Postgraduate Research Scholarships in the School of Social Policy

Our academics are internationally recognised as authorities in their fields, and our research contributes to academic debates and has worldwide impact. Our research outputs in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), were placed in the top 10 in the UK for social policy and social work.

Types of Scholarships

We are offering a select number of Scholarships.

School Scholarships are to support students who will commence their PhD studies in September 2024. As such, only new applicants (and not existing PhD students) are eligible to apply. These scholarships cover Home fees and stipend for 3 years full time (or 6 years part time), subject to satisfactory progress. In some cases, Schools may also offer a stipend or cover fees for international students. However, please note that School Scholarships cannot be used to support distance learning PhD programmes.

Applicants will automatically be entered into the School Scholarship competition, when they apply for an ESRC-funded studentship from the Midlands Graduate School Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP). The deadline for applications for ESRC Scholarships is midday on Tuesday 23 January 2024 (12:00 GMT).

Applicants for the School of Social Policy (SoSP) who wish to only apply to the School studentship but not the ESRC should email sosppgr@contacts.bham.ac.uk for more details and an application form.

Decisions on School Scholarships vary between Schools across the College but will usually be announced between late February and early April.

ESRC-funded studentships from the Midlands Graduate School Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP). The deadline for applying for an ESRC funded studentship is Tuesday 23 January 2024 (12:00 GMT). Details on the application process provided in the link above. Note that you need to have applied for a place onto one of PhD programmes in order to be considered.

Decisions from the ESRC Midlands Graduate School are usually made by the beginning of April. By applying to the ESRC you will automatically be entered into the School competition (for the School that hosts the ESRC pathway to which you are applying).

Information about other specific scholarships will appear on this site as these opportunities arise.

NIHR Dementia Research Programme PhD Studentship

The School of Social Policy is pleased to offer funding for a motivated and talented qualitative or mixed methods researcher interested in undertaking doctoral research about people from minority ethnic groups who are living with dementia, with a particular focus on the role of the voluntary sector. The PhD will be located in Birmingham, a city considered ‘superdiverse’, as more than half its population come from minority ethnic groups.

The studentship is fully funded through the NIHR Three Schools Dementia Research Programme that aims to develop the evidence base for dementia-related practice in England by commissioning and conducting high-quality research. The student will be supervised by academics from both the School for Social Care Research and the School for Public Health Research at the University of Birmingham. The School for Social Care Research (SSCR) leads adult social care research and training for researchers wanting to find out more about the best ways to improve social care practice and the wellbeing of people needing care and support. The School for Public Health Research (SPHR) seeks to answer questions relating to the health of the public and to improve the health and wellbeing of all people in Birmingham and beyond. The successful applicant will be jointly supervised by academics from the School for Social Care Research (Dr Kelly Hall and Dr Chris Poyner) and the PHRESH [Public Health RESearch for Health) Consortium (Professor Afroditi Stathi) one of the nine SPHR academic centres, with additional advisory supervision from Dr Siobhan O’Dwyer.

The research will seek to explore the care and support provided by voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise organisations (VCFSEs) in Birmingham for people from minority ethnic groups living with dementia. The following research questions will guide the studentship, but with flexibility for the student to develop their own proposal:

To what extent do people from minority ethnic groups have access to culturally specific dementia care and support?
How do VCFSE organisations in Birmingham support people from minority ethnic groups living with dementia?
What are the experiences of people from minority ethnic groups living with dementia who use VCFSE organisations in Birmingham?

The Studentship will provide an annual stipend of £20,000, home PhD fees and research costs (e.g. to undertake fieldwork and attend conferences) for three years from 30 September 2024.

The successful applicant will benefit from becoming part of the NIHRs School for Social Care Research, Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) West Midlands, and PHRESH, providing ample opportunity for professional and personal development through well-established networks.

For informal enquiries, please contact Kelly Hall k.j.hall@bham.ac.uk.

How to Apply for the PhD studentship

Applications must be made through the University of Birmingham Postgraduate Application portal. Please select PhD Social Policy; Sociology and Criminology (FT) 2024/25. Once you have applied, please also email Ann Evans (a.p.evans@bham.ac.uk) with your details and application number.

Your application should include:

A personal statement / cover letter explaining why you are a suitable candidate and what you would bring to the PhD (2 pages maximum)
A CV
Two academic references
Transcripts (previous qualifications)

Please mention that you are applying for the NIHR Dementia Research Programme Studentship within your application. Find out more about applying for a PhD at the University of Birmingham

The deadline for applications is 5pm on the 15^th April 2024.

Eligibility

The studentship is offered as a 3-year award (commencing 30^th September 2024) on a full-time basis. Applicants are expected to have a strong first degree (2:1) in a relevant social science discipline, including demonstrable experience using qualitative methods, and a Masters degree in a social sciences discipline with social sciences research methods training (or equivalent professional training).

The studentship covers:

Full tuition fees at the Home rate (£4,778 per annum)
An annual maintenance grant for 3 years of £20,000 per year
A Research and Training Support Grant worth a total of £7950

International students are encouraged to apply. However, you will need to pay tuition fees at the international rate (£21,360 for 24/25) and therefore will need to fund the remainder of the fees and any visa requirements from other sources.

Find out more about our Doctoral Programmes.

Find out more about the areas of research in the School of Social Policy.