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MA Postgraduate Fees and Funding

There are a wide range of possible sources of studentships, scholarships and bursaries but competition is fierce and you will need to begin your enquiries in good time to meet deadlines.

Quite a lot of our postgraduate students are externally funded. Our students have been supported by governments, grants from funding bodies, sponsors, and private sources too. We highly recommend that applicants applying for the funding below should also look externally for funding.

This year's funding opportunities are:

• Demand Research Centre
• Faculty Fees-only Studentships
• North West ESRC Doctoral Training Centre
• Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
• University funding pages
• Other Opportunities
• Further Information

Further studentships for Overseas and EU/UK applicants may become available later in the year. Any eligible applicant with a pending or accepted online application will be sent the details if they become available.

Demand Research Centre

The deadline for this application has now passed for 2013

Closing Date 30 April 2013

Funding available for a 1+3 MA/PhD studentship at Lancaster University related to the DEMAND research centre.

This is a brilliant opportunity to do a PhD on any topic related to the new DEMAND (Dynamics of Energy, Mobility and Demand) research centre co directed by Prof Elizabeth Shove and Prof Gordon Walker.

Applications are invited for a 1+3 MA/PHD studentship (based in Sociology), funded by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.  The studentship covers fees and provides an annual stipend of £13,726 per year, starting in October 2013.
The DEMAND centre is funded by the ESRC/EPSRC with support from ECLEER (EDF R&D), Transport for London and the International Energy Agency.

The Centre takes a distinctive approach to energy demand, recognising that energy is not used for its own sake but as part of accomplishing social practices at home, at work and in moving around. In essence the Centre focuses on what energy is for and on the social organisation and history of energy-demanding practices. This approach generates an ambitious research agenda that is crucial for organisations involved in demand management and in radically reconfiguring infrastructures, buildings and transport systems in line with greenhouse gas emissions targets. In focusing on how demand is made and met we examine changing patterns in mobility and building-related energy use.

A description of the DEMAND Centre’s research programme is available here.
We welcome proposals for PhD research that develops any aspect of this agenda and that is demonstrably relevant to the DEMAND centre’s ambition and approach. 

As well as completing the Standard University Application Process you will also need to provide a 4 page proposal setting out your research topic and approach and explaining how it relates to the DEMAND centre’s agenda.

Please submit these documents online, and send an email quoting your application number, name and current contact details, along with a copy of your 4 page research proposal, to Kate Wright,  before the closing date of 30 April. 

If you have any questions or queries, contact Kate Wright: Tel 01524 510842.

See the Demand Website for more details.

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Faculty Studentships (fees only)

The deadline for this application has now passed for 2013

Closing Date 13th May 2013

The department is able to offer the following fees-only studentships in October 2013:

• MA, Overseas students (x2)
• 1+3 (MA + PhD), UK/EU students

These studentships cover tuition fees, recipients will need to meet their general living expenses themselves. The studentships are available to full-time and part-time students.

FASS Studentship Application form 2013-14

To apply please return this application form via email to Sociology Postgraduate Admissions by 13th May 2013.

All applicants must already hold an offer of a place to study in the Sociology Department

The full terms and conditions are available to download here:

Faculty MA Studentship Terms & Conditions
Faculty 1+3 Studentship Terms & Conditions



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ESRC FUNDING (Department Deadline 28th January 2013)

1+3 or +3 funding: UK students eligible for full funding (fees and living expenses), EU students’ fees- only funding. EU students resident in the UK for the past 3 years may be eligible for full funding.

It is important that applicants inform Rachel Verrall of their intention to apply for ESRC funding as soon as possible. In order to allow the department to review applications and suggest improvements to make them as competitive as possible please can applicants submit their completed ESRC form to Rachel as soon as possible, by 4pm on 28th January at the latest. We will then contact you and suggest any improvements for you to resubmit the final form by the ESRC deadline of 4th Feburary.  

We are now accepting applications for ESRC 1+3 or +3 studentships within the Sociology Department. These studentships provide full funding (fees and living expenses) to cover one year of MA study and 3 years of PhD study at Lancaster (1+3).  EU students are only eligible for the fees funding, not full living expenses. On the 1+3 programme, students take the MA in Sociological Research, which prepares them for doctoral research. They then complete three years of PhD research, supervised within the Department. The studentships cover any area of the Sociology Department’s expertise, including Gender and Women’s Studies and Science and Technology Studies. For details of staff expertise please explore the research portal.

Studentships will be allocated within the ESRC Northwest Doctoral Training Centre scheme (DTC), and proposals must fit within one of the DTC’s pathways. Pathways which may be relevant to applicants on the PhD Sociology, or co-supervised in the Department include:

• Sociology
• Science Technology and Innovation
• Security, Conflict and Justice
• Social Anthropology
• Social Statistics

If you aren’t sure which pathway your research fits with please get in touch:  once we have your application we can help align your research proposal with the pathways.

 The application process:

• Applicants should initially contact Rachel Verrall (spgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk, 01524 594178) to register their interest in applying and request an application form. This application form must be submitted to Rachel by email by 28th January.
• Please forward Rachel a copy of your draft research proposal. The 2 page PhD proposal should outline the topic of the doctoral research, key research questions, and the proposed methodology. Prospective supervisors of applicants will help applicants shape this proposal. This proposal should be 2 sides of A4 in length (excluding references).
• Staff will help applicants identify suitable doctoral supervisors within the Department, however we encourage applicants to make contact with potential supervisors as soon as possible.
• Applicants for the studentships need to apply to the University via the online system http://www.postgraduate.lancs.ac.uk/Applying/Pages/applying.aspxThis can be a lengthy process, so candidates should start the application process as early as possible and applications should be submitted by 14th January 2013. Those applying for 1+3 must submit a 2013 MA application and a 2014 PhD application.

Further Information

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Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Studentships

The department is hoping to be able to offer AHRC studentships for MA and PhD students. Details will be available in early 2013.

The full AHRC awards for 2012/13 included a fee waiver and maintenance award of £13,590 (Doctoral) and £9,490 (Masters). Doctoral awards will be made for three years, subject to satisfactory progress. * Details of the provision and funding offered by the AHRC are available on the AHRC website.
* Subject to AHRC Spending Review update.
 (please see AHRC for information on student eligibility)
Eligibility:
UK and EU students resident in the UK for 3 years (full award)
EU students not resident in the UK for 3 years (fees only)

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University funding pages

For details of other departmental and university funding opportunities, please visit the University postgraduate funding web pages.

Please also see the University Postgraduate Funding Database powered by 'Postgraduate Studentships'

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Other opportunities

UK students

Information about funding opportunities for UK students, including Professional & Career Development Loans and Government Funding, is available from the Student Based Services website. These include:

• The Learning & Skills Council operates a Professional & Career Development Loans scheme. Applicants can borrow between £300 and £10,000 to support the cost of up to two years of learning (or three years if it includes one year's relevant unpaid practical work).
• Possible sources of Government Funding include Disabled Student's Allowance, Tax Credits, and (for UK part-time students) Government (state) benefits such as housing benefit, income support and council tax benefit.

International students

A number of funding opportunities are available for international students through the British Council, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the Department for International Development.

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Further Information

If you require further information about fees and funding, please contact Rachel Verrall at:

Sociology Postgraduate Admissions
Dept of Sociology
Lancaster University
Lancaster LA1 4YT

Tel: + 44 (0)1524 593148

E-mail: spgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

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