Ahrc?

mitten_2

Has anyone actually got AHRC funding for their PhDs? If so how?

I hate the AHRC. My department are not even entering me for the award as i only got a 2:1 on my undergrad degree and I don't have a masters degree.

Basically the AHRC is too competitive. I think they should only award people £8000 a year then more people will be able to have some of the money. It annoys me that my friend has AHRC funding and the job I really wanted as a uni warden. Her rent is paid by the uni and she had £12,000 a year from the AHRC. £3000 goes on her fees and the other £9000 is for her to live on.

I'm only jealous to be honest but it is getting me down as i have had to open 2 more bank accounts just to use the overdrafts and am probably going to have to get a bank loan for the next year of my PhD.

ftbworried

The problem with the AHRC is that they just aren't funded as well as the scientific research bodies because (and I WILL get shot down in flames for this) the outcomes of the research are generally not as publicly useful as medical/engineering related research. This makes funding very scarce. I don't really know what kind of advice you are after but the problem with only funding for £8000 is that you cannot attract or sustain the 'best' applicants.

There was a report done a few years ago (I can't remember the guys name) but it basically said that for it to be a realistic choice for the best candidates to stay on to do a PhD rather than go into industry, PhD funding needs to be set at least the £12,000 level. At £8000 the AHRC (and other research bodies) would lose talented people to jobs in industry because the funding was just not financially viable for them.

If you cannot get funding then it's really not your 'friends' fault- funding is there to attract and retain the best researchers. If she's good enough to get funding you should be happy for her.

If doing a PhD is causing you to get into so much debt and the AHRC don't think your work is fundable then to be honest, I would question whether it is worth the financial sacrifice. You have to be pretty sure that your PhD will yield a lot of financial value when you are done to get into so much trouble for it.

p.s. If AHRC funding is the same as scientific research councils, the £12k funding is all yours to live on, the £3k fees get paid seperately from that.

mitten_2

I'm not really doing my PhD for financial gain, I am doing it because I enjoy the research. I don't look to make money from it but i would enjoy not being horribly in debt from it.

GoldenEye

I don't know what AHRC stands for (assuming the "C" stands for Council) but I understand your point. My friend wanted to do a Masters and PhD but couldn't receive funding or afford it. He studied Politics.
I am considering studying for a PhD and there is plenty of EPSRC tax-free funding in my field (12-20K). I had always assumed PhD's were all funded. It works off demand... engineering/science is in high demand and people do not want to do it.

It is a shame though, that people want to study a subject because they enjoy it but cannot due to financial constraints.

Gingernutmeg

AHRC - Arts and Humanities Research Council

ftbworried

mitten wrote:

I'm not really doing my PhD for financial gain, I am doing it because I enjoy the research.

Sorry to seem harsh but I like horse riding, I do it because I enjoy it- does that mean that someone should pay me to do it? If I owned my own horse right now I might get into debt, so I don't get one. I don't expect the government to fund one for me!!!! Simple as. Is it worth getting into debt just to do something you 'enjoy' and may not provide a financial return for you?

I enjoy my research too and don't do it for financial gain (I'd hardly call £12k financial gain- more like 'enough to live on'). If i was in it for 'gain' I'd work in a pharmaceutical company. However, my research is funded because it's of medical importance- why should PhDs be funded if they don't give something tangible back to society?

You have to see that they shouldn't (and won't) be paid by research councils to do something just because you enjoy it- it has to benefit society in some way or have some kind of financial return. When you are funded, the research councils are INVESTING in you and your research, everyone has to enjoy it but research councils don't fund you just to enjoy something- they fund to get back valuable research.

Maybe if you like doing research and you need funding to survive then look at doing something that is more likely to be funded.

ftbworried

GoldenEye wrote: »

It is a shame though, that people want to study a subject because they enjoy it but cannot due to financial constraints.

...and it's a shame for those that want to live in a 8 bedroomed mansion but cannot due to financial constraints...or want to travel the world and learn about new cultures but can't due to financial constraints. I know, maybe the government can fund everyones dreams- that's a good idea.:rolleyes:

kittymary

The way to get PhD funding from the AHRC is to have a first class degree, a strong MA, and an impressive research proposal that is well supported by the department in which you intend to study. Having an article published in a recognised journal in your field, or having given a paper at a conference would also help demonstrate your ability and interest in research.

The AHRC is very competitive, but many students are successful every year, and it makes sense that they would choose to support the best students, and those who wish to make a career in academia and so will be passing on their learning to others.

What I don't understand is why, given that you did not get a first, you felt you were so outstandingly brilliant that you should go straight onto the PhD without doing a masters first? Surely the best plan would have been to do the MA, and make sure that you worked really hard to prove that you could achieve better standards than you did on your first degree, to maximise your chances for PhD funding. Have you spoken to your tutors and asked their advice?

GoldenEye

ftbworried wrote: »

...and it's a shame for those that want to live in a 8 bedroomed mansion but cannot due to financial constraints...or want to travel the world and learn about new cultures but can't due to financial constraints. I know, maybe the government can fund everyones dreams- that's a good idea.:rolleyes:

I don’t understand your logic. Horse-riding or owning an 8-bedroom mansion doesn’t improve society or the intelligence of this nation but educational research clearly does, no matter what field. I can understand undergrad degrees and even Masters degrees not being funded but beyond that there should be a sense of perspective. I thought a PhD was about introducing new theories?

TBH, I know nothing about Arts or Humanities. It isn’t always about "valuable research" for this country (well in engineering/science terms). The simple fact is that Research Councils fund because they want businesses to stay in this country and pay taxes to the economy.

ftbworried

educational research clearly does, no matter what field.

Does it?

I once came across a girl doing a PhD in researching the origin of street names. Now I'm sure there must be an oscure link to the benefit to society somewhere (I'm sure someone will make one up), but I don't see why a research council should fund it. There are plenty of arts PhDs that DO contribue to society but the AHRC has to prioritise funding to them- and can't fund to those that don't.

It's simple, if the AHRC thought that the OP's research was worthy of spending money on they would have done. If they couldnt get funding then the research body didnt have confidence in them or the value of their research. You can just expect funding because 'you want it'. That was the point of the horse-riding and 8 bedroomed mansion- sometimes you don't always get what you want and you shouldnt expect funding to do something just because you 'enjoy' doing it.

GoldenEye

ftbworried wrote: »

Does it?

I once came across a girl doing a PhD in researching the origin of street names. Now I'm sure there must be an oscure link to the benefit to society somewhere (I'm sure someone will make one up), but I don't see why a research council should fund it. There are plenty of arts PhDs that DO contribue to society but the AHRC has to prioritise funding to them- and can't fund to those that don't.

It's simple, if the AHRC thought that the OP's research was worthy of spending money on they would have done. If they couldnt get funding then the research body didnt have confidence in them or the value of their research. You can just expect funding because 'you want it'. That was the point of the horse-riding and 8 bedroomed mansion- sometimes you don't always get what you want and you shouldnt expect funding to do something just because you 'enjoy' doing it.

A PhD in the origin of street names is not educational research. That’s about having too much time on your hands.

I never said that the OP should be funded by a Goverment Organisation because she enjoys her field. It is sad that she cannot find any means of funding to finance her PhD.