PhD Application and Funding Processes (UoB) SH, 22 Oct 2021

PhD:
Three years full time (six years part time), plus a writing-up year
September or January start-date
80,000 word thesis (UoB)
Usually need a MA/MMus qualification

Fees:
UK full time: £4,475 (per year)
Overseas (incl. EU) full time: £18,900 (per year)

More details about UoB programmes here:

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/2022/arts/phd-music/

* * *

First steps

Think about….

1. Topic:
Usually rooted in your recent studies (i.e. not a completely new area that you’d just like to
learn about). Whether Composition or Musicology, you will need to develop new ideas or
examine new sources, or take a fresh perspective in order to advance our
understanding/knowledge in a particular sphere. This means being aware of existing work,
having some questions in mind that your like to explore, and being able to convey the wider
significance. Why should someone pay you to do this work?!

2. Place:
Where will you study, why?
Supervisors (usually two)?
Research Centres, interdisciplinary benefits, archives/collections, non-academic partners,
location
Overview of the UoB application process, and what you need to supply:
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/admissions-statements/ [link to pdf of
Music’s ‘Postgraduate Admissions Statement’]

3. Funding:
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/study/postgraduate/funding/ :
 AHRC funding via South West, Wales Doctoral Training Programme (SWW2 DTP) –
other UK institutions will have their local AHRC DTP. Open to UK and overseas
students. Recently Music has secured two or three per year.
 UoB Faculty funding (UK fees and maintenance grant; oversees fees only) –
automatically entered when you apply for a place; recently Music has secured one or
two per year
  China Scholarship Council
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/students/support/finances/scholarships/china-scholarship-
council/
 UoB Alumni scholarship (10% discount on fees)
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/students/support/finances/scholarships/alumni-discount/

Alternatives to funding:
 Private/self-funded
 Part time, and work alongside your studies
 Apply for SWW DTP in your second year of study (e.g. if unsuccessful first time)
 Charities (some ideas here: https://www.findaphd.com/funding/guides/phd-funding-
charities.aspx)

Then…
1) approach a potential supervisor
2) apply for a place
3) apply for funding (deadline usually Jan/Feb) – use same basic proposal that you
use for your application for a place, but you will probably need to provide more
detail here.

SWW2
This funding scheme is the one we will focus on in our workshop, but the formula for a
funding proposal is pretty standard, certainly in the UK.

SWW2 = a consortium of nine universities in the SW and Wales

(One of 12 regional consortia funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC,
part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a non-departmental public body sponsored by
the government)
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/ahrc-swwdtp/
https://www.sww-ahdtp.ac.uk/

2022 entry will open on 30 Nov 2021, info here: https://www.sww-ahdtp.ac.uk/prospective-

students/apply/
o c.30 places available
o Funding for 3 years and 8 months (tuition fees + c.£15,000 maintenance); full time or
part time; can apply if 50% more of study still remaining

Mon 30 Nov 2021: application system opens

End of Jan 2020: Funding application system closes
End of March 2020: award decisions notified
End of April 2020: deadline for acceptance
(precise dates yet to be released)
Funding Application form
Proposal (1000 words max):
 Aims and objectives
o Overarching intention; specific steps to achieve
 Research context
o Basic lit. review/outline of approaches/scholarship/practice on which you
will build [you can append a bibliography if you wish, which will not be
included in the word-count]
 Your research questions
o How are you advancing knowledge (originality)? Why important (‘so what’)?
Precise questions you will explore (not too general or vague!)
 Methodology, sources, scope
o How (e.g. archival work, interviews, analysis, workshopping)
 Research plan and what you have done in Academic training thus far and in future
o Timeline of research, writing, attendance of conferences, other activities
 Outputs and your expected outcome of your efforts
o Dissertation: basic structure (e.g. case studies); Portfolio: how many pieces,
what forces

Why SWW2? (500 words max)

 Why the supervisory team and combination of institutions is best suited to your
research project

* * *

Criteria (i.e. these are the things to bear in mind and demonstrate in your application and
proposal) – we’ll come back to these at the workshop:
 Preparedness or promise for doctoral research
o Grades, performance to date (esp. UG and MA dissertation results)
o Skills specific to the project (e.g. languages, IT, archival experience, perhaps
gained during UG/MA studies)
o Supportive referees who know your work and capabilities (e.g. dissertation
supervisor) – from more than one institution if possible
 Quality of research proposal
o Well-articulated, focused (with specific research questions)
o Significant and original (explain how and why)
o Awareness of research context
o Appropriate methodology and timeframe
 SWW2 alignment (see https://www.sww-ahdtp.ac.uk/about/sww2/ )
o Benefits of co-supervision (usually across two universities)
o Project-related personal and professional development opportunities of the
DTP’s training provision (have a look at the lists and refer to a few things):
 Core skills training (methods and practice)
 Student-responsive training
 o Scope offered by potential partner organisations (i.e. beyond the academy –
a museum, or concert hall, or film company, etc  ‘impact’ of your research)
o Thematic research environment and enabling methods (refer to one or more
of these themes and methodologies):
 Themes:
o Cultural transmission, translation and migration
o Visual and textual aesthetics and materialities
o Environmental and regional pasts and futures
o Polities, policies and values
o STEMM subjects and objects
o Conflict and post-conflict
 Enabling methodologies:
o Co-production in research
o Creative practice as research
o Digitally-enabled research
o Textual and visual analysis and criticism
o Engaging with materialities
o Transdisciplinary approaches
o Other resources (e.g. archives, research centres within your host universities)
 UoB research institutes and centres:
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/research/institutes/

 enthusiasm for the SWW2 programme and an awareness of how it will contribute to your
longer-term career aims (awareness of potential rather than fully formed plans)

*You should work on your proposal with your supervisor; I am also happy to advise*