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Why learn with us?

We’ve done our homework on what works best for busy people studying part-time for professional qualifications.

Why learn with us? Research Academy
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Structure and flexibility
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Structure and flexibility

Our carefully structured curriculum keeps you on track, with enough flexibility to fit around work and family life.

Small-group learning
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Small-group learning

Learn with a small group of highly motivated peers who work in research agencies, small and large businesses, and the public sector.

Online learning suite
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Online learning suite

Everything you need is at your fingertips, from bite-sized video lessons and catch-up recordings to our friendly 24/7 chat forum.

Personal attention
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Personal attention

You'll have a named personal tutor who's experienced and passionate about research. They'll support you by email and in video calls.

Personalised feedback
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Personalised feedback

You'll get clear and constructive feedback on your coursework drafts, followed by a call with your personal tutor.

Extensive exam prep
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Extensive exam prep

Get ready with our exam tutorials, video briefings, a live mock exam and debrief, and tons of mock exam tasks with answer guides and sample answers.

Research-active tutors
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Research-active tutors

Our tutors all work in market or social research, with clients ranging from government bodies and charities to high street brands.

Evidence-based teaching
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Evidence-based teaching

Our unique approach is based on research with our students, literature on adult pedagogy, and the latest in e-learning technology.

Award-winning students
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Award-winning students

Our students have won the coveted MRS Advanced Certificate in Market and Social Research Practice Award. With our support, you too can aim high!

Accredited by the MRS
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Accredited by the MRS

We meet rigorous standards set by the Market Research Society (MRS) for our MRS Advanced Certificate and MRS Diploma courses.

Why learn with us? Research Academy
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Structure and flexibility
Small-group learning
Online learning suite
Personal attention
Personalised feedback
Extensive exam prep
Research-active tutors
Evidence-based teaching
Award-winning students
Accredited by the MRS
Why learn with us? Research Academy
Why learn with us? Research Academy

Real student stories

Studying for a professional qualification is tough, but worthwhile. Our students to tell it like it is.

Why learn with us? Research Academy

My personal tutor was proactive in helping me

The team at the Research Academy was wholly supportive throughout my time studying to obtain the MRS Advanced Certificate. As someone with little exposure to traditional research practice, I found the coursework assignment especially challenging. I had little idea about how research was commissioned and what a proposal should look like. My personal tutor Mia noticed that I found this challenging, and proactively approached me with suggestions about how I could improve the design of the research outlined in my assignment. Having listened to her ideas, I reworked the assignment. This process of revisiting the work, with my tutor’s suggestions in mind, really helped to cement my understanding of the research design process. Thanks to the help from Mia and the rest of the Research Academy Team, I was able to obtain a Merit for the coursework component!

I thoroughly enjoyed studying with the Research Academy. The course content was diverse and well-delivered, and I felt fully supported at every turn. The course imparted essential technical knowledge which I will carry with me throughout my research career.

Kloe Fowler

Research Officer - Defence/Government sector
Why learn with us? Research Academy

Mia and Sia gave me the confidence and support to pass

The MRS Advanced Certificate is a tough qualification on its own, but whilst studying I had a challenging personal and professional time. The support that Mia and Siavush at the Research Academy were able to offer was second to none. I felt reassured by them. They gave me the confidence and support to pass the MRS Advanced Certificate despite the difficulties I faced. I would highly recommend them as a training provider.

Jasper Darby

Research Executive - Touchstone Partners
Why learn with us? Research Academy

The tutors quickly rebuilt my confidence after I was made redundant

When I was made redundant from my university educational research post, I felt that my research career was over as the sector was badly hit during the economic downturn. However, the idea struck me that I could transfer my skills to market research so, with some trepidation, I signed up for the Research Academy’s MRS Advanced Certificate course. During the first webinar, I knew that I was back in research, and back to stay. The tutors quickly rebuilt my confidence and the course both refreshed my skills and enabled me to transfer to market research.
Initially, as an experienced researcher, I found it a little tedious that we had to justify all design decisions in our coursework research proposal as I’d never had to do this in ‘real life’ proposal writing. However, I quickly began to appreciate that this was a great approach for any proposal writing, even if it meant that in ‘real life’ you might not have to write down all your thinking.  I am now happily working as a freelancer and I’ve been amazed how much great educational research is taking place in the market research sector!

Caroline Luxton-White

Freelance Researcher
Why learn with us? Research Academy

I’m so delighted with my result – it’s a real confidence boost

Having financial support from the Market Research Benevolent Association (MRBA) enabled me to participate in the Research Academy’s fully tutored course, thanks to their MRBA Skills bursary. I found the course really supportive and encouraging personally, while keeping me ruthlessly focused on what knowledge and understanding I needed to demonstrate in the exam.
I really enjoyed challenging myself and developing my own research scenario for my coursework as it gave me the opportunity to use the methods and techniques I am most likely to utilise when I practice. And I’m so delighted with my result – it’s a real confidence boost as I set out on the path to forge a new career in qualitative social research.

Kate Oake

Social Researcher
Why learn with us? Research Academy

I’ve applied my knowledge already

I did the MRS Advanced Certificate with a different learning company five years ago. Since then my role has expanded, making me responsible for customer research and insight across my organisation. I really needed to broaden my knowledge to ensure that our research methods were fit for purpose and based on sound theory and principles. The MRS Diploma with Research Academy (RA) fit the bill perfectly.
Having done well in the Advanced Certificate, I was a little complacent with Unit 1 of the Diploma. I soon discovered that the Diploma standards were higher and that RA’s standards were higher still! If you’re looking to do the bare minimum to scrape a pass, then RA isn’t for you. RA commit to helping you aim high. They enrich your learning with examples from their own experiences, hands-on webinars, extra reading, one-to-one tutorials and homework. It can be a lot when you have a busy work and home life, but it’s well worth it.
Coming from a primarily social research background, I struggled with some of the commercial market research elements. The Unit 2 assessment focussed on this and despite my initial fears, support from my RA tutor plus great discussions with classmates in tutorials helped me through successfully. I’ve had many opportunities to apply my new knowledge already and am delighted to report that the investment my employers are making in my training is paying off.

Julia Frost

Insight and Intelligence Manager - Aster Group
Why learn with us? Research Academy

It helped me benchmark how we run proposals and projects

I found this course really helpful in validating what I already knew from working in the industry as well as teaching me some of the theory that supported the methodology and techniques I already knew and used. It was a useful course in helping me benchmark how we ran proposals and projects through our research agency and was a good opportunity to speak to others in research that I wouldn’t have otherwise engaged with. The tutors were supportive and always made time for questions and the platform was well organised and detailed.

Clare Otridge

Director - England Marketing

Employer views

Most of our students are funded by their employers. Here’s why employers think it’s a good idea!

Why learn with us? Research Academy

The expertise of the tutors played a pivotal role in our transformation

As Head of Citizen Engagement, my team and I support Welsh Parliament committees by facilitating primary research projects with those with lived experience, service users and front-line staff. The MRS Advanced Certificate in Market and Social Research Practice has proved to be essential training for the team. It has further improved our skills to conduct high-quality social research with reliable insights for committee inquiries. The training has bolstered our ability to deliver an excellent parliamentary service and provide internal and external stakeholders (including Welsh Parliament Members) with necessary assurance on the qualifications and expertise of our work.
I must commend the Research Academy and the remarkable lecturers for their invaluable contribution to our journey. Successfully completing the course whilst also delivering on the day job can be demanding, but the dedication and support from our tutors ensured success. Moreover, the fantastic learning materials and expertise of our tutors played a pivotal role in our transformation and learning, and we are immensely grateful for their guidance and support.
From application, to help with exam preparation, the Research Academy team gave my team all the support, guidance and expert teaching needed to reach their potential.

Rhayna Mann

Head of Citizen Engagement - Senedd Cymru / Welsh Parliament
Why learn with us? Research Academy

It’s made them think harder about what they do and why they do it

We’ve sent a number of students now to the Research Academy to study for their MRS Advanced Certificate. In all those I’ve sent I’ve been able to see a clear improvement in their work, even over such a relatively short time. It’s not just a case of an increase in knowledge and vocabulary either; I can see that the course has made them think harder about what they do and why they do it. This has had benefits for my business and my clients, helping to fuel our recent growth. That’s why we’re putting all our executives through the programme and will continue to do so.

Jane Powell

Managing Director - Shift Learning Ltd.
Why learn with us? Research Academy

I particularly appreciate the personal engagement from Mia and her team

BDRC’s researchers have taken the MRS Advanced Certificate under the guidance of the Research Academy for two years now, and we have three researchers on the course this semester. We use the online tutoring sessions, which work really well for students who work full time and find face-to-face sessions less convenient. The Research Academy provides great quality, interactive tutoring, which is truly invaluable.
I particularly appreciate the personal engagement from Mia and her team. They keep me up to date with the course content, help arrange enrolments and are quick to resolve any queries we have. The team has worked hard to accommodate the needs of our students.
It is clear that Research Academy staff care about providing a genuinely useful course, not only helping students gain the MRS qualification but also imparting skills they will use throughout their research careers.

Rebecca Joyner

Director - BDRC Continental