Alef Trust PhD Application Form

General

Before completing the form, PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU READ THESE NOTES FOR GUIDANCE CAREFULLY. You should also read the current information about the PhD programme and entrance requirements on the Alef Trust website: https://www.aleftrust.org/phd-application-resource-page/.

This form is only for applicants applying for the PhD programme run through the partnership between Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and the Alef Trust CIC.

 

The Data Protection Act

Information provided on the application form will be held on a secure server in accordance with LJMU’s registration under the Data Protection Act and used only for the purpose of education and training, and statistical monitoring.

 

Section 1. Personal details

Previous surname
If you have changed your name by marriage or otherwise, state your previous surname or family name.

Correspondence address
This address and your email address will be used for all correspondence unless an alternative is provided.
Please ensure that you inform us of any changes during your studies with us

Permanent home address
If different from Correspondence address.

 

Section 2. Details of the programme to which you wish to apply

This form is for students applying to the postgraduate distance-learning PhD Programme in Applied Transpersonal Psychology. Accordingly, the programme title has been inserted on your behalf. Please indicate the date on which you wish to commence and whether you intend to study part-time or full-time.

 

Section 3. Nationality/Residence details

Please complete this section as fully as possible.
We require a copy of your currently valid photo ID (passport or driver’s license) to be attached in this Section.

 

Section 4. Payment of fees

Please give details of who you expect to pay your fees for the proposed course. Your application cannot be processed without relevant documentation.
If your employer or sponsor is paying your fees a letter must be enclosed from your employer/sponsor, confirming that your fees will be paid and giving contact details for invoicing.

Please indicate in the appropriate box if you are intending to apply to Student Finance UK for a loan. Details about your eligibility for a loan can be found on the Student Finance website here: https://www.gov.uk/student-finance.

 

Section 5. English language proficiency

If English is not your first language you will need to enter details of your English language qualification. You should also enclose a copy of your certificate / test report with your application.

We require proficiency in English up to the following tested standards:
IELTS 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each component)

Section 6. Academic Qualifications

Please list your qualifications and pending qualifications. Include any professional qualifications and short courses you may have attended. You must include scanned copies of certificates/transcripts for your most relevant university qualification (where appropriate) and/or any other qualification that you consider highly relevant to this application.

 

Section 7. Work Experience

Please include all your work experience paid or unpaid, full-time or part-time in your home or outside. Please also attach a CV as this is particularly helpful for admission purposes.

 

Section 8. Research Proposal

A research proposal summarises your plan for the research project that you will conduct as a doctoral student. It is a critical document for you and others to evaluate both the strengths and weaknesses of your plan. Prior to beginning the writing of your research proposal, you will ideally deepen your grasp of the topic area and the specific issues that relate to your plan. This process is likely to include reflections on your own experience in the topic area enriched by your reading of relevant scholarly literature in the area and perhaps other factors that bear on the applied setting in which the topic is relevant.

Please follow the word count limitations indicated in this section. Your research proposal should outline your:

• area of research
• core questions
• methodologies
• approach
• timescale

Pay careful attention to the guidelines given in this section.

Your research proposal should include:

• the title of your PhD (this can be revised at a later date)
• a summary of what you want to examine
• a brief overview of your general area of study, summarising current knowledge and recent debates on the topic (you should demonstrate your familiarity with the field and your ability to communicate clearly and concisely)
• the central aims and questions that will guide your research (prioritise one or two main questions, from which secondary questions may follow)
• how you intend to answer your research questions
• the methodological approach(es) that you are planning to use (can be revised later in discussion with your supervision team)
• your main research techniques (interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, etc) and data collection procedures
• an explanation of why your research is important and what makes it original
• a bibliography identifying the most relevant and recent works for your subject area

Proposed Research Topic Overview (200 words maximum). Please briefly describe your intended area of research. This will help us to identify an appropriate supervisor that matches your area of interest.

Proposed Title should be short and suitably reflect the proposed project topic area.

Background (700 words maximum) needs to include a brief literature review with citations to academic publications. The first purpose of the literature review is to describe research that has already been carried out and to identify potential gaps in knowledge. The second purpose is to explore previous methodologies adopted within the field of the chosen investigation. It should also briefly introduce the new contribution to knowledge that will come from the proposed work (which will be elaborated upon in the Novelty section below). In short, you should demonstrate your familiarity with the field and your ability to communicate clearly and concisely.

Aims & Objectives (200 words maximum). Describe the overarching purpose of your proposed research. Keep the list short and precise. Think of the objectives as milestones along the way towards achieving the aims.

Research Question(s) (200 words maximum). A core aspect of the research proposal is the research question, which represents a pragmatic and operationalised formulation of the initiating idea. One or more subsidiary questions may follow from further reflection on the primary research question. In other words, prioritise one or two main questions, from which secondary questions may follow.

Methodology (700 words maximum). Explain how your proposed research is expected to answer your research question(s). This should include your ideas for data collection and analysis and should also mention the methodological approach(es) that will be adopted for the research (e.g., phenomenology, ethnography, heuristic inquiry, correlational research, randomized controlled trial, etc.). Your main research techniques (e.g., interviews, focus groups, use of psychometric instruments, questionnaires, etc.) should also be briefly described. Identifying relevant methods is the second main purpose of the literature review, so these two sections should be consistent. In addition, keep in mind that most PhD projects involve a programme of research that consists of either a large-scale single study or multiple studies (typically 2 to 3 studies). For example, a student might conduct a systematic literature review on their topic, then conduct qualitative interviews in an initial exploratory study and then follow this up with a quantitative study. Or a student might conduct a series of qualitative studies or a series of quantitative studies. We understand that your response to this section will be a brief outline of your proposed programme of research and at this stage you may not have a plan for multiple studies. However, it is important for you to be aware of the depth and breadth of a PhD project, and to consider this when describing your proposed methodology. Also note that your proposed methodology can be revised later in discussion with your supervision team.

Novelty & Expected Project Outcomes (300 words maximum). This should be linked to the overall aims of the project and a possible new methodology/analysis and/or “deliverable” specifically developed for the proposed investigation. For example, your research might result in a new method of therapy or an intervention. Put simply, why is your proposed research original and important? What will it add to the field?

Proposed Timeline (200 words maximum). Give an approximate indication of when the milestones of your proposed research (e.g., literature review, data collection, data analysis, final writeup) will be met. Keep in mind that full-time PhD students must complete their doctoral studies within 4 years, and part-time students must complete within 7 years (part-time PhDs are typically completed in 5 years). If your programme of research will involve multiple studies, please provide an approximate timeline for each study.

Bibliography should include seminal and recent peer reviewed works published in the area of investigation.

Section 9. References

You must arrange for TWO recommendation letters to be provided. One of your referees should normally be a member of an educational institution who is able to confirm your highest educational qualification. Applicants currently studying at an educational institution or who have only recently left should obtain the recommendation from an appropriate member of the teaching staff. If you were a student some years ago you should select a person with more recent knowledge of you. Examples are an employer; training officer; adult guidance officer, careers officer or community worker. Personal recommendations provided by relatives are not acceptable. It is important that the persons providing the recommendation knows you well enough to comment on your aptitude for study at postgraduate level.

Referees should be asked to provide information about your:

1. Background in areas related to the programme topics of study
2. Suitability for the programme applied for
3. Intellectual ability, including formal and informal attainments, and relevant personal qualities
4. Career aspirations

Applicants are responsible for requesting supporting references and for ensuring that the referees send these letters directly to Nicholas Theo, Alef Trust Programme Manager and Registrar by email (nick.theo@aleftrust.org).

 

Section 10. Declaration

Any offer of a place you may receive is made on the understanding that in accepting it you agree to abide by the rules and regulations of the University and the Alef Trust, and by signing this form you are confirming your agreement. 

LJMU rules and regulations can be found here: https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/public-information/student-regulations, with details for postgraduate researchers here: https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/~/media/staff-intranet/research/doctoral-academy/ljmu-postgraduate-research-handbook-202223.pdf?la=en. Below you will find additional conditions applied by the Alef Trust which you must sign.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE

The University will endeavour to deliver programmes in accordance with the descriptions set out in its prospectuses and guides, and on its websites and those of its partner institutions. However, such information is provided as a general guide to all the programmes and facilities offered by the University at the time of going to print. The website information, prospectuses and guides are not intended, nor should they be considered, to contain definitive programme descriptions and facilities.

 

 

Name of programme:
PhD Programme in Applied Transpersonal Psychology

Entry Point / Level:
8

Please confirm below which English Language qualification you have completed or will be sitting. 
Attach copies of the certificate(s) for completed qualifications.

Please provide copies of certificates/transcripts for your most relevant university qualification (where appropriate) and/or any other qualification that you consider highly relevant to this application.

General Instructions: A research proposal summarises your plan for the research project that you will conduct as a doctoral student. It is a critical document for you and others to evaluate both the strengths and weaknesses of your plan. Prior to beginning the writing of your research proposal, you will ideally deepen your grasp of the topic area and the specific issues that relate to your plan. This process is likely to include reflections on your own experience in the topic area enriched by your reading of relevant scholarly literature in the area and perhaps other factors that bear on the applied setting in which the topic is relevant.

The word limits below give you an indication of how much detail should be included in each section. You will see that the Background and Methodology sections are emphasised, thus be sure to include sufficient detail in these sections.

It is your responsibility to contact the referees and ask them to send their reference letters directly by email to Nicholas Theo, Alef Trust Programme Manager and Registrar: nick.theo@aleftrust.org

1.  The Alef Trust undertakes to make available the learning support and resources required to allow the student to complete their studies. 

 

2.  The Alef Trust will invoice students for the agreed annual fee at the beginning of their period of study and once a year thereafter on the anniversary of the student’s enrolment on the programme. Students will have the opportunity to pay the annual fee in two equal instalments, the first within four weeks of the invoice date, and the second within six months of the invoice issue date. Failure to pay fees by the date specified can result in the withdrawal of all tutorial support and disabling of passwords and usernames for electronic learning resources.

 

3.  All students will have access to electronic learning environments, such as Canvas. Access to these resources is dependent upon the student conducting themselves in a respectful and supportive manner to other members of their online learning community.

 

4.  Canvas is a closed learning environment. It is the responsibility of each member of the leaning community to maintain this environment. Usernames and passwords assigned to students for electronic resources are for the use of that student only and should not be passed to non-members of the Alef Trust learning community. Failure to comply with this restriction can result in the withdrawal of such resources.

 

5.  All students have the right to cancel their agreement to take up the offer of a place on the programme of study within 14 calendar days of receiving Alef Trust’s confirmation of their place by email. There is no requirement to provide reasons, and the student will receive a full refund of any fees paid, or a waiver of any fees the student had been liable to pay for the programme of study.

 

6.  If the student decides to cancel or leave their programme of study prior to its completion, then the Alef Trust must be informed by email sent to both the Academic Programme Leader and the Programme Manager / Registrar. Verbal notification will not be acceptable. This requirement comes into effect as soon as an application form has been submitted by the student.

 

7.  If a student leaves their programme of study prior to completion of their studies and after 14 calendar days of receiving Alef Trust’s confirmation of their place by email, then they will be liable for the fees, subject to the following conditions:

     7.1. If a student leaves the programme within the first five months following enrolment, the student will be liable for 50% of the programme fees for the year.

     7.2. If the student leaves the programme more than five months after enrolment, then the student will be liable for the full programme fee for the year.

 

8.  If a student wishes to suspend their studies by obtaining a Leave of Absence (LOA) with the intention of returning to study in the next academic year, the LOA will be granted only if the student has paid all instalments identified on their invoice as being due up to the date of their LOA.

NB In addition to this financial condition, requests for LOA are considered in relation to LJMU regulations and are generally awarded only when circumstances arise which were unknown to the student, or otherwise unpredictable, at the time of starting their programme of study.

A student on a LOA planning to return at the start of a subsequent academic year will be asked to confirm their intention by the end of the July prior to their intended return date. In order to secure their place in the new cohort of students, the LOA student will be required to pay a 250 GBP deposit, refundable against the fees that will become due when they commence the year of study

The returning LOA student will be liable to pay fees at the rate payable by the cohort of students they are joining.

If the Alef Trust increases the PhD fees during the period of the LOA, the returning student will be charged at the new rate. The new fee will apply throughout the remaining duration of their PhD programme. Fees paid in the year in which the student took the LOA will be credited against the new fee.

 

9.  In addition to the terms and conditions outlined here all students agree to abide by those of Liverpool John Moores University (available on the LJMU website) in regard to the conduct of their studies.

 

10. The collaborative PhD is a research degree awarded following examination of a research thesis. Your time on the programme is devoted to conducting a research project under supervision. The collaborative basis of the PhD means that you will receive guidance from supervisors from both Alef Trust and LJMU. Given our expertise in the topic, the Alef Trust supervisor will lead in most academic aspects of the programme. However, it is a requirement for this collaborative PhD programme that at least one supervisor must be from LJMU. We take on the responsibility to find an LJMU member of staff suitable for this role. In the unlikely circumstance that there are no LJMU staff wanting to supervise your specific research question, then we will be unable to progress your application.

Please sign below to show that you have read and agree to abide by these terms and conditions.

I confirm that, to the best of my knowledge, the information given on this form is correct and complete.

I understand that any offer of a place is subject to my acceptance of Liverpool John Moores University’s terms and conditions and the Alef Trust’s conditions as given at the end of this form.

I accept that if I do not fully comply with these requirements Liverpool John Moores University and the Alef Trust reserve the right to cancel my application.

I agree that Liverpool John Moores University and the Alef Trust may record and process the information contained in this form and the Self-declaration form for statistical and administrative purposes in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. For further information about us, how we process your personal information and your rights, please view our privacy notice.