Your PhD is hard enough without having to figure everything out on your own
Momentum is my online community for PhD researchers who want a nice, supportive space full of other researchers who genuinely get what doing a PhD feels like and where you can learn the things that doctoral programmes don’t always teach you.
£22.50 (approx. $30USD) per month
or
£225.00 (approx. $300USD) per year
Momentum is now open to new members but doors close at 12pm UK time on Thursday 1 October.
If your PhD currently feels like this…
You're not sure whether what you're doing actually counts as “analysis” or just summarising and moving things around
Your findings, literature and theory feel like they belong to completely different theses
You reread something you were perfectly happy with last month and start to question the entire thing
You have question that feels too weird or obvious to bother your supervisor with
You leave supervision knowing what you're doing… then two days later think, “Hang on. What?”
Something happens in your research and you desperately want to say “IS THIS NORMAL?!” to someone who actually understands the context
The people in your life care about your PhD - but understandably don't really want a 2-hour conversation about why one comment from your supervisor has caused a full-blown existential crisis
A PhD can be intellectually lonely
It comes with a weird kind of isolation that kicks in fairly damn quickly, once the initial euphoria of geeky optimism and new stationery wears off.
It’s just you, your computer, and the PDFs. Oh, the PDFs, so many to read.
You're doing something increasingly complex and annoyingly uncertain - and there aren't always many people around you who understand what that actually feels like.
Sometimes you just need another intelligent, capable PhD researcher to say:
“Oh God, yes. Me too.”
That's the problem Momentum was created to solve.
“I have no idea what I'm doing.” → “Okay. I know what I need to do next.”
Second-guessing everything → trusting your own judgement.
Working in fits and starts → making steadier progress.
Feeling intellectually lonely → having researchers around you who get it.
What changes when you stop trying to figure everything out alone?
“Nothing prepared me for a whole new type of loneliness – intellectual loneliness. Feeling behind, feeling stupid, questioning every idea that passed through my head. Momentum has changed all of that for me – I feel connected to others, I know I'm not alone.”
— Hollie, UK
What actually happens inside?
Understand the difficult stuff: Masterclasses
Clear, substantive teaching on the parts of qualitative PhD research people often struggle to explain properly — analysis, theory, literature reviews, discussion chapters, methodology and more.
Get unstuck: Live Q&As
Bring the questions you've been turning over in your head — including the ones you're worried you're “supposed” to know the answer to. Sometimes another perspective is all it takes to see your next move.
Actually get some work done: Let's Write
Protected co-working time for those occasions when you just need to sit down and do the damn thing. Come along, work alongside other researchers and leave feeling, “Ahh, that’s better”.
Have somewhere to take the weird PhD stuff: The community
Ask questions, compare experiences, share wins, have a wobble about something your supervisor said - with thoughtful PhD researchers who understand the context.
“But Elizabeth, I don't need another thing to do, or another thing to be behind on.”
Excellent. Neither do I.
You do not have to attend every Q&A or watch the replays.
You do not have to watch every masterclass and complete every section of every workbook.
You do not have to come to every Let's Write. I am not going to send you an email along the lines of, “Just checking in, I haven’t seen you in class for ages” eww.
You definitely do not have to read every community post and reply with a “spontaneous” comment that took you half an hour to write.
There is no such thing as being “behind” in Momentum.
Take what you need and leave the rest without the guilt trip.
The point isn't to become really good at being a Momentum member. Leave your star student perfectionism at the door, you don’t need it here😉. The point is to make progress with your PhD.
Who Momentum is for, and who it isn’t for
Momentum is probably a good fit if...
You want thoughtful support rather than hacks; you value other researchers' perspectives; you're willing to exercise your own academic judgement; you want somewhere to learn, ask questions and work alongside others.
It probably isn't for you if...
You're looking for 1:1 supervision, someone to make academic decisions for you, thesis editing/proofreading, or primarily technical training in advanced quantitative methods.
Take a look inside
Degree Doctor Momentum is delivered on a self-contained platform, which you can access on desktop, mobile or an app.
Video preview of Degree Doctor Momentum PhD Community
What members say…
“Momentum has transformed my whole PhD experience. I genuinely don't know where I would be without it.”
— Hollie“I've achieved more in the past five months than in the previous eighteen.”
— Marie“It’s the sense of community - knowing you’re not alone.”
— Mark“A very worthwhile, friendly community and great support.”
— Rachel“It’s a supportive environment which helps lessen the loneliness of doing a PhD.”
— Debbie“A great network to be inspired and feel less alone with useful resources.”
— LorenJoin now
£22.50 (approx. $30USD) per month
or
£225.00 (approx. $300USD) per year
The annual option is at a discounted rate, saving £45 (approx. $60USD) - two months free compared with monthly membership, so you get 12 months for the price of 10.
*** IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ! ***
Our UK-based team are manually enrolling new members so although they are hovering over their laptops ready to let you in, they do need to sleep occasionally(!) 😴 - so please allow up to 12 hours to receive your join invitation email. Ensure to check your spam and junk folders if you do not see your invite, and contact support@thedegreedoctor.com if you have any issues.
Join Momentum
If this feels like the kind of support your PhD needs, you’re very welcome to join.
Monthly membership - click to join
Annual membership - click to join
FAQs
(1) Is Momentum only for qualitative PhD researchers?
Momentum is primarily designed around the needs of qualitative PhD researchers, and much of the teaching reflects that.
That said, if your PhD is quantitative and what you're looking for is a thoughtful community, writing support, Q&As and somewhere to talk to other researchers who understand doctoral life, you're very welcome.
Just bear in mind that the research-specific masterclasses tend to have a qualitative emphasis.
(2) How much is Momentum?
Momentum is £22.50 per month or £225 per year, plus any applicable taxes.
If you're paying in another currency, your bank or payment provider will convert the amount for you at their current exchange rate.
There are no complicated tiers. You get access to the Momentum community, masterclasses, live Q&As, Let's Write sessions and member resources.
(3) Will this become another thing I’m behind on?
No. In fact, I actively don't want you to use Momentum like that.
You don't need to attend every Q&A, watch every masterclass, join every Let's Write session or read every community post.
There is no such thing as being “behind” in Momentum.
Come in when you need something. Use what's helpful. Ignore what isn't.
The point isn't to become really good at being a Momentum member. The point is to make progress with your PhD.
(4) My university already provides PhD support. Why would I pay for this as well?
Your university should support your PhD, and Momentum isn't intended to replace your supervisor, doctoral school or research training.
It's there for the gaps around them.
The question you've been sitting on because it doesn't quite warrant a supervision meeting. The afternoon when you need some protected writing time. The research problem you want another perspective on. The moment when you need to know whether what you're experiencing is completely normal.
And, importantly, the opportunity to spend time with other PhD researchers who actually understand what doing this feels like.
(5) Can I ask questions about my own research?
Yes. That's one of the reasons we have live Q&As and the community.
Momentum isn't private one-to-one supervision, and I won't make research decisions for you. But you can bring questions, talk through what you're wrestling with and get guidance that helps you make better-informed decisions about your own PhD.
You'll also often find that other members have experienced something remarkably similar.
(6) What if I can’t attend the live sessions?
You don't need to organise your life around Momentum.
Live sessions are there when they're useful to you, and recordings of teaching sessions can be accessed afterwards.
Some months you might use Momentum a lot; other months you might barely pop in.
That's completely fine.
(7) What stage of the PhD is Momentum for?
Momentum can support researchers at different stages, but it's particularly useful once you're dealing with the messy reality of actually doing doctoral research: making methodological decisions, analysing, writing, trying to connect the different parts of the thesis and figuring out what comes next.
You don't need to have everything figured out before you join.
Rather obviously, that would defeat the point.
(8) I’m worried I’ll ask a stupid question
Excellent. Bring it.
Some of the most useful PhD questions are the ones researchers have been sitting on for six months because they're convinced they “should know this by now”.
Momentum is deliberately a place where you can ask those questions without having to perform Very Serious Academic Who Definitely Understands Everything™ first.
(9) Can I cancel if it’s not right for me?
Yes.
If you choose the monthly membership, you can cancel at any time. Your access will continue until the end of the calendar month you've already paid for, and you won't be charged for another month. There are no partial refunds for the current month.
If you choose the annual membership, you can still cancel early. We'll recalculate the time you've already used at the standard monthly rate (rather than the discounted annual rate) and refund the remaining balance. Your access will continue until the end of the recalculated paid period.
You can manage your cancellation through your customer payment portal, and if you have any problems, just contact us at support@thedegreedoctor.com.
In other words: you're not trapped in Momentum if it turns out not to be right for you.
(10) I’m doing a masters degree - can I join?
No.
Momentum is specifically for researchers who are currently enrolled on a doctoral programme, such as a PhD, EdD or DBA.
That’s deliberate: keeping the community focused on the particular challenges and experiences of doctoral research means the conversations, teaching and support stay relevant to the people it was designed for.
If you’re doing a Master’s right now and planning to move on to doctoral research, we’d love to welcome you when you get there.
(11) Does Momentum include access to other Degree Doctor products?
No. Momentum membership is separate from other Degree Doctor products, so it doesn't include products such as The Hidden Curriculum of Qualitative PhD Research, the PhD Survival Guides or our standalone courses and resources.
Your membership gives you access to everything inside Momentum — the community, members-only resources, masterclasses and live events — but anything sold separately through Degree Doctor remains a separate purchase.