As one of the world's foremost research institutions in astronomy, the Institute offers exciting opportunities for postgraduate research and study. The Institute offers the opportunity to study for the Ph.D degree, for which the normal duration of study is expected to be three years. The format is almost exclusively research based. In addition to this, the Institute offers both a taught (MASt) and research (M.Phil) masters course. The PSLU MPhil will train students to understand life's origins, and the prospect for habitable and inhabited planets being found elsewhere in the galaxy.