Good Evening all!

Just wanted some advice really if anyone can help at all.... I am starting my PhD in September this year and was lucky enough to be given a scholarship :-D but I wanted to know whether it is possible to do some MPhil/MSc modules in the first year (obviously appropriate ones for my research) to strengthen my knowledge? My University has a good student development programme which I will make full use of but has anyone done any MPhil modules in the first year?

Look forward to hearing from you

Lee :-):p

I'm not certain that you can actually take modules and sit exams. However, I do know that when I was doing my PhD, I could sit in on any classes, whether MSc or BSc, and get the benefit from them. I never did myself though.

I knew someone who did an MA at the same time as their first year PhD which amazed me! As far as i know they went on to get their PhD.
I also audited various undergraduate and postgraduate modules which were relevant to my studies and some just out of interest.

I did a full MSc Research Methods in my first year of my PhD - mainly made up of Research Modules (qual, quant, design etc) with some credits from subject specific modules on my research topic. The dissertation was in a subject related to but not the same as my PhD topic. I just worked really hard to get everything done and I feel it benefitted me as it got my thinking about methodology in a structured way and obviously got me an additional qualification. I wasn't charged to do it which made a big difference!

I audited two modules within the department I'm in in my first year and got formal credit in the sense that I could put them down as evidence of training for the upgrade. However another student who wanted to attend a relevant module within a different school was told she would have to pay the full module fee even to audit it (since she was self-funding she declined that generous offer) so that might be a problem if you want to go outside the school your studying in.

hello,

thank you very much for your replies, very helpful! I have been i touch with my supervisor and she is investigating for me (she is brill)

Lee

In my uni you can just sit in on any lectures you want - however, I just told me supervisor which mpdules I was interested in, and she got the lecturers to email me their slides/handouts etc, so I could just read through them in my own time. Didn't count as credits or anything, but really helped my understanding in areas I was lacking.