Postgraduate Funding

 

Opportunities for postgraduate study

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures (MLAC) at Durham University offers a number of funding opportunities at MA and PhD level, including AHRC Northern Bridge Doctoral Training Partnership (NBDTP), Barker Doctoral Scholarships in Modern European Languages, Durham-China Scholarships Council (CSC) Doctoral Studentships, The Sasakawa Japanese Studies Postgraduate Studentship Programme, and the Wolfson Postgraduate Scholarship in the Humanities.

The Wolfson Scholarship covers the full cost of the PhD, including a travel allowance. Applicants to the NBDTP competitions will automatically be entered into the Wolfson competition.

Please note that while we strive to keep the details on this page up to date, the information on the dedicated web pages for the individual funding schemes listed here takes precedence if there are any discrepancies. For a more complete list of funding opportunities and updated fees information, please see Durham University’s Postgraduate scholarships and bursaries and the Faculty of Arts Postgraduate funding pages.

For most of the funding schemes below, students should apply via the University’s online application system and state that they wish to be considered for one of the studentships or grants outlined below when the form asks them to indicate how they intend to fund their studies. Please take note of the different funding scheme deadlines. Although the deadlines for funding applications are usually in January, applicants are strongly encouraged to be in touch with their potential supervisors well in advance of these dates.

Funding opportunities for applicants to MA programmes

Read up-to-date information on Postgraduate Taught Scholarships.

Funding opportunities for applicants to PhD programmes

1.  AHRC Northern Bridge Doctoral Training Partnership

The Northern Bridge Consortium offers fully funded doctoral studentships to outstanding applicants across the full range of arts and humanities subjects and creative practice disciplines. International students as well as UK students are eligible to apply. Applicants are expected to demonstrate evidence of academic excellence at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, as well as evidence of sufficient research skills to undertake the project.

This generally means a first-class or good upper-second undergraduate degree and performance at or around distinction level in an MA degree. International students as well as UK students are eligible to apply. European Union applicants who have not been resident in the UK for the three years prior to the start of their studentship are eligible for a fees-only award from the AHRC (institutional funds permitting, maintenance awards may be offered to successful EU applicants).

Further enquiries

For more information see the Durham Northern Bridge AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership or Northern Bridge Consortium pages.

2.  Barker Doctoral Scholarships in Modern European Languages

The School of Modern Languages and Cultures intends to award one Barker Doctoral Scholarship to UK postgraduate researchers who demonstrate exceptional potential within the field of Modern European Languages for entry in October 2023.

Eligible languages areas will be French, German, Italian, Russian, and Hispanic Studies, as well as comparative projects that work across two or more of these fields. Projects should focus predominantly on literature and thought; those focused wholly or primarily on film and visual culture will not be eligible.

Benefits

Barker Doctoral Scholarships are tenable for a maximum of three years full-time or six years part-time, and offer the following financial support package:

• Full tuition fees at home/EU rates.
• An annual maintenance allowance at UKRI rates.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for candidates with the following:

• A first-class or very good 2:1 undergraduate degree.
• An MA (completed or in progress) in a relevant subject area at distinction or near-distinction level.
• An outstanding academic record and exceptional research potential.
• A high-quality research project that can be completed within a maximum of three years full-time or six years part-time.
• A clear and credible link between the proposed research and the expertise of the supervisory team.
• A clear understanding of how the project fits with the research environments in which it will be carried out (you may wish to comment here on the relevance of research groups, centres or institutes). 

Eligibility

Applicants from the UK and EU are eligible for Barker Doctoral Scholarships. Eligible Northern Bridge applicants at Durham will automatically be entered into the Barker Doctoral Scholarship competition as well.

To be eligible for a Barker Doctoral Scholarship, you must have applied to the MLAC PhD Programme for the 2022-23 academic year.

*Please note: the award cannot be deferred and it is assumed that successful candidates will start in October 2023.

How to apply

To apply for the Barker Doctoral Scholarship, you will need to complete Durham University’s online application form and to state that you wish to be considered for the Barker Doctoral Scholarship when the form asks you to indicate how you intend to fund your studies. If you have already submitted an application, please contact MLAC and inform us that you wish to be considered for Barker Doctoral Scholarship funding.

All applicants applying for the Barker Doctoral Scholarship need to include within the relevant section of the online application form a summary of the research project they plan to conduct. The proposal should not exceed 750 words in length and must set out the following:

• The research questions or problems that the research will address.
• The research context, i.e. the past and current research and scholarship in the field.
• Bearing in mind the research context, the contribution to knowledge and understanding the project will make to the field, and a clear statement of the intellectual significance of the proposed research.
• The approach/methodology that will be employed and an explanation of why it is the most appropriate approach for addressing the research questions/problems.
• The resources and facilities that will be used during the research project, where they are located, and how they will be accessed.

Selection process

MLAC will review your application and decide whether or not to recommend it for funding. Results will begin to be announced by the University’s Scholarships, Student Funding and Student Immigration Office by the end of April 2023. Successful candidates will be contacted in the first instance by email, and unsuccessful applicants will be advised of the outcome by MLAC.

 

3.  Durham-China Scholarships Council (CSC) Doctoral Studentships

Eligibility

• Applicants must be citizens and permanent residents of the People’s Republic of China at the time of application. This excludes Hong Kong and Macau.  Chinese citizens studying PGT programmes at overseas institutions are eligible, as long as their permanent address is in PR China.
• Applicants must hold an unconditional offer for a PhD programme at Durham, including English language requirements by the time of application to the CSC.
• Successful candidates are required to return home upon completion of their studies.
• Students who have already commenced their doctoral degree at Durham are not eligible.

Selection criteria

• The economic and societal impact of the research will be taken into account when selecting nominees.
• Research proposals should be detailed, showing a clear timeline structured for completion in three years.

How to apply

To apply for the Durham-CSC Doctoral Studentship, you will need to complete the form on Durham University’s Postgraduate Applicant Portal and apply for postgraduate study.  Please state that you wish to be considered for the Durham-CSC Doctoral Studentship when the form asks you to indicate how you intend to fund your studies. If you have already submitted an application, please contact MLAC and inform us that you wish to be considered for Durham-CSC Doctoral Studentship funding.

Selection process

MLAC and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities will review your application and decide whether or not to recommend it for funding by the CSC. Results will begin to be announced by the University’s Scholarships, Student Funding and Student Immigration Office.

Further enquiries

More information is available from the Chinese Scholarships Council scholarships.

4. The Sasakawa Japanese Studies Postgraduate Studentship Programme

The Programme is designed to support the development of the study of Japan in the UK. Launched and administered by the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, the Programme provides Durham University with up to three postgraduate studentships per year, each worth £10,000.

Eligibility

The Sasakawa Studentship is open to all disciplines whose main focus includes Japan. The grants are by no means limited to the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and students working on Japan-related matters in the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Social Science and Health, and the Business School are also eligible for MA/MSc and PhD nominations. The studentship is meant to be for one-year, but PhD students can re-apply for up to three years during their doctorate.

How to apply

Durham University has its own internal deadline, typically in early March. Expressions of interest should be submitted in advance to the coordinator for this programme, Dr Dario Lolli.

Selection process

Following an internal selection, the three most promising nominations will be submitted to the Sasakawa Foundation on behalf of the applicants.

Further enquiries

For further enquiries about this programme, please contact:

Dr Dario Lolli, Assistant Professor in Japanese and Visual Culture
School of Modern Languages and Cultures, Elvet Riverside, New Elvet, Durham DH1 3JT.
Tel: +44 (0) 191 334 4349. e-mail: [email protected]