ESRC 1+3 STUDENTSHIPS 2016-17
Case for Support
Please complete this form and email to esrcstudentship@kcl.ac.uk by the deadline of 17:00
GMT, 29 January 2016. Please read in conjunction with guidance provided at
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/fees-and-funding/student-funding/postgraduateresearch-funding/economic-and-social-research-council-studentships.aspx
Your details
Name:
Surname / Family name
First name(s)
DD/MM/YYYY
King’s Student ID
# (where known)
Email:
Date of birth:
The degree programme you are applying for
Department / Division
Masters degree title
Name of prospective supervisor(s)
Summary of Academic Qualifications (university/higher education degrees held or currently being studied for)
University & Department
Subject(s) studied
Number
of years
studied
Other awards, prizes, achievements and/or professional qualifications
Qualification,
professional
experience etc
Date
Institution
Description
Work Experience
Position
Organisation
Dates of Employment
Description
Type of
degree e.g
BSc, MA
Class/grade Dates of
of degree,
study (To
(i.e. GPA)
– From)
Research Council Eligibility
Have you previously received
Research Council funding?
Yes
No
If yes, please state which Research
Council and for how long
a) ESRC Subject Area Code: please state which code best describes your research. For a listing
of the 3 or 4 letter abbreviations, see http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/fees-andfunding/student-funding/postgraduate-research-funding/economic-and-social-research-councilstudentships.aspx
b) KISS-DTC Research Theme (from 1-15): please state which Theme your research
is most closely associated with. For a listing of these see:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/graduate-school/doctoral-training-centre/researchthemes/index.aspx
Potential for collaboration with non-academic organisations
If you think that your research could be relevant beyond the academy, please describe the ways in which it might
engage with non-academic organisations. You may leave this section blank if you have not yet had a chance to
consider external collaboration, or do not believe this to be applicable to your proposed research (max 200 words)
Advanced Quantitative Methods Training
Will your research use quantitative methods that are regarded as advanced within your subject
specialism? (Delete as appropriate)
YES NO
If yes, please identify
the methods and their
contribution to your
project (max 100
words)
Linguistic proficiency
Will your research require proficiency in a foreign language? (Delete as appropriate)
If yes, please outline
your competency in
this language, and
identify any training
needs (max 100 words)
YES
NO
Proposed research
Please describe the research topic you are would like to pursue for your PhD, and explain why you are interested in this
area of research. As your research interests will develop further over the year of your Masters training, your answer need
only be indicative. We are not looking for a full research proposal at this stage, only some indication of your probable
PhD research area. It is essential that you should discuss your topic with your potential/chosen supervisor or
department/division when you are drafting this section of the application.
With regard to your chosen Masters degree, please explain how your intended degree programme will prepare you for
doctoral study. As far as possible, also include details of the modules/pathways you intend to follow and their potential
contribution to your likely doctoral project.
This section must not exceed 2 pages (size 11 Times New Roman, single spacing, using the existing margins) plus 1
page of references. If you exceed this limit, you may be penalized.
TO BE COMPLETED BY THE PROSPECTIVE SUPERVISOR:
This section should be completed by the prospective supervisor and submitted separately to esrcstudentship@kcl.ac.uk by
the deadline of 5pm, Friday 29 January 2016.
It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that your prospective supervisor completes and submits this section of the form
by the stated deadline. Late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted.
Name of student:
Specification of Foundation Methods Training
In addition to developing expertise in their subject specialism, the ESRC insists that funded students should receive a
well-rounded methods training that extends beyond the methods that are central to their specialist doctoral projects. It is
impossible to provide a definitive list of social science perspectives and methods, but students should develop a basic
understanding of a significant proportion of the methods such as the following:




Theory & epistemology: Positivism, Experiments, Interpretivism,
Feminism, Post-colonial critique, Marxism, Post-structuralism, Ethnography, Ethno-methodology, Case study, Policy
oriented, Action research, Mixed methods
Qualitative methods: Archival methods, E-resources and social media,
Auto/biography (including life histories), Interviews, Focus groups, Participant observation, Content analysis,
Narrative methods, Visual methods, Discourse analysis, Conversation analysis
Quantitative methods: Quantitative research design, Sampling,
Questionnaire design, Descriptive statistics, Probability, Data manipulation & handling, Non-parametric statistics,
Basic inferential statistics, Analysis of variance, Linear regression with a continuous DV
Software: SPSS, Stata, NUD*IST, NVivo etc
(the ESRC’s 2005 Postgraduate Training Guidelines contain the fullest specification of the coverage they expect –
see http://www.esrc.ac.uk/_images/Postgraduate_Training_Guidelines_2005_tcm8-4449.pdf.)
Please use this section to map out the Foundation Methods training for this candidate. The plan may extend beyond their
Masters programme into their first year of doctoral study, and can be flexibly organised in a combination of designated
methods modules, methodological units or strands within subject specialist modules, KISS-DTC short courses (see
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/graduate-school/doctoral-training-centre/training/index.aspx ) or training provided by other
institutions. But if a broad, clear and coherent methods training plan is not provided, the candidate will not be considered
eligible for a Studentship.
Course, module or work-based
training title
Department, centre or
institution
Detailed description (specific methods covered; credits
and/or number of hours; forms of assessment where
relevant)
Details of research potential
Supporting statement from supervisor(s) on nominee’s research potential (maximum 200 words)
Please provide information regarding your ranking of this student relative to any other prospective ESRC candidates who
would be under your supervision, and your assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate’s proposed
project.
Completed by:
Name of supervisor(s):
Position of supervisor(s):
Declaration
By submitting this form:
~ I understand that my application for funding is valid only if all required information is provided by the set deadline, which includes:
an ESRC Studentship Case for Support form emailed to esrcstudentship@kcl.ac.uk and a completed online admissions application
supported with academic transcripts and references submitted online, as required. I understand that if the information is not submitted
my application for funding will not be considered.
~ I give permission for the Graduate School to obtain copies of my academic transcripts and references from my admissions
application, submitted with my admissions application.
Data Protection
By submitting this form, you agree that King’s College London can process your information and keep a copy of your form to collect
statistics and detect and prevent fraud. The Data Protection Act allows you to ask us for a copy of all the information we have about
your application.