School of Geography Postgraduate Study 2017
geog.qmul.ac.uk
Above: A view of London and the River Thames by masters student Eric DiTommaso Cover: Student Joshua Leigh won the School of Geography’s annual photo competition in 2015 with this image captured during research in the Schwarzensteinkees Valley in the Austrian Alps 2 geog.qmul.ac.uk
CONTENTS
Welcome to QMUL
5
What we offer
6
Our home in east London
8
Why do postgraduates choose QMUL Geography?
12
Careers and alumni
16
Our taught programmes
18
Related programmes
34
Research in the School of Geography
36
Laboratory facilities
40
PhD study
42
QMUL Doctoral College
46
Staff research interests
48
Essential information
52
Next steps
53
Accommodation
54
International and EU students
56
Student services A–Z
60
Meet us
63
How to find us
64
Campus and Tube maps
68
Taught programmes index
70
geog.qmul.ac.uk 3
The Queens’ Building, Mile End, has a proud association with not one, but four queens: Queen Victoria; Queen Mary (wife of King George V); Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother; and our Patron, Queen Elizabeth II
QMUL highlights • World-class research – QMUL ranked 9th in the UK among multi-faculty universities (REF 2014) • Teaching by international leaders in their field • In the top 100 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2015) • Member of the Russell Group of leading UK universities • Attractive residential campus in London • Commitment to financial support – £11m invested supporting postgraduate students (2014/15) • Distinguished history dating back to 1123 (the foundation of St Bartholomew’s Hospital) • The People’s Palace, founded in 1887, brought culture, entertainment and education to enrich the lives of local people; we aim to continue this tradition. 4 geog.qmul.ac.uk
WELCOME TO QUEEN MARY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON (QMUL) Do you want to work at the forefront of the latest research? Explore your academic interests in depth? Develop new knowledge and skills? Advance your career, or embark on a completely new path? A postgraduate degree from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) can help you achieve your ambitions. We are one of the UK’s leading universities – in the most recent national assessment of research quality, the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014), we were placed ninth in the UK among multi-faculty universities. This means that the teaching on our postgraduate programmes is directly inspired by the world-leading research of our academics. Our programmes prepare you for professional life or further study, and we offer a commitment to generous financial support in the form of studentships and scholarships. We also offer a friendly, selfcontained residential campus – one of the largest in the capital – at our main site in Mile End.
This commitment to the local area and public good underpins our work today, especially in our collaborations with hospitals, cultural organisations, government, charities, businesses and industry. When you join QMUL, you will be welcomed into a diverse and supportive family of staff and students from all over the world, with a wide variety of life experiences. This makes QMUL a place of academic and personal selfdiscovery, and postgraduate study with us a stimulating, often life-changing, experience.
Meet us
The best way to get a feel for QMUL life is to join us for one of our Postgraduate Open Evenings. You can explore our campus, meet our tutors and students, and get a taste of what studying here will be like. If you are unable to visit us in person, we run virtual open events, where you can speak online to current staff and students. We also have representatives in 48 countries and staff who regularly travel overseas. For more information and a list of open events, see page 63 or qmul.ac.uk/visitus
We have a rich history in London with our roots in Europe’s first public hospital, St Barts; England’s first medical school, The London; one of the first colleges to provide higher education to women, Westfield College; and the Victorian philanthropic project, the People’s Palace at Mile End.
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WHAT WE OFFER WORLD-CLASS UNIVERSITY •W e are in the top 100 universities in the world and the top 50 in Europe (Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2015) • We are a member of the Russell Group – the UK’s 24 leading universities
INNOVATIVE RESEARCH • QMUL was ranked 9th in the UK among multi-faculty universities for the quality of its research, and 5th (at 83 per cent) for ‘world-leading or internationally excellent’ (4* and 3*) research outputs in the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014) • The School of Geography is ranked in the top five in the UK for the quality of its research publications • £125m – QMUL research income (2014/15)
CAREER SUCCESS • 400+ employers and training organisations visited the campus last year • £58,000 provided in seed funding by QMUL Careers and Enterprise to 31 students in 2015/16 to start new – or grow existing – businesses
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EXCEPTIONAL FACILITIES • £98m on new facilities in the past five years • 7,700 square metres of new learning and teaching space with the opening of the £39m Graduate Centre in early 2017
INTERNATIONAL OUTLOOK •S tudents and staff from more than 155 countries • I n the top 25 most internationally diverse universities in the world (Times Higher Education 2016)
GENEROUS SUPPORT • £11m invested university-wide in 2014/15 to support postgraduate students
GREAT LOCATION • Short walk from Brick Lane and Shoreditch, and close to London’s financial centres: the City and Canary Wharf
HIGH-QUALITY TEACHING • 7 Nobel Prize-winning alumni and staff •5 5 academy and society fellows among QMUL academic staff •P ersonal Adviser support system for every student
• Set beside the Regent’s Canal in Mile End, our main campus is one Tube stop to Stratford and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park • Our largest campus is at Mile End and we have four other locations across central and east London: Charterhouse Square, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, West Smithfield and Whitechapel
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OUR HOME IN EAST LONDON We are based in east London, an area steeped in history yet always looking to the future. The hub of London’s creative communities and characterised by its diversity, east London’s dynamism and wealth of cultural resources inform our postgraduate teaching and the research projects of our staff and students. Here’s our guide to a few of the area’s highlights. Mile End and surrounding area
Home to QMUL’s main library and a range of study spaces, our Mile End campus is also the base for several innovative arts organisations. At the heart of the campus is one of its unique features, the recently re-landscaped Novo Cemetery, a Spanish and Portuguese 18th-century Jewish burial ground. Human geographer Dr Caron Lipman has written a fascinating history of this site. The historic Regent’s Canal runs alongside our campus and heading south on its banks is the Ragged School Museum – one of philanthropist Dr Barnardo’s few surviving educational institutions. Now a museum exploring the social history of the Victorian East End, it has ongoing collaborations with the School. QMUL’s Geraldene Wharton, a professor in physical geography and a member of the Canal and River Trust’s London Waterway Partnership, is currently working to facilitate the adoption of part of the Regent’s Canal by the university. Our campus also overlooks the 90-acre Mile End Park that features a ‘green bridge’ spanning Mile End Road, a terraced garden, ecology and arts spaces and sports facilities. 8 geog.qmul.ac.uk
Stratford
One stop away on the Tube is Stratford, home to the new Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Westfield Stratford City. The park offers a range of sporting facilities, cafés, restaurants, and lots of green space. The cultural, social, economic and environmental politics of the Olympics have driven recent work in the School, and we remain interested in examining and potentially helping to shape the legacies of the Games. Also nearby is Hackney Wick, said to house the highest concentration of creative practitioners and artist studios in Europe.
Brick Lane, Spitalfields, and Whitechapel
Brick Lane and its surrounding area embodies the diverse cultural heritage of the UK, offering a stimulating background within which to study global cities, migration, urban culture and politics. Just off Brick Lane, the Whitechapel Gallery is recognised for showcasing contemporary developments in art, and during the past century it has brought to the public’s attention artists such as Mark Rothko, Frida Kahlo, Jackson Pollock, Lucian Freud, David Hockney, Sophie Calle, and Gilbert and George. One of the more unusual cultural attractions in London is also found in the area – Dennis Severs’ House, a restored 18th-century townhouse that brings to life the fashions, furniture, and customs of that time.
Old Street, Shoreditch, and surrounding area
A highlight in this area is the Geffrye Museum of the Home, which offers an unparalleled insight into the changing fashions of English domestic interiors and gardens from 1600 to the present day. The Centre for Studies of Home is a partnership between QMUL and the Geffrye, based in the School of Geography, and has generated more than £1m research income to fund postgraduate and postdoctoral research since its launch in 2011. This area is also the heart of the technology cluster known as Tech City, as well as the centre of the East End’s art scene.
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OUR HOME IN EAST LONDON
London Docklands and Canary Wharf
As well as being a centre of global finance, Docklands is also a living case study of London’s socio-economic and cultural history. The Museum of London Docklands tells the story of the changing face of the area: from Roman settlement, through 18th- and 19th-century industrialisation, to substantial and politically contentious redevelopment and repurposing in the 1980s, and up to the ambitious building schemes of the 21st century. On the other side of the river at Greenwich is the National Maritime Museum, with which we also have research collaborations.
Bethnal Green and Victoria Park
Bethnal Green is home to the V&A Museum of Childhood, another cultural institution with which we have close links. It contains the largest collection of childhood objects in the UK and offers a unique insight into the cultural history of childhood since the 1600s. Close to Bethnal Green and a five-minute walk along the Regent’s Canal from the Mile End campus is the beautiful and historic Victoria Park. Often known as the People’s Park, in the summer it hosts concerts and music festivals.
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Beyond the east: South Bank of the Thames
The Southbank Centre near Waterloo is London’s pre-eminent centre of culture. Originally built as part of the Festival of Britain in 1951, it is home to ever-changing exhibitions of contemporary art in the Hayward Gallery; classic and avant-garde film-making at the British Film Institute (BFI) Southbank; and a range of music and spoken word at the Royal Festival Hall. The area is also home to street performers, cafés, restaurants, and bookstalls. Walking along the South Bank of the Thames you will also find the Tate Modern, the national gallery of modern art, and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
Beyond the east: central London
London is teeming with resources for geography and environmental science researchers. These include the British Library, the British Museum, the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), and Senate House Library. Geographers and environmental scientists can also attend an exciting range of research lectures organised by the British Hydrological Society and the London Freshwater Group. Our students have also previously taken part in debates, such as the Annual City Water Debate and one on flood management at the House of Commons. London is a living time capsule, preserving its historical geographies and culture in the spaces and buildings of the present. Walking through London, you will be surrounded by the material evidence of its past – Georgian townhouses, Victorian pubs, imperial monuments, post-war tower blocks, and 21st-century streets and skyscrapers. But this is also a city of imagination, and as you walk, you will journey through the London of writers, filmmakers and visual artists from both past and present. geog.qmul.ac.uk 11
WHY DO POSTGRADUATES CHOOSE QMUL GEOGRAPHY? Geography has been taught at Queen Mary since 1894, making us one of the longest established Schools of Geography in the UK. We are one of the world’s leading centres for geographical scholarship, ranked fifth nationally for our world-leading and internationally excellent research publications (REF 2014). Excellence in teaching
Our research excellence feeds directly into our masters teaching and the training of our postgraduate research students. This ensures you will be guided by internationallyrecognised experts whose writings and public engagements have significantly shaped intellectual debates and understanding of contemporary issues. These range from the challenges of climate change and river management to the spaces of home, city and identity; from struggles for social justice and migrant rights to the relationships between health, security and geography.
Ideal location
Set in the heart of one of London’s most vibrant and diverse areas, the School is ideally placed for studying the capital’s people, places, cultures and environment, as well as being a global hub for geographical expertise. We take research beyond the university and work with a wide range of partners, organisations and communities to improve
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the wellbeing of people and the environment. We are also known for being a friendly, collegial and welcoming School whose staff are not only passionate about their subjects but also committed to sharing their knowledge to ensure you graduate with all the tools you need to progress in your career.
Thriving research community
Our masters and research students come from all around the world and with diverse backgrounds. They are integral to the School’s research culture and contribute significantly to our record of research excellence. Our Graduate School (which includes all geography postgraduate students on taught and research programmes) has grown significantly during the past two decades. We are home to 383 undergraduates, 95 graduate students, and 45 research staff. In recognition of the excellent training and supervision in our Graduate School, we are regularly awarded UK research council PhD studentships (Arts and Humanities Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council and Natural Environment Research Council) as well as doctoral funding from other national and international bodies. We also play host to a range of distinguished international visitors. The School was awarded Best Academic Centre by Citizens UK, an alliance of civil society organisations, and has strong ties with museums, institutions, policymakers, international organisations and environmental agencies, among many others.
“I was drawn to QMUL because of the opportunity to work on a research project bridging two disciplines (geography and international relations and political science). When it comes to research in migration, this kind of approach is important, and QMUL is innovative in this respect. As a New Zealander, I was also attracted by the idea of attending a university in vibrant east London. So far I have loved being a PhD student at QMUL!” Megan Ryburn, current PhD student
School highlights • 80 per cent of our research outputs (books and articles) are rated as worldleading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*), placing us 5th in the UK for this measure • We have a culturally diverse and inclusive postgraduate community • We have close links with the Department of Health, the Environment Agency, the Geffrye Museum, Citizens UK, the Latin American Women’s Rights Service and Trust for London, among others.
Megan Ryburn, pictured on fieldwork in Chile geog.qmul.ac.uk 13
WHY DO POSTGRADUATES CHOOSE QMUL GEOGRAPHY? Excellent facilities
Research students have individual desk and computing space in dedicated offices. They also have access to facilities for specialist statistical and Geographical Information System (GIS) analyses, desktop publishing and the processing of video and electronic images. We offer a wide range of field equipment, laboratory facilities for the analysis of environmental samples, the River Laboratory, a micromorphology and micropalaeontology suite, and a luminescence dating laboratory, with technical staff on hand to help. In addition, you will have access to the unparalleled range of facilities, learning resources and libraries within QMUL and across institutions in the University of London. QMUL’s new Graduate Centre, due to open in early 2017, will provide teaching and learning space for all postgraduate students, including a 200-seat lecture theatre, study spaces, seminar rooms, and a café. You can also be well-placed to use the first-rate resources of other libraries with London collections (eg the British Library).
Dynamic culture
Our School is an energetic, inclusive research community in which our postgraduates and staff work closely together, not only through small group teaching and individual supervision but also through research events and activities including: • weekly research seminars and reading groups • human and physical geography discussion groups, with regular meetings convened around the work of distinguished academic visitors
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• conference days for the informal presentation and discussion of new ideas and preliminary research findings • s tudent-led workshops and events, often supported by School or QMUL funding • c ross-disciplinary and cross-institutional activities organised in collaboration with research centres (connected with the School) including the Centre for Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments, the Centre for Micromorphology, the Centre for the Study of Migration, the Centre for Studies of Home, and the City Centre • o ur flexible masters programmes and PhD training will enable you to develop specialist and transferable skills that are highly valued by employers from independent research and teamwork, to project design and project management, cultural and visual analysis, statistics and data handling.
Scholarships
We offer a range of funding opportunities for your masters studies – see: qmul.ac.uk/ postgraduate/funding As a guide, in 2016 we were able to offer: • Walter Oldershaw Award (eight awards, £3,000 each) for masters students in the School of Geography • Queen Mary Alumni Loyalty Awards (£1,000) • Simon and Deirdre Gaskell Scholarships (£5,000) •W orshipful Company of Water Conservators bursary (£4,000) for Integrated Management of Freshwater Environments MSc; an additional £1,000 will be available in 2017 for dissertation support • Chevening Scholarship (chevening.org).
“Studying at QMUL gave me the fantastic opportunity to conduct extensive fieldwork on the ice and sedimentary characteristics of glaciers in the remote arctic environment of Svalbard� Dr Harold Lovell, PhD in Physical Geography, (funded by NERC), now lecturing at the University of Portsmouth
Harold Lovell logging debris-rich ice exposed at the base of a high-arctic surging glacier on Svalbard, the northern-most part of Norway geog.qmul.ac.uk 15
CAREERS AND ALUMNI
Wide-ranging career options
The range of skills developed through our programmes, coupled with opportunities for extracurricular activities and work experience, has enabled our students to move into careers within government, including the Department for Education, the Department for International Development, and positions in many international non-governmental organisations:
Further study
Our masters graduates often continue on to PhD research, either at QMUL or in other institutions. Many of our PhD graduates go on to research assistantships, fellowships or lectureships at universities in London, the UK and beyond. They have included: • Cambridge University • HafenCity University Hamburg, Germany
• Audience Researcher, the Science Museum
• King’s College London
• Chief Investment Officer, Allianz Insurance
• McMaster University, Canada
• Community Organiser, Industrial Areas Foundation (Chicago, USA), and the German Institute for Community Organising
• National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
• Environmental Consultant, Dr Knoell Consult Ltd
• University College London
• Geomorphologist, Royal HaskoningDHV • Geologist, the British Geological Survey and the Geological Survey of the Netherlands • Head of Strategic Research, International Transport Workers’ Federation • Human Settlements Officer, UN-Habitat (Nairobi, Kenya) • National Freshwater Specialist, National Trust
• Oxford University • University of Toronto, Canada
Networks and collaborations
The School has many collaborations and links with governmental and non-governmental organisations, industry at local, regional, national and international levels, along with museums and heritage organisations. These include: • Charities (Womankind, The Rivers Trust, National Trust, Canal & River Trust)
• Project Manager, Migrant Rights Network (MRN)
• Community organisations (Citizens UK, Latin American Womens’ Rights Service, Eastside Community Heritage)
• Research Fellow, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• Conservation boards (Natural England, Chilterns Conservation Board)
• Technical Specialist Development Control, Environment Agency
• Environmental consultancies (PiLON Ltd, Atkins Global, Mott MacDonald) • Governmental agencies (Defra, Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales)
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• I nternational organisations (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, World Bank)
ALUMNI PROFILE: Lucy Diggens Studied: Environmental Science by Research MSc 2013
• I nternational trade unions (International Transport Workers’ Federation) •M useums (V&A Museum of Childhood, Ragged School Museum, the Geffrye Museum of the Home, Natural History Museum, Museum of London Archaeology, the British Museum, National Maritime Museum) • National Health Service •R esearch centres (British Geological Survey, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Future Cities Catapult) • Utilities (Wessex Water).
Careers support
QMUL’s Careers team is dedicated to educating, advising and connecting QMUL students and recent graduates to employers. Services include: • one-to-one appointments for CV checking and mock interviews • tailored workshops • employer-led events • recruitment support for internships, part-time jobs and work placements. The School of Geography postgraduate and PhD students have access to a Careers Consultant with expert knowledge of recruitment and connections to employers in their field. Visit: careers.qmul.ac.uk
Currently: Laboratory Technician in the Physical Geography Laboratories, QMUL Why did you choose QMUL? I studied my undergraduate course in the School of Geography and this focused my interest and developed my knowledge of glaciers and sub-glacial processes. I really enjoyed being part of the School and knew it had great laboratory facilities to help me specialise further at postgraduate level. How did your QMUL degree help you with your career? My MSc gave me the chance to learn how to use scanning equipment such as a tomograph in the Centre for Micromorphology. I directly applied these x-ray computer tomography skills as a research assistant, analysing sediment samples in order to increase our understanding of the formation of mega-scale glacial lineations. This gave me a good grounding to gain my current post as a Laboratory Technician in the School, where I am responsible for this equipment as well as supporting teaching and research.
Enterprise support
Students and graduates across Queen Mary start new business and social ventures each year. QMUL’s Enterprise team provides support for students and recent graduates through: • funding • o ne-to-one advice and workshops • workspace • a ccess to experts and entrepreneurial networks. geog.qmul.ac.uk 17
OUR TAUGHT PROGRAMMES
Cities and Cultures MA/MRes One year full-time, two years part-time qmul.ac.uk/ma-cities-cultures qmul.ac.uk/mres-cities-cultures
Our Cities and Cultures programmes combine the study of cultural geography with a specific focus on urban cultures, both past and present. They draw upon the latest developments in cultural geography and urban studies to provide an advanced and critical understanding of how cities are socially produced, imagined, represented and contested. Modules examine the relationships between urban space and power through themes that include empire, migration and postcolonialism. They also explore the meanings and politics of spaces in diverse cities by engaging with original texts as well as the built environment, art practices, literature, performance, film, exhibitions and museum curation. Core research training in geographical thought and practice equips you to undertake your own research in this field.
This programme: • t akes your knowledge, understanding and skills to an advanced level through a research-led programme that provides flexibility for you to pursue your own interests • i ntroduces innovative approaches to cities and urban life that make the most of QMUL’s location in London, and that draw upon the School’s strong connections with museums and artists •p rovides a unique basis for careers in the cultural and urban sectors, as well as for further research through its distinctive emphasis on urban practices and creative collaborations between geographers, artists and curators. Programme outline The programme is made up of 180 credits. Core module (60 credits): • Dissertation of 15,000 words Compulsory module (30 credits): •G eographical Thought and Practice (30 credits) Plus THREE 30-credit option modules from: •A rt, Performance and the City •C ities, Space and Power •C ultural Geography in Practice •E mpire, Race and Immigration One of the above specialist modules can be replaced by any other 30-credit QMUL module in consultation with the programme convenor.
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QMUL’s London location ensures you are well-placed to explore urban spaces and responses to urban life
Cities and Cultures MRes
qmul.ac.uk/mres-cities-cultures This MRes is a pre-doctoral training programme currently taught in conjunction with the London Social Science Doctoral Training Centre and is an approved pathway for ESRC 1+3 PhD funding and ideal for those seeking to work in a research-related role. ESRC Doctoral Training Centres are to be replaced for 2017 entry. Subject to a successful bid for a new ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership, the School will host three new MRes programmes from 2017 which will be the same structure as the MA/MSc equivalent, but will include a compulsory module: Introduction to Social Science 2: Quantitative Methods and Data. Check the website at time of application for the latest module structure (which will change based on new collaborations for 2017). Entry requirements See page 52 for details of our entry requirements for all programmes.
“I chose to study at Queen Mary because I had heard of my course through a lecturer at SOAS and a family friend who had a great experience at Queen Mary. I enjoy the range of content within the course, and like the combination of theoretical and practical work it encourages” May Hannah Cameron, Cities and Cultures MA 2017 geog.qmul.ac.uk 19
OUR TAUGHT PROGRAMMES
New for 2017 (subject to approval)
Development and Global Health MA One year full-time, two years part-time qmul.ac.uk/ma-dev-global-health
There is an increasing recognition that global health crises demand solutions that move beyond established public health responses to include more comprehensive solutions to the long-term developmental needs of local communities. This new programme offers you the chance to blend established health and development approaches to tackle the contested contemporary terrains of development and global health politics. Combining the latest research in these fields, we will encourage you to challenge conventional ways of approaching questions of health and development, while also considering alternative ways of promoting and securing advances in human well-being. This programme will: • provide you with a detailed understanding of emerging debates and agendas within development and global health policy and practice • encourage you to examine the intersections between questions of development and global health, using a critical geographical approach to problematise established theories, practices and policies • provide you with training and one-toone tailored supervision as you develop independent desk-based and field research through a dissertation and optional fieldwork. 20 geog.qmul.ac.uk
Programme outline The programme is made up of 180 credits. Core module: • Dissertation of 15,000 words (60 credits) Compulsory modules (all 30 credits): • Retheorising Development Futures • Critical Geographies of Global Health • Geographical Thought and Practice Option modules: • Researching Development in Practice: Mumbai Unbound (30 credits) • Researching Global Health and Biomedicine (30 credits) • Migration and Mobilities (15 credits) • Democracy, Rights and Citizenship (15 credits) • Global Working Lives (15 credits) Fieldwork* Our Researching Global Health and Biomedicine module includes the opportunity to travel to Geneva, Switzerland, to visit institutions and meet individuals involved in the shaping of global health politics. Our Researching Development in Practice: Mumbai Unbound module includes the opportunity to travel to Mumbai, India on fieldwork. The dissertation can include fieldwork conducted in the UK or overseas.
“Our students will be able to explore the intersections between development and global health in both theory and practice. They can, for instance, research how rapid urbanisation challenges health systems in Mumbai, witness how development agendas inform the global health priorities of Geneva-based institutions, and consider how public health agencies can best respond to new migration flows”
A boy runs across an open sewer in the Machar Colony of Karachi, Pakistan Image © Balazs Gardi
Dr Stephen Taylor, Programme Convenor
*Fieldwork costs are additional to tuition fees. In 2015/16, the Mumbai fieldtrip (which runs in alternate years and requires a minimum number of students) was approximately £1,100. Students who take the fieldtrip to Geneva will be responsible for paying the costs of flights, accommodation and living expenses. If a fieldtrip is oversubscribed, places are allocated by ballot. geog.qmul.ac.uk 21
OUR TAUGHT PROGRAMMES
Environmental Science by Research MSc One year full-time, two years part-time
• o ffers you the opportunity to work with partner organisations, providing insights into their structure and operation
This programme will allow you to explore the unique specialisms within our physical geography and environmental science research team, and to work closely on a specialist topic with an expert in your chosen field of interest. The support available is on a one-to-one basis and culminates in a substantial MSc dissertation. This can take the form of a traditional monograph, a research report or two draft manuscripts intended for publication in an international, peer-reviewed journal. This programme is ideal for those looking to continue on to PhD research or to work independently, for example, as a consultant.
• c ombines a smaller taught element to provide key research methodology, skills, approaches and debates relevant to your field of study, along with a substantial element of independent work to focus on a specific area of research
qmul.ac.uk/msc-env-sci-res
Themes for projects change every year and are updated on our website (see geog.qmul. ac.uk/admissions/essresearch), but recent topics have included: • environmental impact of historical landfill • lateral moraine formation • analysis of glaciotectonic structures • assessment of rare species • analysis of braided channel networks The programme: • places you with one or more internationally acknowledged experts in physical geography or environmental science, with superb research and analytical facilities that ensure a top-quality research environment
•p rovides you with a range of transferable skills suitable for further research and employment, including analytical field and laboratory skills, data modelling, statistical analysis, project management and critical evaluation of information. Programme outline The programme is made up of 180 credits. Core module: • Independent Research Project (120 credits) Compulsory modules (15 credits): •E nvironmental Science Research and Practice • Data Analysis •E lective taught component: EITHER Project-specific Research Training OR Field Methods for Freshwater Environmental Science* Plus ONE option module from the following (15 credits): •F lood Risk Management and Modelling •B iogeosciences and Ecosystem Services • Desk Study •R iver Assessment and Restoration
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Student Joshua Leigh’s image of sunrise over Lake Wakatipu was submitted to the School of Geography’s annual photo competition in 2016. Joshua took the image while on a fieldtrip in New Zealand
“What I enjoy most about my MSc is the freedom of exploration that I get from doing my own research and the fact that I can plan and conduct fieldwork wherever I want to” Joshua Leigh, Environmental Science by Research MSc 2016
*Fieldwork costs are additional to tuition fees. In 2015/16, the cost of fieldtrips on this degree was approximately £550 for those who chose the module Field Methods for Freshwater Environmental Science. Other bespoke locations vary in price. geog.qmul.ac.uk 23
OUR TAUGHT PROGRAMMES
Geography MA/MSc/MRes One year full-time, two years part-time
Programme outline The programme is made up of 180 credits and each option (A, B and C) includes the compulsory module Geographical Thought and Practice (30 credits).
These programmes provide a strong grounding in current geographical theory, methods and issues by drawing on the expertise of our human geography staff. Combining core training in theory and practice with the opportunity for you to specialise in your chosen areas, you can choose the length of the dissertation. It is possible to develop your own area of research or to complete a dissertation on a subject advertised by the School (see links above). Opportunities to work with institutions and groups beyond the university are provided through our close ties with museums, archives, community organisations and artists.
Option A – Geography (Research) MA/MSc: Core module: Dissertation of 30,000 words (120 credits) plus ONE option module
qmul.ac.uk/ma-geog qmul.ac.uk/msc-geog qmul.ac.uk/mres-geog
This programme: • provides an advanced understanding of geographical theory, methods and substantive issues for the discipline • equips you with advanced-level research skills including project design, planning and management, as well as analytical and interpretive skills.
Option B – (Named Specialism) MA/MSc: Core module: Dissertation of 22,500 words (90 credits) plus TWO option modules Option C – Geography MA/MSc: Core module: Dissertation of 15,000 words (60 credits) plus THREE option modules Option modules include (all 30 credits each, unless stated): • Art, Performance and the City • Cultural Geography in Practice • Cities, Space and Power • Critical Geographies of Global Health • Empire, Race and Immigration •R esearching Development in Practice: Mumbai Unbound* (see page 26) • Migration and Mobilities (15 credits) •T ransnational Democracy, Rights and Citizenship (15 credits) • Global Working Lives (15 credits) •R etheorising Development Futures •A dvanced Readings in Geography
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Geography MRes
qmul.ac.uk/mres-geog This MRes is a pre-doctoral training programme currently taught in conjunction with the London Social Science Doctoral Training Centre and is an approved pathway for ESRC 1+3 PhD funding and ideal for those seeking to work in a research-related role. ESRC Doctoral Training Centres are to be replaced for 2017 entry. Subject to a successful bid for a new ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership, the School will host three new MRes programmes from 2017 which will be the same structure as the MA/MSc equivalent, but will include a compulsory module: Introduction to Social Science 2: Quantitative Methods and Data. Check the website at time of application for the latest module structure (which will change based on new collaborations for 2017).
“I’d recommend the programme for the quality and variety of teaching. I felt seminars were inclusive yet challenging, with guest speakers from diverse fields leading classes and encouraging debate” Nick Owen, Geography MA 2013 geog.qmul.ac.uk 25
OUR TAUGHT PROGRAMMES
Global Development Futures MA/MRes One year full-time, two years part-time qmul.ac.uk/ma-global-dev-futures qmul.ac.uk/mres-global-dev-futures
In the wake of the ‘global’ economic crisis, this innovative masters programme offers you the chance to explore alternative future possibilities for international development in theory and practice. Combining the latest thinking on development, economic geography, political economy, labour studies and social change, you will explore the multiple connections (and disconnections) between countries of the Global North and South. This programme will: • provide you with a detailed understanding of development practices and experiences within different sites and spaces of the Global North and South • encourage you to examine these realities in light of the contrasts and continuities between the Global North and South and to critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of different theoretical approaches to studying development futures • provide you with the opportunity to develop your research skills and experiences through an independent research project and fieldwork as part of your dissertation. This work will be supported by research training as well as one-to-one tailored supervision from experienced researchers. Programme outline This programme is made up of 180 credits. Core module (90 credits): • Dissertation of 22,500 words 26 geog.qmul.ac.uk
Compulsory modules (30 credits): • Geographical Thought and Practice • Re-theorising Development Futures Option modules (15 credits unless stated): •R esearching Development in Practice: Mumbai Unbound (30 credits) • Migration and Mobilities • Global Working Lives • Democracy, Rights and Citizenship Fieldwork* The module, ‘Researching Development in Practice: Mumbai Unbound’ includes the opportunity to travel to Mumbai, India, on fieldwork. The dissertation can include fieldwork here in the UK or overseas.
Global Development Futures MRes
This MRes is a pre-doctoral training programme currently taught in conjunction with the London Social Science Doctoral Training Centre and is an approved pathway for ESRC 1+3 PhD funding and ideal for those seeking to work in a research-related role. ESRC Doctoral Training Centres are to be replaced for 2017 entry. Subject to a successful bid for a new ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership, the School will host three new MRes programmes from 2017 which will be the same structure as the MA/ MSc equivalent, but will include a compulsory module: Introduction to Social Science 2: Quantitative Methods and Data. Check the website at time of application for the latest module structure (which will change based on new collaborations for 2017).
“Our students will reconsider the diversity of populations, economies, urban centres, and governance practices in the Global South on their own terms – and in so doing, step outside mainstream development theory and the international policies they inform” Dr Kavita Datta, Programme Convenor
*Fieldwork costs are additional to tuition fees. In 2015/16, the cost of the trip was approximately £1,100. If the fieldtrip is oversubscribed, places are allocated by ballot. The fieldtrip to Mumbai runs in alternate years and requires a minimum number of students.
Image © Dr Kavita Datta geog.qmul.ac.uk 27
OUR TAUGHT PROGRAMMES
New for 2017 (subject to approval)
Global Health Geographies MA One year full-time, two years part-time Subject to approval qmul.ac.uk/ma-global-health-geog
We live in a world of remarkable health challenges: from emerging infections and non-communicable diseases to weak health systems and unequal access to medicines. In meeting these challenges, it is abundantly clear that improving global health requires a critical understanding of the complex interplay between health, politics, and social and spatial inequalities in wealth and power. In this new programme, you will explore the contested terrain of global health politics in theory and practice. Combining advanced geographical analysis of pressing global health concerns with jointly-taught modules from experts in the Global Health Unit, at the QMUL Centre for Primary Care and Public Health, this degree will equip a new generation of critical scholars to tackle the moral, ethical and political challenges of global health today. This programme will: • provide you with a detailed understanding of global health debates, agendas, politics and practices in a variety of geographical and historical contexts • encourage you to examine pressing global health challenges in light of the significant conceptual, methodological and empirical contributions of critical geographical scholarship 28 geog.qmul.ac.uk
• i nvolve unique multi-disciplinary teaching from internationally recognised global health experts that permits you to develop a programme of study that furthers your own academic or professional interests. Programme outline The programme is made up of 180 credits and consists of the following modules: Core modules: •C ritical Geographies of Global Health (30 credits) •R esearching Global Health and Biomedicine (30 credits) •D issertation of 15,000 words (60 credits) Compulsory modules: •G eographical Thought and Practice (30 credits) •O NE module from: Health Inequalities and the Social Determinants of Health; Health Systems, Economics and Policy (15 credits) •O NE module from: Advanced Social Determinants of Health; Globalisation and Health Systems; Public Health, International Law and Governance; Human Rights and Public Health; Gender, Sexuality and Health; Ecological Public Health; Anthropologies of Global Health (15 credits) Fieldwork* The module, ‘Researching Global Health and Biomedicine’, includes the opportunity to travel to Geneva, Switzerland on fieldwork to visit institutions and meet individuals involved in the shaping of global health politics. The dissertation can include fieldwork conducted in the UK or overseas.
“This programme will allow our students to explore how global health is shaped by socio-economic and political questions. In examining the interplay between health and these wider forces, they challenge conventional ways of approaching health crises and, ultimately, consider alternative ways of improving global health” Dr Tim Brown, Programme Convenor
*Fieldwork costs are additional to tuition fees. Students taking the fieldtrip module on this degree programme will be responsible for paying the costs of flights, accommodation and living expenses.
A health worker waits to begin the exit procedure from the Makeni Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone Image © Jessica Seldon/DFID
geog.qmul.ac.uk 29
OUR TAUGHT PROGRAMMES
Integrated Management of Freshwater Environments MSc/PgCert/PgDip One year full-time, two or three years part-time qmul.ac.uk/msc-imfe
This programme is delivered in close collaboration with our advisory board of representatives from the water industry, and provides fundamental and applied training in the science and management of freshwater environments. Combining hydrology, geomorphology, biogeochemistry and ecology, it is designed to produce outstanding scientists capable of developing interdisciplinary solutions to priority water resource and catchment issues. It involves fieldwork at our research sites including the near-natural Tagliamento River, Italy*, and heavily impacted rivers within London and the south-east of England. This programme: • facilitates networking within the water and environmental sectors • develops core understanding of freshwater environmental systems and the key policy and legal frameworks that underpin their management
•d evelops skills and knowledge in the theory and practice of river restoration •d evelops transferable skills in field and lab methods, project management, statistical analysis, GIS and the use of remotely sensed data, report writing and report writing. Programme outline The programme is made up of 180 credits. Core module: • I ndividual Research Project (60 credits), usually with a partner organisation Compulsory modules (15 credits unless stated): •C atchment Science in Practice (30 credits) • Flood Risk Management and Modelling • River Assessment and Restoration • Biogeosciences and Ecosystem Services •F ield Methods for Freshwater Environmental Science • Data Analysis Plus ONE option module worth 15 credits from the following: • Physical Modelling of Fluvial Processes • Desk Study
• provides hands-on training in flood estimation and inundation modelling using industrystandard software
PgCert/PgDip qmul.ac.uk/pgcert-imfe qmul.ac.uk/pgdip-imfe
• develops skills and knowledge in the monitoring and management of pollutants, nutrient levels and greenhouse gas emissions in aquatic systems
Postgraduate Certificate and Diploma options are available. With fewer modules, they are ideal professional training for those looking to enhance their careers from within the sector.
• provides training in river assessment 30 geog.qmul.ac.uk
MSc students on a fieldtrip at the Tagliamento River in Italy. Pictured: Class of 2016 © Giuditta Trinci
*Fieldwork costs are additional to tuition fees. In 2015/16, the cost of fieldtrips on this degree programme was approximately £550.
“Our Integrated Management of Freshwater Environments MSc provides scientific training in river assessment and restoration, flood risk management and modelling, aquatic ecology and biogeosciences, as well as strong links to industrial and environmental agency partners” Dr Alex Henshaw, Lecturer in Physical Geography geog.qmul.ac.uk 31
OUR TAUGHT PROGRAMMES
London Studies MA/PgCert One year full-time, two years part-time qmul.ac.uk/ma-london-studies qmul.ac.uk/pgcert-london-studies
London has long been an international centre of cultural production and political power. This interdisciplinary programme takes the city as its focus, using London as a central example, resource and inspiration. It is taught collaboratively in the Schools of Geography, and English and Drama. The programme brings together historical and contemporary perspectives on metropolitan culture through approaches that span the humanities and social sciences, and through engaging with urban history and theory, literature, art practice, performance, exhibitions, the built environment and more. This programme: • provides a sound conceptual base as well as suitable practical training to conduct independent research on London, introducing resources in the city and ways of using them intelligently and creatively • makes the most of QMUL’s location in the East End. We are close to key cultural resources and institutions as well as in an area whose historical changes and current transformations provide a focus for study and debate • involves working with a range of Londonbased archives, libraries, museums and other repositories with collections relating to the cultural life of the city, while exploring the practices of museums, institutions, artists and others working beyond the academy. 32 geog.qmul.ac.uk
Programme outline The programme is made up of 180 credits. Core module (60 credits): • Dissertation of 15,000 words Compulsory module (30 credits): • Cities, Space and Power • Resources for Research (Not assessed) Option modules (30 credits each): • Art, Performance and the City • Empire, Race and Immigration • Cultural Geography in Practice •G eographical Thought and Practice •M etro-Intellectuals: Women Writing in the city in the Romantic Period •C ontemporary Theatre and Performance •P ostcolonialism, Language and Identity •W riting the East End •S ociability, Literature and the City •T he Propaganda War in London, 1793–96 • L ondon Spaces from FitzStephen to Stow •V ictorian Print Culture •M etropolitan Matters: A material history of London from the Victorians to the present PgCert For students looking to take fewer modules, a postgraduate certificate option is available. It includes Cities, Space and Power, Resources for Research and any other option module.
“I really liked the opportunity to study east London from an east London location. I’ve enjoyed modules taught in Geography and English, particularly Art, Performance and the City and Writing the East End. I really enjoyed looking at how east London has been imagined and engaged through art and literature and the twentieth and twenty-first century historical focus in these modules” Lucie Glasheen, London Studies MA 2014; now a PhD student
geog.qmul.ac.uk 33
RELATED PROGRAMMES
Aquatic Ecology by Research MSc One year full-time, two years part-time qmul.ac.uk/msc-aebr
The Aquatic Ecology by Research programme provides you with comprehensive practical training by application in the laboratory or field, rather than by formal tuition in the lecture theatre. The format is designed to equip you with the skills and experience to undertake further academic or applied research. QMUL is home to a leading research group in aquatic ecology, within which you will receive expert supervision and have access to excellent facilities, such as the Centre for Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments, and the Freshwater Biological Association’s River Laboratory on the River Frome in Dorset via our River Communities Group. Part-fees bursaries are also available to support promising scientists.
Freshwater and Marine Ecology MSc/PgCert MSc: One year full-time, two years part-time PgCert: Four months full-time qmul.ac.uk/msc-fame qmul.ac.uk/pgcert-fame
Threats to the ecosystem, goods and services that aquatic resources provide (eg clean drinking water, sustainable fisheries) frequently appear in the media and on the agendas of governments. To maintain these goods and services requires a fundamental understanding of the biodiversity and ecosystem processes responsible, for without knowledge there can
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be no application or effective management. With aquatic ecosystems under threat from multiple stressors, we have designed a programme to equip you with the necessary interdisciplinary practical skills and theoretical understanding for employment in this area or further research.
Environmental Law LLM One year full-time, two years part-time qmul.ac.uk/llm-environmental-law
The LLM in Environmental Law is an interdisciplinary programme, encompassing legal, political and human rights issues of environmental protection, climate change policies, and natural resources law, with an overarching emphasis on the impact of gas and oil. We draw on expertise from colleagues in other Schools at QMUL working in the fields of geography, human rights and physics.
Energy and Natural Resources Law LLM One year full-time, two years part-time qmul.ac.uk/llm-energy-law
Energy is the largest and one of the most dynamic industry sectors. It raises many challenges both politically and technically, from traditional exploration and production of fossil fuels to more recent mining extraction methods (hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking’), renewables and environmental protection. This programme builds upon well-established areas at Queen Mary, such as commercial law, dispute resolution, environmental law and regulation.
Global and Imperial History MA (One year full-time, two years part-time)
International Business and Politics MSc One year full-time, two years part-time
Global history is emerging as one of the most exciting fields of historical study. The Global and Imperial History MA is ideal for anyone interested in understanding how the legacies of imperialism and postcolonialism have shaped the world we live in. You will question general assumptions about the forces of globalisation and learn how to understand these in terms of long-running historical processes. This is an interdisciplinary MA, with teaching that draws on both the School of History’s world-class academics and those throughout QMUL’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
This MSc draws on the combined strengths of staff in the School of Politics and International Relations and in the School of Business and Management to provide an interdisciplinary focus on the relationship between business and politics from an international perspective. You will explore the changing relationship between states and markets, international institutions of global political-economic governance, transnational companies, work, geopolitics, industrialisation and development.
qmul.ac.uk/ma-global-history
qmul.ac.uk/msc-int-bus-pol
Migration, Culture and Global Health MSc/PgDip One year full-time, two years part-time qmul.ac.uk/msc-mcghp
This programme considers the vitally important area of public health issues related to migrant communities across the globe, a subject as yet rarely addressed in dedicated teaching. It addresses the nature of migrant and diaspora communities and the ways that health within these communities is related to social, political, economic, and cultural factors.
geog.qmul.ac.uk 35
RESEARCH IN THE SCHOOL OF GEOGRAPHY Researchers in the School of Geography at QMUL tackle issues from across the breadth of human geography, physical geography, and environmental science, whether that be exploring the geography of cultural practices; using geospatial technology to analyse river dynamics; identifying new forms of political organisation; or questioning the role of scientific research in society.
Culture, Space and Power We provide a geographical perspective on global cultural practices both past and present, and explore how that knowledge takes form. We conduct research on the spatial politics of cultural practices in a range of historical and geographical settings, and collaborate with museums and arts organisations. Research has recently focused on the following themes and concerns:
The expertise of our academic staff is sought by non-governmental organisations, international agencies and industry to develop new practices and to inform the wider policy work that has such an important role in so many of today’s most pressing challenges.
•H ome and relatedness
Research themes
Research in the School of Geography is organised around four themes: • Culture, Space and Power • Earth Surface Science • Economy, Development and Social Justice • Health, Biosciences and Security
•G lobal geographies of knowledge and practice •U rban cultural politics Earth Surface Science We integrate research on global-scale environmental change with research on the micro-scale processes that configure the local form, structures and dynamics of the earth’s surface. We work alongside industry practitioners and government bodies to apply this knowledge to the science of climate change and risk management. Recent research has focused on the following themes: •D ynamics and co-evolution of rivers and their ecosystems •B iogeochemical processes and dynamics in aquatic and wetland systems •U sing geo-archives to understand patterns and processes of environmental change
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A beach in Essex covered in 1930s landfill waste that has eroded from East Tilbury historic coastal landfill. Š James Brand
PhD student James Brand’s image shows how the boundaries of the River Thames have changed through bank erosion and provides a warning of what could happen at the 1,200+ similar low-lying historic coastal landfill sites around England that are within tidal flood zone three. James has been researching historic landfills with Dr Kate Spencer, reader in environmental geochemistry, whose ongoing work has been widely covered in national media. geog.qmul.ac.uk 37
RESEARCH IN THE SCHOOL OF GEOGRAPHY Economy, Development and Social Justice Our research incorporates questions about development across the world and examines these issues at local and global scales. We work with community groups and nongovernmental organisations to develop our understanding of the Global North, South, East and West. Recent research has focused on: • geographies of production, investment and uneven development • changing politics of work and labour relations in the Global North and South • transnational migration • neoliberalism, politics and resistance. Health, Biosciences and Security We examine the changing understanding of health and its role in society and identity. We explore statistical approaches to health data, the role of humanitarianism and health in society, bioethics, and the language and communications of health policy. We work with the NHS, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Bank and policy-makers. Recent research has focused on the following themes: • Health, place and population • Global health and security • Geographies of bioscience and bioethics
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Informing policy and developing new practice
Particularly significant is our collaborative work with national and international, governmental and non-governmental agencies to inform not only policy, but to also develop the processes and shape the techniques that apply academic knowledge to real-word problems. We have worked with Citizens UK, the Department of Health, the Environment Agency, the Geffrye Museum of the Home, the Latin American Women’s Rights Service, the Natural History Museum, the United Nations, the US Cancer Institute, and the World Bank. Research centres provide additional support for multiple disciplinary research and engagement with research stakeholders. Our research centres currently include: • The City Centre • The Centre for Studies of Home (with the Geffrye Museum) • The Centre for the Study of Migration • The Centre for Micromorphology (with Royal Holloway, University of London) • The Centre for Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments PhD students can explore the research specialisms of individual staff members on page 48–50 and in more detail on our website: geog.qmul.ac.uk/staff
Did you know…? Our School’s research was central to the campaign to make QMUL the UK’s first Living Wage university. geog.qmul.ac.uk 39
LABORATORY FACILITIES
The School of Geography’s Laboratory and Field Suite supports research carried out by staff and students. Their work is concerned with environmental systems, their processes and their interactions in the present and past, as well as in the uncertain future. Observational, experimental and computational techniques are of paramount importance to our interdisciplinary research, where students are provided with opportunities to undertake handson field research combined with the latest laboratory analysis. Within the School of Geography, our research is built on strong collaborations that are national and international in scope Our group also serves as a teaching platform for the next generation of ecosystem and earth system scientists. Our students and researchers explore a range of environmental factors and processes, including: • concentrations of pollutants (eg heavy metals in landfill sites) • nutrients (eg in river systems) • carbon, nitrogen and greenhouse gases • environmental change through the analysis of sediments and fossils • glacial systems • river processes.
40 geog.qmul.ac.uk
The School of Geography contains an exceptional range of instrumentation for the field and laboratory setting, allowing for the analysis of environmental macronutrients and contaminants, micromorphological analysis of sediment fabrics, and the modelling of channel and river dynamics using a variety of field techniques in combination with laboratory flumes to create 3D simulations. Find out more and take a virtual tour of the laboratories at geog.qmul.ac.uk/facilities
The School of Geography’s world-class and recently refurbished laboratories (with significant investment in new equipment) offer PhD and masters students access to industry-leading laboratory equipment for both physical geography and environmental science research geog.qmul.ac.uk 41
PhD STUDY
The School’s research strengths, breadth of expertise and welcoming ethos mean that we attract the very best PhD candidates. We welcome applications from those wishing to study full- or part-time in any area of the subject in which we have appropriate research strengths. Our PhD students work under the close supervision of members of academic staff and they are encouraged to participate fully in our training programmes and research culture.
Networks and collaborations
The School is part of the ESRC-funded London Social Science Doctoral Training Centre (currently run by QMUL and Goldsmiths - new collaborations are planned for 2017). It is also part of the NERC Doctoral Training Partnership, a collaboration between QMUL and other leading universities and institutions in the capital that include the Natural History Museum, the Institute of Zoology, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The School regularly receives PhD funding from the AHRC and other national and international bodies. We have one of the largest concentrations of doctoral students working in collaboration with non-academic organisations in the country. Among these organisations are Arcadis UK, Bank of England, British Geological Survey, British Museum, Geffrye Museum of the Home, Living Wage Foundation, International Transport Workers’ Federation, National Maritime Museum, Ragged School Museum,
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Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), Runnymede Trust, Barking and Dagenham Primary Care Trusts, and the V&A Museum of Childhood. For a short video showcasing some of our collaborations with museums, please see the ‘Research engagement and impact’ section at: youtube.com/user/ QMULGeography
Applying for a PhD
You are strongly encouraged to contact the Directors of Graduate Studies or a member of staff with interests in your area to discuss your proposed research before making a formal application. If you are applying for an open position, you should send a CV and an outline of your proposed research project. For further information about our PhD programme and for guidance on how to put together a research proposal and how to apply, please see: geog.qmul.ac.uk/admissions/ phdadmissions or email: geog-pgadmin@qmul.ac.uk Further information on the current research interests of our academic staff are available on page 48 and also at: geog.qmul.ac.uk/ admissions/phdadmissions/staffinterests As a PhD student at QMUL, you will draw on the dedicated support of our Doctoral College, which oversees the recruitment and admission, training, and examination of our PhD students. Read more on page 46 or see: doctoralcollege.qmul.ac.uk
“QMUL offers a stimulating research environment and excellent facilities, along with the opportunity to work with internationally-recognised researchers. Being a PhD student at QMUL has allowed me to undertake extensive fieldwork – more than 15 weeks – to examine glacial landforms and sediments in Scotland, as well as the chance to gain valuable teaching experience” Benjamin Chandler, Geography BSc 2013, now a PhD student
Benjamin Chandler during fieldwork in the Gaick area, Central Grampians, Scotland. Benjamin’s PhD research seeks to elucidate the glacial history of this region of Scotland. Image © Dr Sven Lukas geog.qmul.ac.uk 43
PhD STUDY
Entry requirements
You will normally have a first degree with First or upper second class honours (or an international equivalent), and/or a masters degree (at Merit or above), in geography or a related discipline. You will need two references, at least one of which must be academic. You are expected to demonstrate good English language ability and to meet the standard of the IELTS – or equivalent – at a level of 7.0 (6.5 for physical geography programmes). Open applications are assessed primarily on the record of academic and/or professional achievement, the quality of the research proposal, the compatibility with the School’s research interests and strengths, and the availability of appropriate supervisors. PhD studentships The School also offers studentships to our PhD students. These usually cover full fees and a maintenance allowance for three years, although funding for four-year programmes involving MRes training plus a PhD are also available from the ESRC and NERC. Regular funding sources include: • Queen Mary Postgraduate Research Studentships: open to all PhD students in human and physical geography, including international students (£16,296 in 2016)
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•E SRC 1 + 3 (MRes and PhD) and +3 (PhD) Studentships for research in the social sciences through the London Social Science Doctoral Training Centre, an ESRC-funded collaboration currently run between QMUL and Goldsmiths, University of London (new collaborations for 2017 will be announced online) •N ERC Studentships: open to PhD students in physical geography and environmental science through the London NERC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP), a collaboration between QMUL and other leading universities and institutions in the capital •C hina Scholarship Council/Queen Mary Joint PhD Studentships: open to PhD students eligible for funding from the China Scholarship Council. See: qmul.ac.uk/ postgraduate/funding/scholarships In addition, the School has a strong record of securing project-specific funding as well as European joint-doctoral programme funding in environmental science. Advertisements for current opportunities are posted on our website: geog.qmul.ac.uk/admissions/ phdadmissions/funded We are also an Associate Member of the AHRC-funded London Arts and Humanities Partnership with UCL, KCL and the School of Advanced Studies which gives us full access to their training provision). See: www.lahp.ac.uk.
“I chose QMUL to work on an exciting and unique project with a leading researcher. The studentship, fieldwork funding, and additional support I receive from QMUL is crucial and incredibly appreciated. The ease of traveling throughout Europe from the UK for fieldwork is a benefit� Cianna Wyshnytzky, PhD student from the United States
Cianna overlooking the upper Zemmgrund (valley), Austria during summer 2014 research about the Quaternary evolution of the Schwarzensteinkees (glacier) foreland geog.qmul.ac.uk 45
QMUL DOCTORAL COLLEGE
As a PhD student at QMUL, you will be a member of our Doctoral College, an exciting and innovative community of more than 1,200 postgraduates pursuing pioneering research across a wide range of academic disciplines. The Doctoral College (which from early 2017 will be housed in a new, purpose-built Graduate Centre on our Mile End campus) oversees the lifecycle of your PhD, supporting you through your application, enrolment, the development of your research, submission of your thesis, and on to the next steps of your career. Working in partnership with different teams across the university, the Doctoral College team will help you make the most of the wide variety of training and development opportunities available at QMUL, offer advice on funding and also provide financial support for research activities. 46 geog.qmul.ac.uk
Through all of these activities, the Doctoral College aims to ensure the highest possible standards of research support and training for all of our PhD students, promoting pioneering research and ensuring you’ll be equipped with the skills you’ll need to become a successful independent researcher upon graduation, whether in academia or beyond. In the meantime, the positive community of the Doctoral College and the collaborative research environment that it fosters help to make QMUL a uniquely productive place for postgraduate study. For further information about PhD study at QMUL, please see: qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/research
QMULGRADFEST The Doctoral College holds an annual Graduate Festival – GradFest. It’s an excellent opportunity to present work, meet other researchers and share ideas. Visit qmulgradfest.wordpress.com or see @QMUL_DC
“What I thought was history can be historical geography, and urban studies turns out to cover a whole range of areas too: geographical, political, and economical. There is much more overlap across arts, humanities and social science disciplines than you’d imagine” Sam Miles, PhD in Geography, current student
The Doctoral College team will be based in QMUL’s new Graduate Centre, due to open in early 2017 – artist’s impression geog.qmul.ac.uk 47
STAFF RESEARCH INTERESTS
Lisa Belyea BSc (Carleton) MSc (Waterloo) PhD (London) Professor of Biogeosciences Spatiotemporal dynamics of ecosystems; carbon cycling; ecohydrology; peatlands
Kavita Datta BA (Botswana) PhD (Cambridge) Reader in Human Geography Transnational migration; migrant remittance and philanthropic giving; geographies of finance; gender and development
Alison Blunt BA (Cambridge) MA PhD (University of British Columbia) Professor of Geography and Head of School Home; migration, diaspora and the city; museums; feminist and postcolonial geographies
Angela Gurnell BSc PhD DSc (Exeter) Professor of Physical Geography Ecohydrology and biogeomorphology
James Brasington BSc (Bristol) PhD (Cambridge) Professor of Physical Geography Numerical modelling and remote sensing of rivers Tim Brown BA PhD (Portsmouth) Senior Lecturer in Human Geography Critical approaches to urban public health; global health and security Simon Carr BSc PhD (London) Senior Lecturer in Geography Glaciers and climate change; sedimentology; micromorphology and 3D x-ray tomography Peter Congdon PhD (London) Research Professor of Quantitative Geography and Health Statistics Quantitative analysis of spatial data; geographic inequalities in health; spatial demography; spatial epidemiology Fran Darlington-Pollock BA MSc (Sheffield) PhD (Leeds) Lecturer in Human Geography Health inequality; ethnicity and place; migration and residential mobility 48 geog.qmul.ac.uk
Gemma Harvey BSc (Liverpool) PhD (Nottingham) Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography River science Alex Henshaw BSc PhD (Nottingham) Lecturer in Physical Geography Fluvial geomorphology Kate Heppell BSc (Bristol) MSc DIC (London) DPhil (Oxford) Reader in Physical Geography Hydrological and biogeochemical interactions Kerry Holden, BA MRes PhD (London) Lecturer in Geography and ESRC Future Research Leader Fellow Science and technology studies; global health; development David Horne BSc MSc (London) PhD (Bristol) FLS Professor of Micropalaentology Quaternary climate and environmental change Regan Koch BSc MScEd (Kansas) MSc PhD (UCL) Lecturer in Human Geography Public space; urban sociality and collective culture; representing and imagining cities
5 Pointz in Queens, New York City: The School of Geography has four research themes, including Culture, Space and Power whose team explores geographical perspectives on global cultural practices both past and present Image Š Professor David Pinder
Ashok Kumar BA (Wisconsin) MSc (LSE) PhD (Oxford) Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow Global production networks; capital-labour relations; financialisation; workers’ bargaining power; cities; social movements Simon Lewis BSc PhD (London) Reader in Quaternary Science Quaternary stratigraphy; sedimentology and geoarchaeology Emily Lines MSci (London) MRes (York) PhD (Cambridge) Lecturer in Environmental Science Forest ecology; remote sensing; modelling; terrestrial carbon cycle
Caron Lipman BA (Leeds) MA PhD (London) Lecturer in Human Geography Religion and belief; heritage and memory; home and belonging Sven Lukas MSc (Bochum) PhD (St Andrews) Reader in Quaternary Sedimentology Cold regions: sedimentary processes, landforms, palaeoclimate and numerical (OSL) dating Jon May BA (Cambridge) PhD (London) Professor of Geography, Deputy Dean for Research (Humanities and Social Sciences) and Director of the Doctoral College Homelessness; food-banking; welfare reform; urban marginality geog.qmul.ac.uk 49
STAFF RESEARCH INTERESTS
Cathy McIlwaine BA MA (Liverpool) PhD (London) Professor of Geography Development; gender; urban violence; international migration; Latin America
Adrian Smith BA MA PhD (Sussex) Professor of Human Geography and Dean for Research (Humanities and Social Sciences) Economic geography; globalisation and the global economy; Europe and North Africa
Konstantinos Melachroinos DTP (University of Thessaly, Greece) PhD (London) Lecturer in Geography Regional economic development and policy
Kate Spencer BSc MSc DIC PhD (Greenwich) Reader in Environmental Geochemistry Estuarine sediment geochemistry and fine sediment management
Catherine Nash BA PhD (Nottingham) Professor of Human Geography Feminist cultural geography; geographies of identity and relatedness
Stephen Taylor MA MPhil PhD (Cambridge) Lecturer in Human Geography Critical geographies of global health, biomedicine and uneven development
Miles Ogborn BA PhD (Cambridge) Professor of Geography Global historical geographies; historical geographies of modernity
Geraldene Wharton BSc (Sheffield) PhD (Southampton) Professor of Physical Geography Fluvial geomorphology and hydroecology
Alastair Owens BA PhD (London) Professor of Historical Geography and Deputy Dean for Taught Programmes (Humanities and Social Sciences) Historical geographies of wealth and inequality; family, home and material culture; London since 1800
Philippa Williams BA MPhil PhD (Cambridge) Senior Lecturer in Human Geography Citizenship, development and identity in India; India’s new economy; geographies of peace; material politics of transnational identities
Simon Reid-Henry BA PhD (Cambridge) Reader in Geography Geopolitics; ‘vital’ geographies; geographical biography David Sadler BA PhD (Durham) Professor of Economic Geography and Vice Principal (International) Economic globalisation; uneven regional and urban development; urban and regional policies 50 geog.qmul.ac.uk
Jane Wills MA (Cambridge) PhD (OU) Professor of Human Geography The geo-political economy of labour and the living wage; urban politics including community organising and localism Kathryn Yusoff BA (Northumbria) MA (Bath Spa) PhD (London) Senior Lecturer in Human Geography Anthropocene; climate change and social theory; political aesthetics; feminist philosophy
The near-natural Tagliamento River in Italy is a field research site for river scientists in the School of Geography
“I chose to continue studying at Queen Mary due to the exceptionally strong fluvial research group who provided expert knowledge and support throughout my undergraduate studies. I also found the School of Geography to be highly supportive of students and found the quality of teaching to be incomparable. Studying here allowed me to develop a fantastic network of contacts, specialist knowledge of the environmental sciences and an insight into the world of academia� Grant Tregonning, Integrated Management of Freshwater Environments MSc 2016 geog.qmul.ac.uk 51
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
Entry requirements
Our standard entry requirement to our masters programmes is a 2:1 degree or higher in a relevant subject from a UK university (or an equivalent international qualification), together with two supportive references, at least one of which must be academic. Relevant work experience may also be taken into account. You are expected to demonstrate good English language ability and to meet the standard of the IELTS – or equivalent – at a level of 7.0 (6.5 for Environmental Science by Research MSc, and Integrated Management of Freshwater Environments MSc, PgDip and PgCert). See: qmul. ac.uk/international/international-students/ englishlanguagerequirements It is not a requirement to have previously studied geography and we encourage applications from those coming from appropriate related disciplines in the social sciences, humanities or natural and environmental sciences. Please see page 44 for our PhD entry requirements.
Tuition fees
You can find a full list of both UK/EU and international tuition fees here: qmul.ac.uk/ tuitionfees
Funding
There are a number of sources of funding available for masters and PhD students. These include a significant package of QMUL scholarships and studentships in a range of subject areas, which were worth £11m in 2015/16. There is also a wide range of external sources of funding available, including the 52 geog.qmul.ac.uk
government’s new Postgraduate Loan Scheme. QMUL graduates benefit from our Alumni Loyalty Awards. For funding information for taught and research programmes, see: qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/funding
Postgraduate Loan Scheme The Postgraduate Loan Scheme (PGL), launched in 2016, is offering up to £10,000 per course towards fees and living costs for taught and research masters courses in all subject areas for eligible students. The PGL is designed for those undertaking their first taught masters degree. To be eligible, you must be aged under 60 on 1 August of the year in which you start your programme, but other criteria will apply (see the government’s website below). At the time of going to press, details are still being finalised. For further information on how to apply, loan repayments – including salary scales, interest rates and residence conditions – please visit: • The UK government’s website: gov.uk/postgraduate-loan • Student Finance England’s Student Finance Zone: thestudentroom.co.uk/studentfinance • QMUL’s Advice and Counselling team: welfare.qmul.ac.uk/money/postgraduates • QMUL’s Funding a Masters webpages: qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/ funding_masters
NEXT STEPS
CHOOSE YOUR PROGRAMME
Visit qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate to find out more about the programme you’re interested in. Check you meet the entry requirements. Note: if you’re an international student English language requirements also apply. Visit qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/funding for more information on scholarships and studentships that you may be eligible for – remember some funds have separate applications, so check the deadlines as early as possible.
GET IN CONTACT
CHECK YOUR FUNDING OPTIONS
International students need to show evidence of having funds for tuition fees and living costs. Visit: welfare.qmul.ac.uk/ international/money for more information.
We want you to be sure about your application and welcome informal enquiries. If you wish to discuss any aspect of the programme, School, or university before submitting your application, please contact: Geog-PGadmin@qmul.ac.uk
MEET US
We organise campus tours throughout the year – book a place at qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/meet-us Our Postgraduate Open Evenings on campus allow you to meet students and academics: qmul.ac.uk/ pgopenevening
SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION ONLINE
If you can’t make it to us in person, we also hold virtual events: qmul.ac.uk/ postgraduate/virtualopenday
You can apply directly online at qmul.ac.uk/ postgraduate/howtoapply. While there are no set deadlines, we advise you to apply as early as possible to make sure your application is considered and to take advantage of any funding opportunities. geog.qmul.ac.uk 53
ACCOMMODATION
QMUL students come to us from across the UK and all over the world. Our campuses are communities in their own right and bring together students from many disciplines to study and socialise. We offer approximately 500 spaces specifically for postgraduate students. The majority of these are at our Mile End campus but there are also spaces for medicine and dentistry students at our Charterhouse Square and Whitechapel campuses. For full details, virtual tours and prices, visit: residences.qmul.ac.uk/college/ qmaccommodation
Applying for our accommodation
Once you accept your place to study here, full details on how to apply for halls will be sent to you. QMUL’s housing is very popular and we suggest you apply as early as possible. For housing deadlines and eligibility, visit: residences.qmul.ac.uk/college/application What is my accommodation likely to cost? These guideline prices quoted are for the academic year 2016/17. Rent is payable termly in advance: • Mile End campus – rents for single rooms range from £127 (with a shared bathroom) to £179 (with an en-suite) per week, including all utility costs, insurance and Wi-Fi.
54 geog.qmul.ac.uk
• Charterhouse Square and Whitechapel campuses – rents for single rooms range from £127–£163 per week, including all utility costs and Wi-Fi. We have a very limited number of spaces for families at our Whitechapel campus. See: residences.qmul.ac.uk/college/family We review our rents annually. Current prices can be found at: residences.qmul.ac.uk/ college/fees • Privately rented accommodation – student rents in the local area in shared flats and houses typically range from £110–£160 per week. There are also a number of local privately run student halls. Prices in these purpose-built developments reflect the very high standards of accommodation (most being self-contained studios) and range from £225 upwards.
Alternative housing options
We can provide specialist advice on a range of alternative housing including: renting a local room or flat, finding a room in a privately built hall of residence, or choosing a homestay or short-stay option. For further information, visit: residences.qmul.ac.uk/alternative For all accommodation queries, contact us on: Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 6474 email: residences@qmul.ac.uk residences.qmul.ac.uk
On our Mile End campus, it’s easy to forget that you’re in the middle of a bustling capital city
geog.qmul.ac.uk 55
INTERNATIONAL AND EU STUDENTS
QMUL has a cosmopolitan postgraduate community, with students from over 155 countries making a valuable and active contribution to academic and social life. Wherever you are from, you will find a very warm welcome at our university.
Entry requirements
QMUL International Office
Support for international and EU students
Members of staff at QMUL regularly make visits overseas to meet students and their families. To see when we will be visiting your region or for more information on any aspect of life at QMUL, see: qmul.ac.uk/international/events Contact us Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 6530 email: internationaloffice@qmul.ac.uk qmul.ac.uk/international
Representatives in your country
In many countries we work with representatives who you can visit to discuss applying to QMUL. Contact details can be found at: qmul.ac.uk/international/countries
56 geog.qmul.ac.uk
Each application received at QMUL is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. We look at your qualifications and compare them with UK equivalents, the institution you have attended, and any relevant work experience. You can find detailed country-specific entry requirements here: qmul.ac.uk/international/ countries
We offer a range of support services to help you feel at home: Airport collection New international and EU students are offered a free airport collection service before the start of term in September 2017. This service and an online booking form will be advertised on our website: qmul.ac.uk/prearrival International Welcome Programme Our Welcome Programme is available for all new international and EU students and runs before the start of term in September 2017. This is an opportunity to meet other overseas students studying a variety of programmes and get practical advice about living and studying in London.
Advice and counselling QMUL’s Advice and Counselling Service offers professional advice specifically for international and EU students. They can advise you on finance and funding, Tier 4 Entry Clearance, Tier 4 extensions, immigration problems, UK work schemes after study, and offer counselling support for personal issues such as homesickness. For further details, see: welfare.qmul.ac.uk Healthcare There is a Student Health Service on our Mile End campus. For more details on accessing the NHS as an International or EU student, please visit studenthealth.qmul.ac.uk Living costs International students will need to show evidence of having at least £11,385 (based on 2016 guidance) for living costs plus 100 per cent of their tuition fees in order to obtain Entry Clearance under Tier 4 of the UK Visas and Immigration’s points-based system of immigration. Additional amounts need to be shown for dependants. £11,385 is based on nine months of study (at £1,265 per month) and is an immigration requirement only – most students require more money than this for 12 months’ living costs – normally around £15,000. For further information, visit: welfare.qmul.ac.uk/international/money
Scholarships We want to attract the best students to QMUL. In recognition of the important investment that international students are making in their education, we are pleased to offer a range of scholarships to reward outstanding academic achievement. For more information, visit: qmul.ac.uk/international/feesfinance
English language requirements
If your first language is not English, you must provide evidence that your English skills are sufficient by including details of recognised language qualifications with your application. If you are an international applicant, you are strongly advised to review the language requirements for your specific degree. It is likely that you will need to take the academic IELTS (International English Language Testing Service) test, though you do not necessarily need to submit the results at the point of application. IELTS results can be sent to us at a later date and once you have received an offer to study. QMUL’s minimum requirement for postgraduates is an IELTS score of 6.5; however, a number of our courses require a higher score (some geography programmes are at 7.0). For detailed English language entry requirements for all of our programmes, including individual component scores, see: qmul.ac.uk/international
geog.qmul.ac.uk 57
INTERNATIONAL AND EU STUDENTS
English language summer programmes (pre-sessional programmes) From June to September, we arrange a series of English language programmes for students who wish to improve their proficiency in English before starting university. The programme aims to improve listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills; teach study skills such as note-taking, academic writing, and seminar participation; develop skills essential to working independently; and to introduce you to life in Britain. We encourage independent work and use of English by setting individual projects. QMUL academic staff and other visiting lecturers will give a series of lectures. We provide some residential accommodation on summer programmes in our halls of residence. Find out more at: language-centre.sllf.qmul.ac.uk/ presessionals In-sessional English language support QMUL’s Language Centre runs a series of in-sessional English programmes in academic writing, grammar and vocabulary, lecture comprehension and seminar skills, and general English during the main teaching periods of the academic year. These are free of charge. Find out more at: language-centre. sllf.qmul.ac.uk/in-sessionals
58 geog.qmul.ac.uk
Study support The Learning Development team at QMUL helps students across the university become more effective in their academic work. They can help with aspects of study such as reading effectively, writing, exam technique, revision, note-taking, time-management, critical thinking, avoiding plagiarism, presentation skills and group work. There are one-to-one tutorials, drop-ins, retreats and various workshops throughout the year. The team also hosts the Royal Literary Fund (RLF) Writing Fellows. For more information on the range of services available and to book a tutorial or workshop, please visit: learningdevelopment.qmul.ac.uk English Language and Study Skills Office Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 2827 email: elss@qmul.ac.uk language-centre.sllf.qmul.ac.uk
“I wanted to study in London because of my interest in the Sherlock Holmes mysteries: it’s one thing to read the novels and imagine the landscape, but to actually walk the same streets is an experience all its own” Elinor Hickey London Studies MA 2015, from Baltimore, USA
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STUDENT SERVICES A–Z
Admissions For general admissions enquiries for taught masters programmes: Freephone (UK callers only): 0800 376 1800 Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 5533 email: admissions@qmul.ac.uk Advice and Counselling Service Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 8717 email: welfare@qmul.ac.uk welfare.qmul.ac.uk Alumni Development and Alumni Directorate Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 6468 email: alumni@qmul.ac.uk qmul.ac.uk/alumni Careers and Enterprise Careers and Enterprise Centre Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 8533 email: careers@qmul.ac.uk careers.qmul.ac.uk Disability and Dyslexia Service Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 2756 Fax: +44 (0)20 7882 5223 email: dds@qmul.ac.uk dds.qmul.ac.uk Eating on campus For details of all our venues, please visit: catering.qmul.ac.uk
60 geog.qmul.ac.uk
Entry requirements (research degrees) For information, please see individual subject areas: qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/subjects Entry requirements (taught programmes) For information, please see individual programme listings: qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught For information about the entry requirements for international students, please email: internationaloffice@qmul.ac.uk Equality and Diversity Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 5519 email: hr-equality@qmul.ac.uk hr.qmul.ac.uk/equality Faith faith.qmul.ac.uk Funding Masters: qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/ funding_masters PhD: qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/ funding_phd Health Service Student Health Service studenthealth.qmul.ac.uk Housing Services Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 6474 email: residences@qmul.ac.uk residences.qmul.ac.uk
International students International Office Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 6530 email: internationaloffice@qmul.ac.uk qmul.ac.uk/international/international-students IT Services IT Helpdesk Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 8888 email: its-helpdesk@qmul.ac.uk its.qmul.ac.uk Language Learning The Language Centre Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 2826/2827 language-centre.sllf.qmul.ac.uk Confucius Institute email: confucius@qmul.ac.uk Learning Development email: learningdevelopment@qmul.ac.uk learningdevelopment.qmul.ac.uk Library Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 7311 (Mile End) email: library@qmul.ac.uk library.qmul.ac.uk Mature students Head of Outreach and Widening Participation Directorate of Marketing and Communications Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 3733 email: a.setright@qmul.ac.uk Music email: music@qmul.ac.uk music.qmul.ac.uk
Nursery Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 2782/90 email: nursery@qmul.ac.uk nursery.qmul.ac.uk Occupational Health Service Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 8700 Fax: +44 (0)20 7882 7053 hr.qmul.ac.uk Open Days qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/meet-us Residential support Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 5064 email: residential-support@qmul.ac.uk Security Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 5000 security.qmul.ac.uk Student Enquiry Centre arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/sec Students’ Union qmsu.org Qmotion Health and Fitness Centre qmsu.org/qmotion Advice and advocacy qmsu.org/advice/academic External organisations Student Central (University of London) studentcentral.london The National Union of Students (NUS) nus.org.uk Sustainability qmul.ac.uk/about/sustainability geog.qmul.ac.uk 61
A Postgraduate Open Evening in the Octagon at our Mile End campus, historically the university’s library and now an event space
62 geog.qmul.ac.uk
MEET US
Campus tours
We organise campus tours throughout the year. Restricted to small groups so that everyone has the chance to ask questions, these informal events are a great way to find out about living and studying here. They normally last an hour and you will be shown around by a current student. To book your place, please visit: qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/ meet-us
Postgraduate open events
We hold a variety of postgraduate open events at our Mile End campus. Each event is different but usually includes the opportunity to meet academics, see subject-specific facilities, tour research and learning facilities, and speak to our support services, including the Careers and Enterprise team.
Around the UK
We visit local and national postgraduate education fairs, conventions and events across the country each year. Come along to an event near you to find out more about postgraduate study and student life with us. For more information, please visit: qmul. ac.uk/postgraduate/meet-us/around-the-uk
International students
If you are from outside the UK, please see our ‘Meet us overseas’ webpage for details of where you can meet the International Office over the coming year: qmul.ac.uk/ international/international-students/events
Open events for 2017 entry 23 November 2016 Open Evening – PhD
For more details and to book, please visit: qmul.ac.uk/pgopenevening
18 January 2017 Virtual Open Day – Masters and PhD
Virtual events
15 February 2017 Open Evening – Masters and PhD
We also hold virtual events during the year. For dates, virtual tours of the campus, videos and more, visit: qmul.ac.uk/ postgraduate/meet-us/virtualopenday
10 May 2017 Virtual Open Day – Masters and PhD 19 July 2017 Virtual Open Day – Masters and PhD 6 September 2017 Recruitment Event – Masters and PhD
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HOW TO FIND US Whether you’re flying in from overseas, travelling across the UK or commuting across the city, our campuses are in central and east London, which means we are very well connected to the capital’s public transport system. Here’s some key information to help you find your way to us:
Mile End campus (Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences and Science and Engineering – main centre) • Postcode: E1 4NS • Nearest Tube: Stepney Green (Hammersmith and City line and District line) and Mile End (Central line); London travel Zone 2 • Nearest mainline train stations: London Liverpool Street, Stratford International • Nearest Docklands Light Railway (DLR): Limehouse or Bow Church • Buses: Nos. 25, 205, 339 • Cycling: Located on Cycle Superhighway 2 (CS2); cycle parking on campus
Mile End campus 64 geog.qmul.ac.uk
Whitechapel campus
Charterhouse Square campus (School of Medicine and Dentistry) • Postcode: EC1M 6BQ • Nearest Tube: Barbican (Circle line, Hammersmith and City line, Metropolitan line); London travel Zone 1 • Nearest mainline train station: Farringdon • Buses: Nos. 4, 56, 153 • Cycling: Cycle parking on campus
Whitechapel campus (School of Medicine and Dentistry – main centre) • Postcode: E1 2AD • Nearest Tube: Whitechapel (Hammersmith and City line, District line and London Overground); London travel Zone 2 • Nearest train station: London Liverpool Street • Nearest Docklands Light Railway (DLR): Shadwell • Buses: Nos. 25, 106, 205, 254, D3 • Cycling: Located on Cycle Superhighway 2 (CS2); cycle parking on campus
Charterhouse Square campus geog.qmul.ac.uk 65
HOW TO FIND US
Lincoln’s Inn Fields campus (Centre for Commercial Law Studies) • Postcode: WC2A 3JB • Nearest Tube: Holborn (Central line, Piccadilly line); London travel Zone 1 • Nearest train stations: Farringdon, City Thameslink • Buses: Nos. 1, 59, 68, 91, 168, 171, 188, 243, 521
Lincoln’s Inn Fields campus 66 geog.qmul.ac.uk
West Smithfield campus
Student travel information
For information about discounted travel, travel planning, the Santander bikesharing scheme and safety, please visit the Transport for London (TfL) website: tfl.gov.uk To read more about cycling and sustainability at QMUL visit: qmul.ac.uk/ about/sustainability/cycling
Students with disabilities
Students displaying an authorised blue disabled sticker (who have applied for, and received, a QMUL parking permit) can park on campus. Our Disability and Dyslexia Service are available to help: Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 2756. Note: parking is not available at any of our campuses for general visitors.
West Smithfield campus (School of Medicine and Dentistry) • Postcode: EC1A 7BE • Nearest Tube: St Paul’s (Central line) or Barbican (Circle line, Hammersmith and City line, Metropolitan line); London travel Zone 1 • Nearest train stations: Farringdon, Charing Cross, City Thameslink • Buses: Nos. 46, 56, 172
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MILE END CAMPUS Mile End Campus
For more detailed campus information, see: qmul.ac.uk/about/howtofindus Educational/Research
Residential
Facilities
Information
ArtsOne
37
Albert Stern Cottages
3
Advice and Counselling Service
ArtsTwo
35
Albert Stern House
1
Housing Hub
48
Arts Research Centre
39
Beaumont Court
53
Bookshop
22
Bancroft Building
31
Chapman House
43
Careers Centre
19
Chesney House
45
Clock Tower
20
Creed Court
57
CopyShop
56
France House
55
The Curve
47
Feilden House
46
Disability and Dyslexia Service
31
Hatton House
40
Bancroft Road Teaching Rooms
10
Peter Landin Building (Computer Science)
6
Engineering Building
15
G.E. Fogg Building
13
G.O. Jones Building
25
Geography
26
Informatics Teaching Laboratories
5
Joseph Priestley Building
41
2
Ifor Evans Place Lindop House
21
Lodge House
50
Lynden House
59
Maurice Court
58
Maynard House
44
Pooley House Selincourt House Varey House
49
27
Canalside
63
Ground Café
33
The Hive
24
Electronic cigarettes permitted on outside spaces only. These premises are alarmed and monitored by CCTV; please call Security on +44 (0)20 7882 5000 for more information.
9
Infusion IT Services
19
60
Mucci’s
29
51
Occupational Health Service/ Student Health Service
28
Library
32 36
Lock-keeper’s Cottage
42
Mathematical Sciences
4
Occupational Health and Safety Directorate
12
The People’s Palace/Great Hall
16
Qmotion Health and Fitness Centre Sports Hall 7
Queens’ Building
19
Santander Bank
Temporary Building
61
Security
Key Library/bookshop Fitness centre
19a
Octagon
Refreshment: Bar/Eatery/Coffee place
17
Portering and Postal Services
Staff car park
62
Bicycle parking
38/54
Bicycle lockers
St Benet’s Chaplaincy
23
Students’ Union Hub
34 19
Student Enquiry Centre No access between Geography Village Shop Square and Bancroft Road before Westfield Nursery 8am and after 6.30pm Mon–Fri. No.64 no longer in use. Can be used for other locations. NS-10/2014 64No.14 and Closed weekends.
Cash machine Smoking area / shelter
AREA
52
18
Bancroft Road
The smoking of cigarettes or tobacco products are only permitted at designated smoking areas / shelters indicated on this map.
AREA
8
Drapers’ Bar and Kitchen
Law
New Graduate Centre construction site Engineering Building construction site
Visitors who require further information or assistance should please go to the main reception in the Queens’ Building.
11
Bradwell Street 60
Portelet Road
Massingham St
Leatherdale Street
Moody Street Longnor Road
59 58
55
57
Holton Street
63 62 AREA
Bancroft Road
Grantley Street
Carlton Square
55 54
53
Mile End Hospital
52 51
48
Alderney Road
49
46
Geography Square
13
11
17
46
56 19a AREA
Library Square
BL
6
8
9
3 64
2 4 1
18
10
15
AREA
Bancroft Road
Mile End Place
5
7
Godward Square
19
43
42
AREA
40
33
16 24 23 20
22
34
35
36
37 38
39
East Gate
Mile End Tube Station
Mile End Road Harford St
68 geog.qmul.ac.uk
41
BL
44
Arts Quarter
15
West Gate
Stepney Green Tube Station
32
25
15
2
Nuevo Burial Ground
45
The Curve
Westfield Way
18
47
31 29
26
61 12
28
Regent’s Canal
50
27 18
21
1 Mile End campus
2 Whitechapel campus
3 Charterhouse Square campus
4 Lincoln’s Inn Fields campus
5 West Smithfield campus
LONDON TUBE MAP
geog.qmul.ac.uk 69
Taught programmes index • Cities and Cultures MA/MRes 18
70 geog.qmul.ac.uk
• Development and Global Health MA
20
• Environmental Science by Research MSc
22
•G eography MA/MRes/MSc
24
• Global Development Futures MA/MRes
26
• Global Health Geographies MA
28
• Integrated Management of Freshwater Environments MSc/PgCert/PgDip
30
• L ondon Studies MA/PgCert
32
• Related programmes
34
Terms and conditions We have endeavoured to ensure that the information contained in this prospectus is both helpful and accurate at the time of going to press. There are circumstances in which we may still make changes to the programmes and services that we provide. For this reason, it is important that you check our website (qmul.ac.uk) for the most up-to-date information, or contact us, using the details contained within this document, before you apply. We regularly update our programmes so that students can learn from the latest academic research and to make improvements in dialogue with current students and employers. Other circumstances that can lead to changes include: • changes of academic staff, which can lead to new modules being offered and existing modules being withdrawn • new requirements from professional or statutory bodies or • changes to the way in which universities and services are funded. If you apply to us and we offer you a place to study at QMUL, we will endeavour to deliver your chosen programme as is advertised when we make our offer of admission. For this reason, it is important that you check our website for the most up-to-date information, or contact us using the details contained within this document, before you accept an offer. We will only suspend or withdraw
your chosen programme in exceptional circumstances, such as if a key member of academic staff or essential teaching facilities become unavailable without warning. Programmes may also be suspended where the demand from applicants makes them unviable. If we have to suspend or withdraw your chosen programme after you accept an offer, we will inform you at the earliest opportunity and make every effort to provide a suitable alternative. For up-to-date descriptions of our programmes, visit: qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/coursefinder Contact Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS qmul.ac.uk We would like to thank the staff and students who took part in these photographs. Student and departmental photography by Jorge Estevao (jdestevao.com) and Jonathan Cole (JonathanColePhotography.com) and Layton Thompson (LaytonThompson.com) Image on page 8, The Geffrye Museum of the Home, London. Photo by Richard Davies. Produced by Marketing and Communications Queen Mary University of London. This publication has been printed using vegetable oil-based inks on environmentally friendly material from sustainably managed sources (from the Edixion paper range). The eco-friendly low carbon printing company is ISO 14001 accredited, and operates a ‘cradle to grave environmental management system’, ensuring environmental impact is minimised throughout every aspect of print production. Key focus is placed upon energy saving, reductions of chemicals and emissions, water conservation, and waste minimisation.
geog.qmul.ac.uk 71
For further information contact:
School of Geography Queen Mary University of London Mile End Road London E1 4NS Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 8165 email: Geog-PGadmin@qmul.ac.uk geog.qmul.ac.uk
Contact us
For general admissions enquiries for taught masters programmes: Freephone: 0800 376 1800 From outside the UK: +44 (0)20 7882 5533 email: admissions@qmul.ac.uk For general admissions enquiries for research degree programmes: Tel: +44 (0)20 7882 2207/5860 email: researchadmissions@qmul.ac.uk @QMULGeography
Any section of this publication is available in large print upon request. If you require this publication in a different accessible format we will endeavour to provide this, where possible. For further information and assistance, please contact: hr-equality@qmul.ac.uk; +44 (0)20 7882 5585.