Phd Funding :cry:

hostie

Hi there,
I have just completed my Masters and am really keen to do a Phd. I have made a few funding applications and have recently found out that they have failed..
I still have a bit of a chance with my application to the AHRC but suspect this one will also fail as I did not get a 1st for my first degree (I have been getting good marks for my MA though).
I just wondered if people could give me their opi nions on self funding. I always said I would not do a Phd if I was not successful in obtaining funding but now that that is looking like a possibility I don't really want to let go. My supervisor did say flippantly one day 'well you could just go and start the research anyway' but I wonder if this is realistic.
any thoughts / advice would be gratefully received. Thanks.

Sobraon

I did my doctorate part time and self funded, I worked full time and I have three children - it took 6 years. However, I started with a group of about 15 in the same dept and I don’t think many of the others completed. It was very hard work but I loved it!:cheesy:
Of the colleagues at work roughly 50% did their PhDs F/T funded against 50% P/T self or employer funded.
Now you have your MA is there a job at the university (academic related?) you could combine with further study (some institutions provide favourable fee discounts for staff)?

Barcode

First degree performance is less of an issue for PhD funding than for MA funding. As long as you have a good 2:1, plus decent MA grades, your chances should be as good as the rest of those applying. If you are refused, it may not even be your grades, it may be your research proposal or your references.

I think some banks do graduate loans, if you really, really, really want to do it, then perhaps this is the way to go for tuition fees? Your uni might be flexible if you can show that you can pay the fees and then work part time to make up your living costs.

melancholly

is there any way you could get a research assistant's post in your department? that would enable you to get paid while doing a phd....?
i guess it depends on how much a phd means to you - if it's something you think would be interesting then that's one thing, but if you want to go into academia and be a lecturer then it's pretty vital!
it's also worth applying to work at different unis - i personally wouldn't advise self-funding until you've exhausted ALL other possibilities - you may find funded places in other unis that are doing similar research.

Dr.Lou

Does the Uni have any bursaries for tuition fees/ maintenence? Local industries, do they support related research? What about a PhD in a related but slightly different discipline? Just a few ideas, not sure how viable they are in your field/ uni.

Voyager2002

Talk to your tutor, and also to your uni careers service. There are lots of funding opportunities: you just need to identify the right ones to approach.

hostie

Thanks all of you for your tips which have given me a bit of inspiration. :T Especialy hearing that you funded your study Sobraon. I have a job that could see me through a Phd part time but I guess I just always felt that if I was good enough I'd get funded and if not then there was no point in 'buying' a PhD. Do you feel that your PhD is looked upon as favourably as other people's who got official funding?

As for your idea melancholy, I don't think there would be a job at my University that could help me as the department now have to give their existing PhD students work lecturing and in the office as part of their AHRC commitment to developing skills. There are a lot of Phd students in the department. Still I will definately look into it. I also applied to another University and they have said that there might be a possibility of some work but they were very vague. Also doing it without proper funding would be one thing but to go to that other University I would also lose my current supervisor who really is brilliant. I'm also not sure about the possibilities of other universities taking me on if they are doing similar research. I think that I would have had to apply to them much earlier in the year wouldn't I? Or is there another way of finding out these things?

Thanks for your suggestion Dr Lou that I apply to the university for funding. I already did that but was unsuccessful. I am on the waiting list but there were only three places so I think there is no hope there! I do cultural studies and so I might look into possible funding from the relevant embassies.

I think the only road I don't want to go down is the one Barcode suggests (career dvpt loans). I'm not sure they do them for Phd study but I looked into them for my MA and the interest at the end was quite high. It might come to that yet. Thanks for your advice Voyager too. It has given me a kick start. I will make an appointment with the careers service to check whether I have exhausted all the options yet.

Thanks all of you so much. I needed these tips to get me positive again.:rolleyes:

melancholly

have a look on https://www.jobs.ac.uk and https://www.findaphd.com - i don't know what topic you're doing - is this the right ballpark? http://www.jobs.ac.uk/jobfiles/YS693.html (i don't knwo much about cultural studies )
there are still some options out there. prospects has stuff - here;s the latest places for all subjects
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Find_courses_and_research/Latest_opportunities/p!ecFLi
it is a bit later than ideal to be looking, but it's the time of year when people sometimes change their minds and phds get advertised again. i couldn't get funding with my undergrad supervisors for 2 years in a row so went elsewhere - best move i ever made for me career wise!

other funding sources include these publications - try the library or careers service:
• The Awards Almanac (Longman)
• Charities Digest (The Family Welfare Association)
• Directory of Grant Making Trusts (Charities Aid Foundation)
• Educational Grants Directory (Directory of Social Change)
• The Grants Register (Macmillan Press)
• Guide to the Major Grant Making Trusts (Directory of Social Change)
• Money to Study (The Family Welfare Association)

the only other bodies i know of are only for final year students - but if you could get a small amount of money from a lot of people - it might help?

another option is to try working for a year to get a buffer of money built up, do lots of funding applications with your supervisor and lots of applications to other unis, then if after that the best option for you is to self-fund, it should be easier than starting without any money.

Voyager2002

hostie wrote:

Thanks all of you for your tips which have given me a bit of inspiration. :T Especialy hearing that you funded your study Sobraon. I have a job that could see me through a Phd part time but I guess I just always felt that if I was good enough I'd get funded and if not then there was no point in 'buying' a PhD. Do you feel that your PhD is looked upon as favourably as other people's who got official funding?

As for your idea melancholy, I don't think there would be a job at my University that could help me as the department now have to give their existing PhD students work lecturing and in the office as part of their AHRC commitment to developing skills. There are a lot of Phd students in the department. Still I will definately look into it. I also applied to another University and they have said that there might be a possibility of some work but they were very vague. Also doing it without proper funding would be one thing but to go to that other University I would also lose my current supervisor who really is brilliant. I'm also not sure about the possibilities of other universities taking me on if they are doing similar research. I think that I would have had to apply to them much earlier in the year wouldn't I? Or is there another way of finding out these things?

Thanks for your suggestion Dr Lou that I apply to the university for funding. I already did that but was unsuccessful. I am on the waiting list but there were only three places so I think there is no hope there! I do cultural studies and so I might look into possible funding from the relevant embassies.

I think the only road I don't want to go down is the one Barcode suggests (career dvpt loans). I'm not sure they do them for Phd study but I looked into them for my MA and the interest at the end was quite high. It might come to that yet. Thanks for your advice Voyager too. It has given me a kick start. I will make an appointment with the careers service to check whether I have exhausted all the options yet.

Thanks all of you so much. I needed these tips to get me positive again.:rolleyes:

Several points here:

A PhD is a PhD, whether you do it full-time or part-time. And no-one will care whether you funded it yourself or not. However, there are certain things that you cannot do on a part-time basis: eg my PhD involved a year's field research in South America, and obviously that was not compatible with maintaining my old office job in Berkshire!

Furthermore, there is enormous variation in the quality of PhD theses, reflecting the amount and kind of work that went in to produce them. Think carefully whether you would be able to do what you want to do on a part-time basis.

Many research projects, particularly in the sciences, include funding for a research asistant. This can be a good way to get a PhD, but if your department had such a project then you would know about it. However, you should keep your eyes open for similar opportunities at other universities. The down-side, of course, is that you are then doing someone else's project rather than your own research.

Do bear in mind that most of the research councils prefer the students they support to move to a different university for their PhDs, so you might have a better chance of getting funding at another university. (I'm not sure if this applies to AHRC, but it is something you can check.)

Finally, if you are self-funded them most universities will consider your application at any time. Obviously, it is quite a lot of money for them. The serious and strict deadlines are for funding applications.

Sobraon

[FONT=&quot]As far as self-funded or part time is concerned as Voyager2002 point out a PhD is a PhD. There is a certain cachet in having the right supervisor and going to the right university but this is relatively minor because of our (UK) strong external examiner system. My part time doctorate earned me a good promotion that ‘paid back’ the fees (£3600) very quickly. I was also sponsored for an ‘executive’ MBA by my employer (no student digs on that course!). So I would say on balance that the self funded financial ‘investment’ I made was very worthwhile. Remember, the UK ‘spends’ 1.1% of its income HE which is lower than most of the rest of the EU and can be compared with the US figure of 2.2%. Getting funding for a PhD is a bit of a lottery – easy at certain times in some subjects and almost impossible in other subjects at other times.
[/FONT]

xanderd

I am currently doing my PhD in computer science and I can personally say that I dont think I could manager to do one if I wasnt funder, or if I was part time...Im finding it very hard as it is!

Having said that..people always find a way and adpt to their circumstances.

Before I took this PhD I was offered a scheme called EngD (engineering doctorate) which is apparently 10 years old but I had never heard of it before. It is supposed to hold the same status as a PhD and although it is engineering, the subjects vastly vary from computer related to mech eng, design, I even saw a project about bird migration! There seems to be a lot of funding for these. Google search 'EngD' and enquire at the universities that offer it.

Also I think showing polieteness, enthusiasm and having a good idea of what you want to research will really help. For example I didnt have the grades to get into my bachelors but I negotiated with the head of admissions and he allowed me on the course..I got a 1st and am now doing a PhD at the same uni!

A research proposal should make the following points clear:
-The domain - explain a bit of the background area
-The motivation - why is this research necessary? How is it currently lacking?
-The contribution - how will your project contribute to the field? What difference will it make? This will likely be very small - not the cure for cancer!

its normal to not know what you want to do research wise at this point but make a best effort guess and it will evolve over time.

good luck!