Manchester Doctoral College

Manchester Doctoral College (MDC) has oversight of all doctoral training and researcher development across The University of Manchester.

The MDC team works to focus attention on postgraduate research requirements and develop cross-disciplinary, cross-School and cross-Faculty collaboration to enrich the postgraduate research experience.

MDC is responsible for supporting all postgraduate researchers by providing a stimulating research environment and through developing researcher development programmes, funding opportunities and postgraduate-specific facilities.

As a postgraduate researcher at The University of Manchester, you’ll become part of the MDC research community, which includes postgraduate researchers, supervisors, administrators and external collaborators who all work together to improve facilities, locate accessible funding and improve the postgraduate research experience across the institution.

We attract some of the best postgraduate researchers in the world and MDC has established flagship funding opportunities, such as the President’s Doctoral Scholarship award scheme, to support the next generation of leaders in research.

We offer specific funds, such as the conference attendance fund, and coordinate postgraduate researcher representation at School, Faculty and institutional level. We listen to postgraduate researcher feedback through national survey activities such as the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES).

Aims

  • enhance your experience as a postgraduate researcher;
  • work in collaboration with postgraduate researchers to generate internationally leading research;
  • guide postgraduate researchers towards a successful future career, whether inside or outside of academia;
  • celebrate the success of our postgraduate researchers and promote the postgraduate research community and its needs across the institution;
  • set standards and expectations for postgraduate researchers and the University and set out a code of practice;
  • support all postgraduate researchers to make the most of their opportunities at Manchester.

The team

MDC is a collaboration between staff from across the University who are dedicated to providing the best possible postgraduate research experience.

Our team includes Associate Deans for Postgraduate Research from each Faculty, the Research Degrees and Researcher Development team, Faculty doctoral academy staff, School representatives who contribute to the ongoing objectives of the college, PGR representatives from each Faculty and the Postgraduate Officer from the Student’s Union.

The team ensure that best practice is shared across the University, standards of quality are met in all areas of postgraduate research provision and interdisciplinary relations are forged where they benefit postgraduate researchers.