Undertaking a PhD at LSE requires a significant investment from students, supervisors and the School, and there are high expectations on all involved. Taking time and care over effective recruitment and selection is thus crucial.
Students will have different requirements based on the type of programme (MRes/PhD or MPhil/PhD) and conditions of funding, but all candidates are required to submit for examination by their submission deadline, and all will face pressures around management of the research project. It is important to ensure that both the candidate’s academic background and the proposed project make this realistic and feasible before accepting a student.
While it is important not to be too risk averse where a proposal or a candidate has significant merit and potential it is unfair on candidates to allow them to embark upon a project without considering the pressures they will face and the requirements they are expected to meet. You should also carefully consider the benefits to you, as a supervisor, and whether you are in the position to provide the considerable support required both to the project and for the personal and professional development of the prospective candidate.
Guidance on admissions requirements and advice on effective selection are available from your Doctoral Programme Director and Doctoral Programme Manager, as well as from the Graduate Admissions Office. This includes the School’s Attaining Comprehensive Equality in Postgraduate Research (ACE) Initiative, which is administered by the Graduate Admissions Office. Please work closely with the appropriate person in your department on potential applications and seek advice from relevant departments, particularly Graduate Admissions, where appropriate. The PhD Academy team will be able to provide advice on academic or personal circumstances that may affect the student during registration.
The UKRI provides a set of good practice principles in recruitment at doctoral level, to improve equality, diversity and inclusion.