CHSS/P&R/46/20a
College of Humanities and Social Science
Planning and Resources Committee
25 January 2010
Principal’s Career Development PhD Scholarships
The University has designed an innovative Career Development PhD Scholarship
Scheme offering an integrated package of training and development for postgraduate
research students during their time at the University. These awards are tailored to enable
students to develop the necessary skills required to meet their career choices, and offer
them a breadth of development opportunities to enhance their research, teaching and
transferable skills. In developing the scheme, professional advice has been obtained from
the University’s legal advisers to confirm that it is compliant with prevailing tax
regulations. Students accepting a Career Development PhD Scholarship will sign a
document detailing terms and conditions, but will not hold a contract of employment with
the University.
These scholarships will be awarded to PhD students who are accepted for admission on a
full-time basis in the 2010-2011 and 2011-12 academic sessions. The scheme is open to
top-quality PhD students from any country, aiming to undertake research in any
discipline offered by the University. Awards are for a fixed term of three years.
The University has agreed to allocate a total of £3 Million from central funds, over 4
years, to allow for the admission of two cohorts of approximately 55 students each. This
funding should be matched by Colleges and Schools, so that each scholarship will be
50% funded from central funds, and 50% by Colleges / Schools. The College / School
contribution reflects the requirement that every student within the scheme will make an
agreed contribution to the School as a condition of the studentship. While this
contribution will often involve teaching, this is not the only possibility, and a career
development contribution might equally involve research (e.g. assistance with an
academic colleague’s research project, or editorial assistance for a journal), professional
placements, or other personal development opportunities which are also of help to the
School concerned.
The value of the scholarships awarded will vary depending on the level of fees due and
whether the scholar has secured any other external funding. Awards will however fall
under two main categories:
Standard Award: Home rate of PhD tuition fee and stipend; and
Stipend only Award: Stipend
CHSS/P&R/46/20a
Estimated UK/EU rate of tuition fee and level of stipend would be as follows:
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2013-2014
UK/EU Tuition Fee £3,500
£3,600
£3,700
Stipend
£13,500
£14,000
£14,500
Total
£17,000
£17,600
£18,200
£3,800
£15,000
£18,800
Based on the above figures, and taking into account that each award will be split equally
between central funds and local funding, this means that for each standard award, the
Scholarships Office and Colleges/Schools will both contribute:
Funding
2010-2011
£8,500
2011-2012
£8,800
2012-2013
£9,100
2013-2014
£9,400
It is proposed that the £3 Million allocated from central funds will be spent over 4 years,
as shown below, funding two cohorts of PhD students. For each award, the Scholarships
Office will pay the tuition fee, and will then release the balance of the half award to the
relevant School or College.
2010 Cohort
2011 Cohort
Total
2010-2011
£484,500
£484,500
2011-2012
£501,600
£484,000
£985,600
2012-2013
£518,700
£500,500
£1,019,200
2013-2014
£517,000
£517,000
The above breakdown assumes that all awards will be standard and totals £3,006,300. As
we are expecting that a few awards will be stipend only, the Scholarships Office will
ensure that total expenditure for this scheme remains within the £3M budget. There will
be a central application form for these studentships, and a single deadline across the
University. Overseas students applying for a Career Development PhD Scholarship may
also choose to apply for a SORSAS or University award which could contribute the
difference between the home/EU and overseas fee rates.
Based on the numbers of full-time PhD students as of 31 July 2009, each College would
be able to make the following number of standard awards:
2010 Cohort (57)
2011 Cohort (55)
Total
CHSS
22
21
43
CSCE
25
24
49
CMVM
10
10
20
Colleges will make decisions on the allocation of these scholarships; ideally, this would
involve development of a prioritised list for the whole College. Colleges may also wish to
award a larger number of half-studentships, each consisting of the full home tuition fee
and a stipend of £5000 (in year 1). However, if a College has not allocated its
scholarships by a date to be agreed, these might be reallocated to other Colleges.
CHSS/P&R/46/20a
Furthermore, while Schools and Colleges would select scholars, the nature of this scheme
means there are certain essential conditions:
Matched funding as detailed above
An element of contribution to the student’s career development and to the School, backed
up by appropriate training
Achievement of 7.5 in IELTS, or equivalent
Schools are strongly recommended to interview short-listed candidates, whether in
person or remotely. Applicants will be short-listed on the basis of their academic
achievements and potential, and the appropriateness, innovation and feasibility of their
research proposal; in other words, those under consideration for a scholarship will be
outstanding on the usual criteria for research degrees. However, scholars will be selected
on the basis of their suitability for the particular career development contribution the
School envisages.
For most Career Development PhD Scholarships, the expectation will be of some
involvement in teaching, so there is merit in working through an example of a scholarship
involving a teaching contribution (though as noted above, this is by no means the only
possibility). In such cases, we anticipate that students will be required to teach for up to 6
hours per week, or 180 hours per year, with associated additional tasks such as marking.
However, the expectations, roles and responsibilities of these students will vary between
Schools and sometimes even between subject areas within Schools, depending on the
requirements of teaching in those disciplines. For instance, if a student in a small subject
area has to give a wider variety of tutorials, the number of contact hours might be fewer,
since the amount of preparation would be greater. Furthermore, an element of further
development is anticipated within the period of the scholarship, so that students might
mainly give first year tutorials in year 1, first and second year tutorials in year 2, but also
one or two lectures in their specialist area, and perhaps some mentoring and training for
new scholars, in year 3. The annual increase of stipend projected above reflects this
expectation of development. If a College chooses to give some half studentships, there
would correspondingly be a more restricted career development contribution for these
students (perhaps two thirds rather than half of the projected hours for teaching
commitments, as most scholars will be giving more than one tutorial each week on the
same topic). The provision of training as an integral part of each scholarship award will
enhance both the student’s personal and career development, and quality control for
tutors and demonstrators, hence also improving the undergraduate student experience.
While Career Development Scholars would have their research progress assessed in
exactly the same way as any other PhD student, their progress in teaching would also be
monitored. If their research progress was good, but their teaching was deemed
unsatisfactory, they would be transferred to another development role within the School,
for instance in research. Such changes would need to be approved by the relevant College
committee.
CHSS/P&R/46/20a
The Career Development PhD Scholarship scheme will be monitored by the Scholarships
Office, with a light-touch review in spring 2011 to inform the admission of the second
cohort, and a full review during year 3. Continuation will depend on the success of the
scheme and the University’s financial situation at that time. Governance and Strategic
Planning will also investigate ways of collecting data on career destinations for these
students, to assess the influence of the scheme in terms of employability. To allow for
publicity for the scheme, and to maximise benefit, Schools and Colleges will be required
to submit annual information on the particular career development contribution and
training provision made for each scholar.
April McMahon (Vice Principal Planning, Resources and Research Policy)
Sheila Gupta (Director of HR)
Robert Lawrie (Head of Scholarships and Student Finance)
Alexis Cornish (Director of Planning and Deputy Secretary)
20 January 2010