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Postgraduate Studies - Funding

Postgraduate studentships at a top ten UK university

University of Essex Scholarships (Home and Overseas)

The University of Essex Philosophy Department offers a range of scholarships in support of postgraduate studies in Philosophy at MA and MPhil/PhD levels.  Some scholarships are renewable for up to three years subject to satisfactory annual progress.  In all cases, awards may be made only to students commencing a new course, and who would not be able to take up their place without an award.

Applications are currently invited for University of Essex Scholarships from students planning to commence postgraduate studies in the Essex Philosophy Department in the Autumn Term 2010.  The Department anticipates making awards in the following categories:

  • MA (Home/EU): up to £3,000
  • MA (Overseas): up to £6,000
  • MPhil/PhD (Home/EU or Overseas): up to £9,000 (£3,000 pa over three years)
  • MPhil/PhD (Home/EU or Overseas): up to £30,000 (£10,000 pa over three years).

Students wishing to apply for these scholarships must first apply for admission to an Essex Philosophy postgraduate course. Details concerning application for admission can be found here.  Applicants for University of Essex Scholarships should then complete a University of Essex Scholarship application form.  Application forms must be returned to the Graduate Administrator, Department of Philosophy, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, CO4 3SQ no later than Friday, 30 April 2010.

Applicants will automatically be considered for all Departmental Scholarships for which they meet the eligibility requirements. Separate applications need to be made for Silberrad and AHRC scholarships.

For general information on how the scholarships are administered see: the University's student finance pages.

Overseas Applicants

Applicants may be eligible for awards for study abroad offered by government or private sources in their own country. The British Council administers a number of courses for bringing overseas students to Britain and it may be worthwhile for students overseas to get in touch with their local British Council office. Commonwealth students may find it profitable to consult the Scholarships Guide for Commonwealth Postgraduate Students, published every two years.  The British Council site also has a good international students' scholarships and bursary search engine.

Further details about awards for overseas students. 

University of Essex Silberrad Scholarships

The University of Essex Silberrad Scholarships are awarded by the University to provide support for its own graduates to pursue PhD study. The Scholarships are funded by a legacy from the Silberrad Estate, which was bequeathed to the University in 2007. The first three Scholarships were awarded in 2008-09.

Applications must be submitted to the Graduate Administrator in the Philosophy Department no later than Friday, 18 June 2010.

AHRC Studentships for Postgraduate Study

The University of Essex is the holder of a major AHRC Block Grant in support of post-graduate studies.  It is anticipated that 45 studentships at the MA (research preparation) and PhD levels will be awarded in Arts and Humanities at Essex over a five year period (2009-2014).  In addition, the AHRC funds a PhD studentship in support of the Essex Autonomy Project. Information about AHRC funding schemes can be found on the AHRC website

Other Possible Sources of Funding

Funding for postgraduate modules is available from a number of sources. You may find some of the following websites useful: