School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

What you'll study

Training combines department-led disciplinary activity with interdisciplinary and transferable research skills offered across the institution. Key components described on the course page include:

• Training Needs Analysis (TNA) — an annual conversation between the doctoral researcher and their lead supervisor, recorded on PhD Manager, to set priorities for researcher development and to feed into the Annual Progress Review.
• Common Core modules — two credit-bearing, open modules run by the Doctoral School: Common Core I: Research Project Management and Common Core II: Technology-Enhanced Research. First‑year students are expected to complete Common Core I at minimum.
• Topics covered across training include research ethics, risk assessment, wellbeing, data management, open scholarship, and critical digital literacy, together with activities that foster collegiality and cross‑department collaboration.
• SOAS participates in external training networks (ESRC UBEL DTP, AHRC CHASE, Bloomsbury Postgraduate Skills Network, Bloomsbury Doctoral Partnership) and shares events and training across these partnerships.

Entry requirements

The page describes training provided to SOAS doctoral researchers but does not specify separate admissions requirements for the training itself. Prospective students should consult the SOAS PhD admissions guidance for departmental entry requirements and enrolment as a doctoral researcher.

Career prospects

The stated aim of the training is to equip doctoral researchers to function as independent researchers in a range of professional contexts and to pursue work that can deliver broader social impact. Training emphasizes transferable skills — project management, data stewardship, ethical practice and digital literacy — that are applicable in academic, policy, NGO and industry roles.

Scholarships & funding angle (general)

The page does not list specific scholarships or fees. It notes SOAS’s involvement in national and Bloomsbury training consortia, which can provide additional training opportunities; candidates should review SOAS funding pages and consortium announcements for details on scholarships or doctoral funding linked to these partnerships.