PhD application and resources

• Academic certificates/transcripts
• Any other qualification that you consider highly relevant to this application (e.g., other trainings, English Language qualification if necessary, etc.)
• Your CV
• Photo ID
• Two reference letters
• Application form, which includes your research proposal
• Sign and date your application in the two places indicated
• Scholarship application letter (if applicable). Please see the information under “Tuition and Finance” below for details about the partial scholarship.

As the award title suggests, we are interested in the range of ways in which the principles and practices developed in transpersonal psychology and allied disciplines find expression in real-world applications. Such applications may include social change and sustainability, therapy and coaching, business and human resource management, research and education, and health and social care – to name but a few. Research aiming to address ‘theoretical / conceptual’ issues will also be fostered, since these invariably underpin future applications.

For the purposes of this programme, we interpret the term ‘transpersonal psychology’ broadly. We are open to any proposed research that relates to the transformative potential of humans, recognising that we are larger and more embedded in the world than many reductionist and functional psychological models suggest; that consciousness may transcend the individual brain, being a fundamental property of the cosmos; and that our highest aspirations may include experiences and states of being traditionally explored through spirituality and mysticism. We recognise the urgency of global issues and that changing our relationship to the earth requires a shift in our understanding of consciousness amongst other changes. Our hope is that this doctoral programme can make a difference to the sense of responsibility that our cultures foster and to the ways in which we relate to other beings.

Translating a stimulating, novel idea into a pragmatic research project is challenging. If that wonderful idea does not lend itself to an accessible research question that can be operationalised in terms of a clear research methodology, then it will be inappropriate as a starting point for a research journey. It is your responsibility to ensure that your initiating idea lends itself to investigation through disciplined research practices.

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 research proposal will outline your:

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

Please click on the “Complete Your PhD Application” button above in order to download the application form, which includes relevant sections to fill out for the research proposal. 

The brief overview given here can be supplemented by reading the LJMU Postgraduate Researcher Handbook.

Those accepted onto the programme will benefit from being registered with LJMU, giving you full access to LJMU’s Doctoral Academy. The terms of our agreement with LJMU facilitate your studying at a distance—there will be no attendance requirements. Alef Trust has built up considerable expertise in operating fully through online systems over many years, and we are confident that students on this programme will enjoy the same rich level of support that our other students have found exceptional.

When you accept a place on the Alef Trust-LJMU collaborative PhD you will be assigned a supervision team that will include a lead supervisor and one or more co-supervisors. An initial meeting between you and the supervision team will clarify basic operating principles—frequency of meetings, who will be involved in meetings, as well as the steps to be taken and when.

In conjunction with Alef Trust staff, the LJMU Doctoral Academy will provide an induction to your PhD programme. You will be introduced to all the facilities available to you as a member of the Doctoral Academy and as a member of the Alef Research Community. Supervision meetings will focus not only on your research plan but also on your researcher development plan designed to cultivate your efficacy as a researcher.

Your doctoral journey involves frequent reviews to ensure that you are producing work to the required standard and that you are adhering to the appropriate timeline. The first step is to attain programme approval and have your project registered by the Faculty Research Degrees Committee in LJMU’s Faculty of Health, which is where the School of Psychology is located. Programme approval will require scrutiny of any ethical issues surrounding the use of human participants in your research project. Your supervision team will guide you through this step, which should be completed within three months for full-time (FT) students, or 6 months for part-time (PT) students.

Within 12 months (FT students) or 24 months (PT students), the confirmation review must take place. This is a formal review for which you submit a written account of your progress and give an oral presentation. The review panel, which includes your supervisors and an independent assessor, will meet with you to determine whether your progress to date confirms that you have the potential to achieve the PhD.

The final thesis will be examined by both internal and external examiners. The internal examiner may be drawn from either Alef Trust or LJMU staff. The external examiner will be an academic having expertise in the research area but with no formal connection with either Alef Trust or LJMU. Examination of your thesis includes an oral meeting with the examiners (viva voce examination, conducted either online or in-person). The period allowed from enrolment to the submission of your final thesis can be found under the section on Registration Periods in the LJMU Academic Regulations for Research Degrees.

Assuming a successful outcome to the examination, LJMU will award the PhD in Applied Transpersonal Psychology, and you will be invited to an award ceremony in Liverpool. Alef Trust generally operates an online award ceremony to complement that organised by LJMU in Liverpool.

There are two modes of study for this PhD in Applied Transpersonal Psychology, one full-time (FT), the other part-time (PT). The part-time route acknowledges the various work and family commitments that many potential students may have. Part-time students will be expected to devote a minimum of 12 hours per week to their research; full-time students will be expected to devote a minimum of 36 hours per week to their research.

The timings of reviews and the final submission of the thesis vary between the two programmes, as indicated above under The journey of a PhD student.

Full-time students: The full-time fee will be 9,300 GBP per year; in exceptional case that extend beyond four years, subsequent years in which you are writing up the thesis and no longer conducting research will attract a continuation fee of 1,550 GBP; no other fee would be charged.

Part-time students: The part-time fee is 6,900 GBP per year. 

Invoices for fees will be sent prior to enrolment. Fees can be paid in two equal instalments each year, the first within four weeks of the invoice date, and the second within six months of the invoice issue date.

A partial scholarship is available to a PhD student starting in January 2024, who can demonstrate both strong research potential and real financial need. The scholarship will cover 50% of fees over the normal duration of the PhD. Competition for the scholarship is expected to be intense, and we advise you to apply for the PhD programme only if you are able to finance yourself without a scholarship. Please note: Acceptance on the programme is not a guarantee of securing a scholarship. Should you wish to apply for the partial scholarship, please email a letter (1,000 words maximum) detailing your financial need to Nick Theo (nick.theo@aleftrust.org) by the application deadline of November 20th.

Students in England or Wales may be able to secure loans through their respective Student Finance organisations. A useful guide to securing loans can be found on the FindAPhD site here.

Graduates of Alef Trust programmes validated by LJMU or Middlesex University are entitled to a 15% discount on the fee.

Successful candidates will be enrolled on the PhD programme in January or September. In order to be considered for the January 2024 enrolment, your full application must be received by Monday, 20th November 2023. Please ensure that your references are also received by this date.