Students usually have two supervisors, who provide guidance and support through regular supervision, and extensive verbal and written feedback on students' work.

Full-time doctoral students spend part of the first year taking relevant methodology Masters courses from the MSc in Social Research Methods.  Students are supported by a carefully designed programme of regular Postgraduate Day Schools and fortnightly postgraduate workshops. Doctoral students can attend the Department's Day Courses in Social Research and the extensive range of courses run by the CAQDAS Networking project.  Further information about the doctoral student programme is in the PhD Handbook.

The University’s Postgraduate Skills Development Programme also provides a wide range of generic courses for PhD students.