Possible Phd - questions first

joho

I wanted to ask those who have recently done or are still doing a Phd what funding they have and where they applied for it?

My lecturer has suggested I could do a Phd based on the results of my dissertation (which I am still writing! see the dissertation motivation thread) and the idea is appealing to me more and more. :rolleyes:

But having accumulated £20k of student loans doing the degree, I really can't afford to stay a student for another 3/4 years.:eek:

Any tips or advice?

Thank you all. x

farso

Im no expert, but it really depends on what field your in.

Certain fields. eg the engineering and maths routes pay around 15k a year living costs which are tax free. Theres some sort of body thats giving the cash away, but cant remember what they are called.

Gingernutmeg

Are you an undergrad or a postgrad and what's your subject, as it's *generally* very difficult to get on a PhD programme (particularly in the arts/humanities/social social sciences) without an MA, for which there tends to be very little funding. It's more possible to skip straight to the PhD in the sciences, but in all cases getting funding is extremely competitive and a lot of hard work. The Research Council for your subject area will be the main body for PhD funding - in the arts etc there's little else, in the sciences there's more chance of getting external funding through a company etc. Tbh, it's a really complicated area and you'd be better asking your tutor for information and advice, as they'd be in a better position to guide you through the processes and they'd be able to tell you what funding is available at the university.

findingmyownway

Definatley depends on your field.

In science there are tons of places available (www.findaphd.com) + new scientist etc. I was paid £15K tax free for 3 years and could top up with teaching work etc.

melancholly

i think you should ask to have a meeting with your lecturer about it - since it's their idea they should know what options are out there. certainly in a lot of subjects it's a bit late in the year - a lot of studentships will already have been allocated. that doesn't mean you can't do it, but it may involve a year out working first (happens often!).

also have a look on https://www.jobs.ac.uk as things are listed there.

as everyone has said, hard to be more specific without knowing the subject area.

Horlock

Most important be sure that you really want to do your PhD, they can be extremely lonely times and far less fun than undergraduate study (cos you haven't got your fellow students around).

Two useful research councils are EPSRC and (ESRC i think) the former funded me.

Also be aware that PhD's almost inevitably overrun the time frame so 3 years funded becomes a real pain when it isn't finished after 3 years. A real nightmare with banks getting funny etc etc

Finally don't forget about the extra cash you can earn in a Uni, lecturing/tutoring (I was 5 years ago) was paying about £30 per hour then. Though obviously 1 hour requires preparation time.

joho

Thank you all very much. Thats helpful and interesting.

I'm just finishing a degree in Forensic Science but my dissertation is about the leaching of plasticisers and phthalates from water bottles, so more chemistry oriented. My lecturer mentioned some sort of one year conversion course (didn't catch the title as wasn't taking her seriously at all at that stage!) and then into the Phd.

I will discuss it with OH and then lecturer, see what arises! OMG! Scary!

melancholly

sounds like an ESRC one year masters as part of their 1+3 scheme. find out if your supervisor thinks you can get funding (from the ESRC or perhaps even your department) for the masters or whether they're expecting you to pay for it yourself!

Gingernutmeg

melancholly wrote: »

sounds like an ESRC one year masters as part of their 1+3 scheme. find out if your supervisor thinks you can get funding (from the ESRC or perhaps even your department) for the masters or whether they're expecting you to pay for it yourself!

Isn't the ESRC the research council for economics and social sciences? Going off the OPs degree and dissertation choice I would think that they'd be better looking at some of the more science oriented councils for funding, like the BBSRC, STFC etc - they're listed on the right-hand side of this page.

melancholly

i guess it could be other RCs, but i only know of the ESRC which now demands students to have a research training masters before starting a phd - i'm pretty sure the MRC and BBSRC don't do it, but maybe other people know of EPSRC or NERC systems. you'd be amazed what they actually fund as well!

it's also important that a lot of the RCs don't accept applications from individuals. they fund a programme of research so that money is allocated to a particular institution or individual, who then select a phd student to fund with it. even in the 'open competition' from the ESRC, it needs to be supported by the department so this really is something that a supervisor needs to be involved with.

celyn90

I'm EPSRC funded (engineering and physical sciences research council) - the funding was allocated to my boss as part of a grant that he was part of. I applied to work with him, rather than for the funding myself. In my experience it's worth deciding which field you want, finding someone you'd like to work for and contacting them to see if they have a
vacancy - in the same way you'd apply for a job. They can also look for funding on your behalf if they don't already have money to hire a person - my OH was industrially funded by my boss's spin-out company for example after making an application to him directly.

There will be some funds that you apply for yourself (we have a few self-funded students in my group), but these are compartively uncommon in my field, although I understand it is more common in the Arts and Humanities than in science.