Information for applicants seeking funding for doctoral study in the School of Government and International Affairs.
Funding for PhD study is extremely competitive and applicants need to be preparing their applications early and in dialogue with staff in the School.
There are four primary routes into funded doctoral study.
This is an ESRC-funded collaboration of seven universities across Northern Ireland the North East of England, offering in excess of 50 studentships every year for doctoral (3.5 years), doctoral plus research methods (3.5 years), or MA + Doctoral (1+3 or 2+3 years) student.
The scheme is open to all UK and International applicants, providing tuition fees (at UK rate), a tax-free living stipend, research training and fieldwork support.
Applicants must first be accepted for doctoral study in their chosen department, which then nominates candidates to the DTP on a ranked basis.
Deadlines:
Submission of the completed application to the department: 20 January 2025, 4.00pm.
The Northern Ireland and Northeast (NINE) Doctoral Training Partnership is an ESRC-funded consortium of seven universities delivering postgraduate social sciences training in Northern Ireland and the Northeast of England. NINEDTP awards around 50-55 fully funded postgraduate studentships per year, across 18 disciplinary pathways.
A range of studentships can be applied for (in line with the host institution regulations), including:
a) 3.5 Year Studentships for students who have already completed, or will have completed by the commencement of their PhD, a Masters that included 60 credits or more of core research methods training.
b) 4 Year Studentships for students who have completed, or will have completed by the commencement of their PhD, a Masters in a relevant discipline, but who have not completed or will not successfully complete 60 credits or more of core research methods training. Students selected for these awards will also be registered on and required to complete a 60-credit Research Training Certificate during their first year of study, and they receive an additional six (6) months funding in support of this.
c) 4.5 Year Studentships for students who are yet to commence a Masters degree. This programme of study includes one year for obtaining a research training Masters degree in addition to 3.5 for obtaining the PhD. Training undertaken in the Masters year must conform to ESRC PGR training requirements, in line with the ESRC learning objectives.
d) 5.5 Year Studentships for students needing to undertake a research training Masters and a languagetraining Masters. This type of award is available only to students funded to undertake research on the Language-Based Areas Studies (LBAS) pathway.
SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION
Candidates wishing to apply for a studentship must complete the relevant institution’s online postgraduate application form and submit all other supporting documentation by the date detailed.
Candidates must complete a NINE DTP Equal Opportunities Monitoring form online and insert the code number on to their nomination form before submission. Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
The research proposal is to be included within the main application form. This should not be longer than 2,000 words in length (including footnotes, but excluding bibliography / reference list). If a proposal exceeds this maximum length of 2,000 words it will not be considered.
Candidates must provide/attach the following additional paperwork to their online application forms:
a) Current CV [maximum 2 pages]
b) Two letters of reference
c) Full transcripts of their previous qualifications obtained to date
d) A signed copy of the NINE DTP Consent Form
e) Personal statement elaborating on aspects of the candidate’s background and suitability for the proposed studentship, beyond what is evident on the CV
Candidates should avoid nominating referees who are named as their potential supervisors in their application; however, if this is not possible a justification of their use as a referee should be provided within the body of the reference.
The Northern Bridge Consortium is an AHRC-funded doctoral training partnership of seven universities across Northern England and Northern Ireland offering in excess of 65 studentships every year for standard doctoral and collaborative doctoral study.
The scheme is open to all UK and International applicants, providing tuition fees (at UK rate), a tax-free living stipend (£15,009 p.a. or pro-rata for part-time study), research training and related support.
Deadlines:Submission of the completed application to the department: 7 January 2025, 5.00pm.
Candidates should submit a completed Northern Bridge Equal Opportunities Monitoring form to their department ahead of the application deadline.
Candidates should avoid nominating referees who are named as their potential supervisors in their application.
Find out more information.
Applicants who are citizens or permanent residents of China are eligible to apply for funding for up to 48 months of Masters and doctoral study from the China Scholarship Council. You should be aware that these are conditional on the applicant guaranteeing to return to China at the end of the award. Any field of study may be considered.
Durham has an agreement with the CSC to waive tuition fees for 15 successful students in return for the CSC providing full living stipends, travel awards and visa/passport costs.
The competition dates for 2023 entry are below. This requires applicants to have already been unconditionally accepted onto the programme in question (including satisfying all English language requirements).
Deadline:Submission of the completed application to the department: TBC.
Unfortunately, The annual Durham Doctoral Studentships (DDS) competition for 2023/24 will not be going ahead as normal this year. We understand that this will come as a disappointment to many. We do however hope to be able to launch this competition again at some point in the future.
Durham University offers a small number of doctoral study awards to new applicants every year. Applicants must already have been accepted unconditionally onto their preferred doctoral programme but may not have actually already started their programme. The scheme is aimed at high-calibre international students and those eligible for ESRC or AHRC DTP awards are not eligible for these. Awards can be held for 3 years of full-time or six years of part-time study and cover tuition fees and a living stipend at RCUK rates.
Applicants should apply through the usual Durham University On-line application system, stating on their application that they wish to be considered for a DDS studentship (where the form asks you how you intend to fund your study). Applicants must have received an unconditional offer (including English language requirements) by the deadline for applications to be considered. This is normally in March but no specific date has yet been announced. Departments are expected to rank applications when submitted.
Applicants should meet the following internal SGIA deadlines:
Submission of the completed application to the department: TBC
For more information or assistance, please contact the SGIA PGR Admissions.
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