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Postgraduate Studies - Funding

Postgraduate studentships at a top ten UK university

University of Essex Scholarships (Home/EU and Overseas)

The University of Essex School of Philosophy and Art History 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 School of Philosophy & Art History in the Autumn Term 2012 (details to be updated shortly).  The School anticipates making awards similar to those made in 2010 which were as follows:

  • 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

Once you have received an official offer of admission to an Essex Philosophy postgraduate course from the Graduate Admissions Office, you should then complete the University of Essex Scholarship application form online via your myEssex applicant portal.  Applications for the University of Essex Scholarship close on 31 March 2012.

If you have any questions about the application process, please e-mail: scholarships (non-Essex users should add @essex.ac.uk to create a full e-mail address).

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 (Home/EU)

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.

You should complete a Silberrad Scholarship application form.  No other means of application (eg CV or letter) are acceptable.

The application form must be supported by two references.

References

The University will obtain the references.  You should nominate two referees:

  • The first referee should be a member of academic staff who has direct knowledge of your undergraduate degree, or a referee who has knowledge of your postgraduate studies (where applicable) if your first degree referee is difficult to locate. You may nominate one of the referees you have included in your PhD application as your first referee.
  • The second referee should be your proposed supervisor or the head/senior member of academic staff in the Department, School or Centre where you will be undertaking your research.

Completing the application form

Your completed application must be sent to the Graduate Admissions Office by e-mail to: scholarships@essex.ac.uk.

Note: You should not submit this application form until you have received an official offer for a PhD place from the Graduate Admissions Office.

The deadline for sending in your completed application is 31 March 2012.

Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Studentships for Postgraduate Study 2012/13

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). Information about AHRC funding schemes can be found on the AHRC website.  Please also see the University's student finances pages for further information.

The University of Essex has AHRC studentships available for 2012/13.  Please contact the Postgraduate Research Administrator, or the Postgraduate Taught Administrator, for further information.

Am I eligible for a studentship?

Students from the UK and EU (often referred to as Home/EU students) can apply for an AHRC studentships. International students are not eligible for AHRC funding.

How do I apply for an AHRC studentship?

  1. Once you have decided on your chosen course, you need to discuss this with us and apply to study at our University through the Graduate Admissions Office.

  2. Apply for AHRC funding by completing the application form, which is available from either the Graduate Admissions Office or from the Postgraduate Administrators in the School of Philosophy and Art History. You will need to submit a reference with your application form demonstrating why you are a very strong candidate for the funding.  Return your completed form to either the Postgraduate Taught Administrator or the Postgraduate Research Administrator by 23 March 2012.

    Please note the final allocation of the studentship is dependent on obtaining a place at our university.

The deadline for 2012 applications is 23 March 2012.

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: