Student testimonials

I loved the fact that the lecturers worked on research projects internationally within the field of conservation, which was really inspiring and opened my eyes to what was possible. It totally changed my life in a way in which I never thought possible. I am now working in another country where I get to spend half of my year in the back country of British Columbia studying brown bears and the other half at an inspiring university. I knew I wanted to work with wildlife, preferably large carnivores, but I never imagined that I would be working at this level so soon.

Melanie Clapham, PhD Conservation Biology

Having previously read their work, I was drawn to the expertise of the supervisory team. I was interested in how different students experience higher education, and especially how they balance the demands of getting a qualification with the ideals of scholarliness. [My PhD] gave me the freedom to take a subject into the detail it deserved, and has given me the space to reflect on my ideal career. It has been great, and it’s amazing to track how many people download my articles from different countries. I am also really proud of my interviews and conference presentations which have helped people to reflect on how they give and receive feedback.

Mark Carver, PhD Educational Research

I most like how as a PhD student there is a wide breadth of reading material which continually increases my academic knowledge. My favourite experience here has been meeting my supervisors as they are very pleasant and moreover have continually helped me advance my academic skills... the experience of being part of the University of Cumbria’s academic community is extremely fulfilling.

Kieran J. Steuart, PhD Politics, Sociology and Economics

I enjoyed the flexibility in topic development and participation (as student and lecturer) in the courses taught by the Institute (IFLAS). [The main difference in studying as a postgraduate student is] the liberty in pursuing one’s own learning goals instead of ticking off a curriculum.

Leander Bindewald, PhD Critical Discourse Analysis of the Theory of Money and the Practice of Community Currencies