Writing your MScR research proposal

Find guidance on how to write your MScR research proposal and a template form for you to use to submit your research proposal.

How to write your research proposal

As part of the application process, all candidates must submit a research proposal. This should be no longer than two A4 pages and should give a brief but clear description of:

  • The proposed research topic and its aims 
  • The relevance of the proposed research to current work 
  • The proposed methodology 
  • The probable resource requirements of the project (indication only) 
  • Why this topic is of interest to you in terms of your experience to date

We welcome proposals on a topic you have devised yourself or on research relating to one of our specialist research themes.

Specialist research themes

You may wish to discuss the topic with a prospective supervisor. You can find more information on staff and their research interests on our Supervisors and Topics pages.

Supervisors and topics

Template form for your research proposal

All applicants for a PhD or MSc by Research are required to submit a research proposal as part of their application. Applicants must use the template form below for their research proposal. This research proposal should then be submitted online as part of your application. Please use Calibri size 11 font size and do not change the paragraph spacing (single, with 6pt after each paragraph) or the page margins.

You may also find the follow resources useful:

How to Write a Good Research Proposal PDF

Writing a Personal Statement

Applying

Once you are ready to apply, do so via the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder pages:

Education (MScR) - degree finder page 

Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences (MScR) - degree finder page