Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities - MA, PhD

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The Centre offers excellent opportunities for full or part-time research in intellectual disability and community care leading to higher degrees. The Tizard Centre has a strong track record of attracting University and ESRC research studentship funding.

Overview

Monique talks about her Master's at the Tizard Centre.

About the Tizard Centre

The Tizard Centre is part of the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (SSPSSR) and has excellent links with health and social care organisations, and other relevant establishments.

The Centre is at the forefront of learning and research in autism, intellectual disability and community care, and in 2013 received a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in recognition of its outstanding work in these areas.

The Centre has excellent links with health and social care organisations, and other relevant establishments. Our primary aims, through research, teaching and consultancy, are:

  • to find out more about how to effectively support and work with people with learning disabilities
  • to help carers, managers and professionals develop the values, knowledge and skills that enable better services
  • to aid policymakers, planners, managers and practitioners to organise and provide enhanced services.

The Tizard Centre is recognised as leading the field in deinstitutionalisation and community living, challenging behaviour, quality of staff support, sexuality and autism, and has had a significant impact on national policies in these areas. We are committed to addressing issues arising from social inequality.

Scholarship

For more information and criteria, please view the scholarship pages.

Entry requirements

A first or 2.1 in a relevant subject. You should send an outline of your research proposal with your application.

All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications. 

International students

Please see our International Student website for entry requirements by country and other relevant information. Due to visa restrictions, students who require a student visa to study cannot study part-time unless undertaking a distance or blended-learning programme with no on-campus provision.

English language entry requirements

For detailed information see our English language requirements web pages. 

Please note that if you are required to meet an English language condition, we offer a number of pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes through Kent International Pathways.

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Course structure

Duration: MA 1 year full-time, 2 years part-time

PhD 3 years full-time, 5 years part-time

Teaching

Programme aims

The programme aims to provide you with:

  • focused and supportive research-training
  • the skills necessary for pure and applied research within your chosen areas of employment, including higher education, public bodies and the private sector.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

  • research skills
  • specialist information in relation to your chosen area of research to a standard sufficient to conduct an original investigation
  • how to conduct independent study
  • how to produce an independent research project using appropriate research methods
  • how to write a thesis of scholarly merit that would justify its publication either as submitted or in an abridged form.

Fees

The 2024/25 annual tuition fees for this course are:

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities - MA at Canterbury

  • Home full-time TBC
  • EU full-time £18600
  • International full-time £18600
  • Home part-time TBC
  • EU part-time N/A
  • International part-time N/A

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities - PhD at Canterbury

  • Home full-time TBC
  • EU full-time £18600
  • International full-time £18600
  • Home part-time TBC
  • EU part-time £9300
  • International part-time £9300

For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.

For students continuing on this programme fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact information@kent.ac.uk.

Your fee status

The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.

Additional costs

General additional costs

Find out more about general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent. 

Funding

Search our scholarships finder for possible funding opportunities. You may find it helpful to look at both:

We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.

Search scholarships

Independent rankings

In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, 100% of our Social work and social policy research was classified as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ for impact and environment.

Following the REF 2021, Social work and social policy at Kent was ranked 3rd for research in the UK in the Times Higher Education.

Research

Research areas

Current research areas include: social inequalities and community care; intellectual and developmental disabilities.

View details of current research on the Tizard website.

Careers

Our postgraduate courses provide detailed knowledge of intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Graduates will have gained a very good understanding of the matters arising within this population and will be able to analyse and conduct relevant research.  

Our postgraduate courses improve employability prospects for both those with established careers and new entrants to the field.  Many of our students already work with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in professional, management or supporting capacities. Our programmes support their continuing professional development and enhance their opportunities for career advancement. Other students, who are at the beginning of their careers, move on to a range of professional roles in health and social care including working as psychologists in learning disability or behavioural specialists in community learning disability teams; service management of development roles; clinical psychology training or a PhD.

Study support

All teaching takes place at the Tizard Centre. Postgraduate research students have a shared office space with a computer and telephone.

Acclaimed active department

The Tizard Centre runs an annual seminar series where staff or guest lecturers present the results of research or highlight recent developments in the field of social care. The Jim Mansell Memorial Lecture invites public figures or distinguished academics to discuss topics that could interest a wider audience. The Centre also publishes the Tizard Learning Disability Review (in conjunction with Emerald Publishing) to provide a source of up-to-date information for professionals and carers.

The Tizard Centre provides consultancy to organisations in the statutory and independent sectors, both nationally and internationally, in diversified areas such as service assessment, person-centred approaches, active support and adult protection. The Centre also teaches a range of short courses, often in conjunction with other organisations.

Dynamic publishing culture

Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: Journal of Mental Health; Journal of Applied Research and Intellectual Disabilities; American Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities; and Journal of Intellectual Disability Research.

Researcher Development Programme

Kent's Graduate School co-ordinates the Researcher Development Programme for research students, which includes workshops focused on research, specialist and transferable skills. The programme is mapped to the national Researcher Development Framework and covers a diverse range of topics, including subject-specific research skills, research management, personal effectiveness, communication skills, networking and teamworking, and career management skills.

Apply now

The Tizard Centre is not currently considering applications for entry to its research programmes. We will update this page should applications open for September 2024 entry for self-funded students.

Please contact us for further details.

Contact us

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United Kingdom/EU enquiries

MA at Canterbury

PhD at Canterbury

Admissions enquiries

T: +44 (0)1227 768896

E: information@kent.ac.uk

Subject enquiries

E: information@kent.ac.uk

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International student enquiries

Enquire online

T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk