop your PhD proposal (the project you have in mind now: what's inspiring you to want to embark on further study) into a thesis of about 80,000 words (max.). When you successfully finish, you will have made yourself the expert in the specific subject you have researched.
There are no taught courses or written examinations, instead, your completed PhD thesis is assessed by two examiners (typically, one from within IAA, and one from another University). They read your thesis, and conduct what's known as the viva voce examination (this is an oral exam where your examiners have the opportunity to interview in detail about your thesis). If you are successful, you will then graduate as a 'Doctor of Philosophy' (PhD) in your subject area.
To get to this stage requires the equivalent of three years of dedicated research, in which you work closely with your supervisor (sometimes, a team of supervisors), expert enough in your broad subject area (e.g. Hellenistic Alexandria; Roman Republican literature; ancient near eastern creation myths; Athenian new comedy) to guide you and critique your draft work, but who need not necessarily be actively researching your specific PhD topic - after all, your topic needs to have originality, to cast new light on old knowledge, to synthesise scholarly traditions in innovative ways, or perhaps even to identify a methodology or a topic for study which no-one has yet tackled. You will eventually be the expert!
So, your goal in undertaking the PhD is to develop a high level of expertise in a subject you have designed for yourself, which adds to the sum of scholarship, and which you consider exciting. You may find it useful in the early stages of research to phrase your subject as a question (e.g. 'to what extent is Periclean Athens more myth than reality?').
Your supervisor's goal is to assist you in scoping and designing the project in detail, and to provide academic support, advice and discipline-specific guidance as you work on your thesis.
When do I see my supervisor?
During your normal period of study, you should expect to meet formally with your supervisor(s) for about an hour, once every three to four weeks (if you are studying full-time; every six to eight weeks, if part-time) to discuss your work-in-progress. These meetings are called 'supervisions', and you will typically be expected to present some draft written or practical work to your supervisor in advance, for feedback at the meeting.
Typically, you will see your supervisor informally rather more often: you will meet up at IAA's regular Research Seminars, perhaps at the PG work-in-progress seminar (the IAA Forum), and maybe you will shadow their teaching to develop your skills-set. All academic staff publicise regular 'drop-in' office hours, usually two per week, so you are also welcome to pop in during those informal hours if something comes up that you want to discuss.
How is my progress monitored?
Some students start working on 'chapters' straight away (a PhD in Classics and Ancient History will typically have 'chapters', and somewhere between 4-6 chapters is quite usual, but each PhD is different); others need to spend their first months undertaking preliminary scoping of the project, or data-gathering. Your supervisor(s) will be monitoring your progress as you submit draft work and discussing its development at your regular meetings, which are recorded using a standard form, but there is also a formal point of assessment annually, which is particularly important in your first year.
Every PhD student, at the end of their first year (or second year, if part-time), is assessed formally on their progress. This milestone is in place in order to ensure that PhDs which prove to be unviable, or which have taken an unproductive direction, are identified in time so that remedial action can be taken.
You submit a sample of your research (perhaps a draft chapter in progress, or a sample of data and analysis with an explanation of how it feeds into and supports the PhD) which is read and assessed by a member of academic staff nominated by your supervisor (often, it will be your adviser). The reader will write a brief report, and you then attend a 'Progress panel' where you are interviewed on your work so far, and given an opportunity to self-assess.
In your second and third years, this formal assessment will instead be undertaken jointly by your supervisor and your academic adviser (another member of IAA staff with relevant expertise).
How to apply
You and your supervisor will be working on your PhD in different ways for a considerable period of time, so it needs to be a subject that you are excited about, and about which you can communicate your excitement.
1. Before you apply, you should consult the list of academic staff in IAA and contact one or more whose published and on-going research specialities seem best fitted to your planned PhD. You will, typically, already have a Masters level qualification (or will be working towards one), so along with a brief outline of your proposed PhD (300-400 words) and a preliminary bibliography of what you consider to be key scholarship, you may wish to send them a statement of how your PhD draws on or develops from your Masters degree.
2. when you have consulted a potential supervisor, and they have approved the basic PhD idea, then you need to apply to the University.
3. Your application comes to IAA from the University's central admissions office, and your potential supervisor will probably not receive it until all relevant supporting documents (references, transcripts, English language qualifications, etc.) have arrived.
4. Once IAA has your full application, you will usually be contacted to arrange an interview (either in person, or via e.g. skype), unless one has already been conducted.