Focus groups have been completed with postgraduate students as a part of our research.
'That鈥檚听Me!听Eliminating听barriers to postgraduate research study in the West Midland鈥檚 is a project that aims to explore the postgraduate research experience, from听starting at the application stage to after completion.
We are particularly interested in the experiences of global majority听Postgraduate level students听that is, people who identify as coming from a Black, Asian听or Minority Ethnic background.听
Questions in focus groups were asked such as:
- Have you ever considered applying for a PhD?
- What steps do you think you'd need to take to pursue a PhD?
- What do you see as the challenges in pursuing a PhD?听
The听That鈥檚听Me project team听invited Global Majority Masters' students, from ADM, BLSS and CEBE,听to share their views on applying for a doctoral degree at BCU and how this process could be made fairer and more inclusive.
Master's students听were encouraged to:
- Share insights on application processes,听including how we can better publicise PhD opportunities to Masters' students.
- Help us shape a more inclusive application and induction processes for future researchers.听
PGRs were encouraged to:
- Share insights on application processes.听
- Reflect on the early stages of doctoral studies, including induction.听
- Help us shape a more inclusive application and induction processes for future researchers.听
This opportunity was open to postgraduate听at BCU who identify as Global Majority.听鈥淕lobal Majority is a collective term that听first and foremost听speaks to and encourages those so-called to think of themselves as belonging to the global majority.听It refers to people who are Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and or have been racialised as 'ethnic minorities'鈥� -听
