Upgrade from MPhil to PhD

About the project

All post-graduate research students are initially registered for the MPhil award of their chosen degree until they undertake the Upgrade examination to confirm their eligibility to transfer to the PhD award.

Upgrade tasks

As part of the Upgrade process students are required to complete the following on MySOAS Portal:

• Upload upgrade paper by the deadline.
• Review SOAS’s Research Data Management information and confirm that you have understood the requirements. Please also review the guidance provided by the Research Office if you are unsure.
• Complete the Research Data Management Plan.
• Complete the Research Ethics Checklist.
• Complete the Epigeum Research Integrity, Second Edition, UK course . The course consists of 8 core modules and 5 supplementary modules, and it is mandatory to complete the core component in full. Once you pass all 8 modules, you can scroll to the top and download a single certificate. You will be asked to upload that certificate known as your Research Integrity Certificate as a proof of completion when you are filling in your upgrade form on MySOAS Portal.
• Complete the First Stage Ethical Review – you may then be asked to complete the Second Stage Ethical Review.

Upgrade examination

Once you have completed the required tasks on MySOAS Portal, your supervisor will liaise with you to arrange an Upgrade Examination. During this, your department will assess your suitability to be upgraded to the PhD award.

Your department may have additional requirements as part of the Upgrade examination. We advise you to adhere to any directives you have received in this regard from your departmental Convenor of Doctoral Studies, to check the relevant assessment criteria below and also confirm these with your lead supervisor.

Departmental requirements

Department | Written work requirements | Panel membership | Presentation type | Additional requirements | Further information

Anthropology | 20,000 words, consisting of a Literature Review (12k-14k) and Fieldwork Proposal (6k-8k), as per distributed guidelines | 2nd supervisor & another member of the dept (whom the lead supervisor nominates) | Discussion with the panel (approx 1 hour) | Successful completion of MPhil modules (Anthropological Research Methods and the Research Training Seminar); weekly attendance at Anthropology Departmental Research Seminar; fulfilment of requirements identified in Training Needs Analysis | Please check with your Convenor of Doctoral Studies

Development Studies | 10,000 words, which should include a problem statement, literature review, the research questions, methodology for the research, and timeline for completion of the research and writing of the thesis. The specific format for the upgrade paper should be discussed with the supervisor. | Supervisory committee | Discussion with the panel | Participation in the MPhil Research Training | PhD Manual on BLE

Economics | Up to 15,000 words; no minimum word count | Supervisory committee & a third member of staff | Lead supervisor to specify, but generally a short presentation followed by discussion with the panel | Participation in and presentation at the Department Research Student Seminars, and fulfilment of the requirements identified in the Training Needs Analysis in Oct | Upgrade Guide on BLE

Upgrade Guide on BLE

Gender Studies | Please check with your department | Supervisory committee & DDS | Please check with your department | Please check with your department | Please check with your department

Global Media & Communications | 10,000 words | Supervisory committee & DDS | 20-30 minute oral presentation followed by discussion. | Research rationale and context of proposed research. Main research questions. Literature review. Theoretical and methodological framework and considerations. Proposed research methods. Ethical issues (where applicable). Outlining structure of PhD dissertation. Schedule of research and writing. Bibliography | Please check with your department

Global Studies (CISD) | 11,000 words | Supervisory committee & DDS | Public presentation in workshop | Please check with your department | Emailed instructions

History, Religions and Philosophies | Portfolio consists of four pieces of written work; 1.Methodology paper (approx. 5000 words) 2. 'Core chapter' (approx. 8000 words) 3.Chapterisation (approx 2000 words) 4.Timeline to completion with detailed timetable for year 2 (approx 1000 words). Total amount of written work to be submitted approximates 15-20,000 words. | Supervisory committee and another member of the department(recommended) | Presentation and discussion with the panel (approx. 1 hour) | MPhil students participate in the HRP Research Training and Methodology Seminar held weekly in terms 1 and 2. Students present their methodology paper to the MPhil research methods class in term 2 (20 minute presentation and 30 minute discussion). They participate in an MPhil Workshop in May which the whole department attends - here they present an aspect of their research (20 min presentation, 15 minute discussion). | Please check with your supervisor or convenor of Doctoral Studies

Portfolio consists of four pieces of written work; 1.Methodology paper (approx. 5000 words) 2. 'Core chapter' (approx. 8000 words) 3.Chapterisation (approx 2000 words) 4.Timeline to completion with detailed timetable for year 2 (approx 1000 words).

Total amount of written work to be submitted approximates 15-20,000 words.

Law | 10,000 words | Supervisory committee & a third member of staff | Short presentation followed by discussion with the panel | Completion of a substantial proportion of the module Research Methods in Law | BLE

Politics & International Studies | 10,000 to 15,000 words | Supervisory committee & a third member of staff | Short presentation followed by discussion with the panel | MPhil Methods course (T1&2); Upgrade Paper Workshop (T2); MPhil Research Project Conference (T3) | Politics and International Studies MPhil/PhD Research Handbook on the website & BLE

School of Arts | 10,000 to 20,000, depending on unit in SoA and modality of the thesis. Consult individual unit PGR pages for details. | Supervisory committee | Symposium presentation | Research Skills module | DDS briefing in Research Skills in T1 & programme websites (Cultural Industries, Film, HAA & Music)

School of Finance and Management | 10,000 to 20,000 words | Lead supervisor and one other member of faculty from the SchooI of Finance and Management | 20-minute presentation followed by discussion with the panel | DS Common Core and (Epigeum) Research Integrity course | Please check with your Director of Doctoral Studies or your Supervisor

School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics | 10,000 to 12,000 words | Supervisory committee but the DDS and other PhD students may attend | 20-minute presentation & 10-minute Q&A | PhD training seminar & DS Common Core | Programme websites: ( Africa , CCLPS , NME, CIA & JK )

The Upgrade examination may take place online through a relevant communication platform or in person and your supervisor/Convenor of Doctoral Studies will advise whether the examination takes place with your supervisory committee or if you will be required to present your work within a group setting.

Following this, your supervisor will advise the Doctoral School of the result and this will need final confirmation from your Convenor of Doctoral Studies. You will then be advised of the outcome and the next steps to take.

Deadlines

For the 2026/27 academic year, the following deadlines will apply:

Failure to Upgrade during the periods prescribed could result in your inability to be transferred to the PhD programme and in some cases lead to the termination of enrolment with SOAS. Please make sure you undertake the Upgrade accordingly and within the deadlines.

You may access the latest Upgrade support session delivered to help guide you through the process. You may also want to visit our Upgrade FAQ page for more information.

If you need advice, support or clarification on this process, please contact us via the different communication channels outlined on the Doctoral School site or in our email signature.

• Candidates to submit the upgrade document to the supervisory committee on MySOAS Portal no later than 15 May 2027 . Please note that Departments are free to set earlier deadlines so please check with your supervisor.
• First supervisor to confirm Upgrade examination result to the Doctoral School on MySOAS Portal no later than 15 June 2027 .
• Results processed and students informed with relevant examination outcomes actioned by 4 July 2027 .
• If result is confirmed as ‘Further requirements must be fulfilled and transfer reconsidered’ the candidate will be allowed to continue working on their Upgrade and be re-examined over the summer, with a deadline to resubmit the upgrade by 15 July 2027.
• The outcome of this resubmission will be uploaded to MySOAS Portal before 1 Aug 2027 by the first supervisor.

Research areas