The Faculty of Social Sciences fosters creative and critical understandings of
human practices and the human situation, taking an interdisciplinary approach to
applying fundamental theoretical and practice-led inquiries to the ethical and
cultural challenges of the 21st century.
ESRC Doctoral Training Centre
Economic and Social Research Council Funding
The University of Essex's ESRC-accredited Doctoral
Training Centre (DTC) is located at the heart of an
acknowledged and well-connected centre of excellence in UK
and international social science. It offers excellent
training opportunities and a highly stimulating research
environment to postgraduate students, researchers,
professionals, practitioners and users.
What is a DTC?
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) introduced its new
Postgraduate Training Framework which changed the way it provides support
for postgraduate training. Our DTC offers 16 fully-funded ESRC studentships
across 21 doctoral pathways. There are 21 DTCs across the UK offering 600
studentships in total.
What is a doctoral pathway?
A
doctoral pathway
is the term used to describe the routes to postgraduate
study, whether this is one year Masters followed by three
years of doctoral research (1+3) or three years of doctoral
research (+3) for those who have already completed a
relevant Masters degree (from another ESRC-accredited DTC or
one with a substantial methodological element).
We have 21 doctoral pathways that are arranged into nine themed clusters.
Allocation of Essex DTC studentships
We can award our studentships through our DTC as follows:
- Six to Economics (any pathway in the
Economics pathway cluster or to other
pathways with a strong Economics focus - you
are advised to consult Graduate Admissions
for advice on this)
- Eight to those using
Quantitative Methods (within the Applied
Social and Economic Research pathway cluster
and any other pathway which contains a
strong quantitative methods element).
- At least two to any pathway including
collaborative awards.
Collaborative PhD studentships for 2012
Our doctoral training centre is offering the following collaborative
studentships for 2012, which enable you to work jointly with the University
of Essex and an outside organisation, gaining valuable additional skills
from both.
How much are the studentships worth?
The fully-funded ESRC Studentships are worth between
£18,325 and £21,575 per year for each year of study, made up
as follows:
- Standard maintenance £13,590
- Fees £3,732
- Research Training Grant £750
- Overseas Fieldwork £253
In addition, enhanced stipends of £3,000 per year will be paid to those
students on our Economics pathways OR using advanced quantitative methods in
their doctoral research. These students will also receive an enhanced Research
Training Grant of £250 per year. These enhancements are only paid during the +3
period (doctoral research) of each award and are not paid during the +1 period
(masters).
Am I eligible for a studentship?
Students with UK and EU fee status (often referred to as Home/EU students) can apply
for all our ESRC studentships across all 21 pathways. International students are
not eligible for ESRC funding.
How do I apply for an ESRC studentship?
There are three steps to completing your ESRC funding application:
- Once you have decided on your chosen
doctoral pathway,
you need to discuss this with the relevant department and apply
to study at our University through
postgraduate admissions.
- Apply to study at our University. Details about applying can
be found under graduate admissions.
- Apply for ESRC funding by completing the
application
form and submitting a reference with
your application form demonstrating why you are a very strong
candidate for the funding. Return your completed form to the
graduate administrator
for your department by 29 February 2012.*
* We reserve the right to change this deadline as necessary.
What other funding is available if I am unsuccessful in
receiving an ESRC studentship?
There are a number of other funding opportunities available to both Home/EU and
International students, which is available on our
scholarship finder. You can also apply for funding through another of other 20
ESRC Doctoral Training Centres across the UK.
Who can I contact for advice on how to apply and how to write my proposal?
If you would like to talk to someone regarding applying to the University for
postgraduate training, please contact the
Graduate
Admissions Office.
For more information about the ESRC-funded studentships,
your chosen course, or completing your application form, please
contact the relevant department Graduate Administrator:
For advice on preparing your
research proposal,
contact your preferred supervisor(s) directly. You may also find it helpful to contact some of our current
ESRC-funded students.
If you would like to talk to someone regarding details of the application process itself,
please contact the Graduate Admissions Office.