January 2010

AHRC Funding for doctoral and masters programmes

(Arts and Humanities Research Council)

Guidance on applying for awards under the Studentship Competition

for 2010-11

Please read the AHRC guidelines for the Studentship Competitionat

The following information applies to:

Doctoral Scheme

Research Preparation Master’s Scheme (not currently available in Law)

Professional Preparation Master’s Scheme (not currently available in Law)

Students can only apply for an AHRC studentship under one of the AHRC’s competitions. This document concerns the Studentship Competition.

See also Postgraduate Funding Opportunities FAQs (currently not updated to 2010 but guidelines have not changed)

The number of awards which the University can apply for is capped. We therefore have to conduct a selection process before applications are submitted to the AHRC (see details of requirements and deadlines below).

WHAT can I apply for?

A full studentship award: A full award covers the cost of approved tuition fees and provides a maintenance grant.

A fees-only studentship award: A fees-only award covers the cost of approved tuition fees, but nomaintenance grant is provided.

In order to be eligible for one of these studentship awards, a student must meet certain criteria relating to residence. These criteria are set out in the AHRC document Guide to Student Eligibility.

What is the first step? (University of Surrey selection process)

In order to help us meet the AHRC’s submission deadline (6 May 2010, 4 p.m.), you need to do the following:

  • Check your eligibility.

If you are certain that you are eligible to apply, please:

  • complete the form at the end of this document and return to the contact email address shown below by Wednesday 24th March 2010 using the subject line: AHRC Studentship Competition;
  • contact your referees and ask them to submit their references to the University of Surrey using the same email address and subject line, also by Wednesday 24th March 2010. Please refer your referees to the guidelines in the Studentship Competition Guide and Annex 1 of this document

The University of Surrey form includes your case for support – see Studentship Competition Guide– and details of your previous qualifications.

In addition, you must submit an application to the University of Surrey and be awarded a place on your chosen degree programme, as the AHRC requires that you must have been accepted to undertake the programme for which you are seeking funding before the AHRC application is submitted electronically to the AHRC in May. You do not need to have been formally offered a place on your chosen Surrey programme before submitting your studentship application to Surrey for the shortlisting process.

  • In order to submit your programme application for Law, please visit the LawSchoolwebsite at for details of programme eligibility and a link to the online application form.
  • The deadline for this is one week earlier: 19th March 2010.

****We regret that late applications cannot be accepted.*****

What happens next?

You will be notified of our decision week commencing 19th April, i.e. we will let you know whether your application has been short-listed for submission to the AHRC under Surrey’s quota in the Studentship Competition. Further details about the subsequent on-line application process can be found in the AHRC document Studentship Competition Guide. Deadlines for the various stages of the on-line application process will be communicated to those shortlisted. We regret that we are unable to provide individual feedback on applications. Final results will be communicated by the AHRC by 6th August 2010.

To-do Summary:

  1. Check your eligibility.
  2. Complete an application form for your chosen programme and submit to the University of Surrey Registry as instructed on-line or by post to arrive by 19th March 2010.
  3. Contact your referees and ask them to supply your references by email attachment to by 24th March 2010.
  4. Complete the Surrey application form for the studentship at the end of this document and submit by email attachment to by 24th March 2010.

/ Please submit this form electronically by email attachment to the address given below

Application to be considered for an AHRC Studentship under the Studentship Competition (for 2010-11)

Family Name/s: ……………………………………………………………………

First Name: …………………………………………………………………………

Postal address: ………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………..

E-mail: …………………………………………………………………………………

Telephone: …………………………………………………………………………….

Which AHRC scheme?

I am applying for (please delete as appropriate):

Doctoral Scheme

Which type of award? (please delete as appropriate)

Full studentship award

Fees-only studentship award

Which Department/School at the University of Surrey? (please delete as appropriate)

School of Law (contact:)

Which programme? (please supply the programme title)

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Case for support (the AHRC stipulates that this must be typed in no less than 11pt Arial typescript or equivalent and be no longer than one side of A4)

Previous qualifications:

University / institution / Subject/title / Start and end date / Qualification (to be) obtained (e.g. BA (Hons), MA, etc. / Class/result if completed; interim results where final award has not yet been made

Checklist:

  • I have read the AHRC Guide to Student Eligibilityandcan confirm that I meet the residency criteria if applying for a full award. I understand that I may be asked by the University for evidence in support of this.
  • I am not applying elsewhere under the Studentship Competition or the Block Grant Competition.
  • I have asked my referees to submit their references electronically to the University of Surrey by 24th March 2010 and alerted them to the criteria as set out in the AHRC document Studentship Competition (in particular Annex B).
  • I have completed the Case for Support and listed my qualifications, which I understand will need to be supported by original certificates and/or transcripts in due course.
  • I have applied by 19th March 2010 to the University of Surrey for the programme for which I am seeking AHRC funding.

I have read the checklist: and confirm that I meet all the necessary conditions (please type your name here):

………………………………………………………………………………………….

ANNEX 1: References – extracts from Guidelines

References

33. Students must select two referees and ensure that the referees send their references to the JeS Approver / Submitter at the student’s RO in good time for them to upload the reference to the student’s proposal form in JeS.

34. References should be typed in no less than 11pt Arial typescript (or equivalent) and be no longer than one side of A4.

35. The assessors are asking for a realistic assessment of the student’s abilities and, importantly how well prepared they are to undertake the programme of work or course of study. Using examples to illustrate the quality of the student’s performance greatly assists the assessors in distinguishing between the many high calibre students who apply for awards. References that do not provide a detailed appraisal of the student’s academic development and suitability for his/her proposed study, but are simply a general statement of support, may disadvantage even the strongest student.

36. Academic referees are asked to draw on their experience of the student’s work as a whole, not just on individual modules or courses.

37. Professional referees should state how long the applicant has worked with them and in what capacity. They should detail the type and range of duties that were performed, and how this may have prepared the student for the proposed study.

38. Referees should bear in mind the assessment criteria for the relevant scheme outlined in Annex E of this guide when completing their reference. They should also note the aims of the individual schemes outlined in the AHRC’s Guide to Student Eligibility.

39. Referees should state their name and their relationship to the student and then comment under the headings outlined in Annex B.

Reference Headings (Annex B)

88. Each reference must be typed in no less than 11pt Arial typescript (or equivalent) and be no longer than 1 side of A4. The AHRC reserves the right to reject applications which exceed this limit.

Previous Performance

89. Please note that now the AHRC no longer requests separate forms for information about degree results, the assessors are heavily reliant on the information and comments provided by referees and the RO.

90. Referees should provide a realistic appraisal of the student’s abilities based on their assessment of his/her academic and, where relevant, professional performance to date. Comments should be included on the student’s overall performance in his/her degree(s) and his/her performance on individual modules or courses. Where appropriate, referees should draw on the comments of external examiners or other external contacts. Where the student has a joint degree, performance in both disciplines should be included. For assessment purposes it is important that all marks are given and not only the ones related to the subjects applied for.

91. The assessors are interested in such qualities as the student’s conceptual ability, ability to solve problems, independence of mind, potential to develop innovative methods, communication skills, organisational abilities and, where relevant, his/her practical or technical capabilities. Referees should give examples to illustrate their comments.

92. Professional referees should draw on their experience of the student’s work to give an appraisal of his/her professional performance to date. They should highlight the student’s strengths in the area in which he/she plans to study and note any weaknesses the student may have. Referees should give examples to illustrate their comments.

93. Where a degree(s) has already been awarded the referee should include the actual degree result(s) attained by the student.

94. Where the degree has not already been awarded, the referee should provide a forecast of the likely degree result. If the referee is permitted to do so, they should also include details of any formal assessments of the student’s work to date. This is important information for the assessors.

Preparedness for Masters or doctoral study

95. The assessors need to know how well prepared the student is for Master’s or doctoral level study (as appropriate to the scheme applied for) and whether he/she can bring it to completion.

96. Referees should provide an assessment of the suitability of the course or project, the student’s potential to complete the course or project successfully, and his/her motivation or commitment. Referees should say how the proposed course or project relates to the student’s academic and professional experience to date, and to his/her future plans, specifically for continuing in professional practice for the PPM scheme and further research at doctoral level or a career in research in the higher education sector for the RPM scheme. They should make their comments in the context of the proposed course of study or programme of work, as the assessors will be looking at the student’s preparedness for the course or project, not just at his/her abilities. Referees may wish to address questions such as how the student has developed and improved during his/her undergraduate and/or postgraduate career.

97. Referees should comment on factors such as the student’s intellectual, professional, practical or technical ability; conceptual ability; problem-solving skills; capacity for independent thought; potential for innovation; organisational skills; communication skills; and the student’s ability compared to other relevant groups or individuals of which the referee has experience.

98. In the Doctoral Scheme, if the student has commenced his/her doctoral study, referees should include details of his/her progress to date. They should give an assessment of the student’s progress and say on what basis this assessment has been made. For example, there may have been formal monitoring or a review of the student’s work upon which they can draw.

99. In the Doctoral Scheme, if the student has already studied at postgraduate level, referees should give examples of how this study has prepared the student to undertake doctoral research. If the student has no experience at postgraduate level, referees should comment on his/her preparedness to move directly to doctoral research without an initial year of

Master’s-level training.

100. Professional referees should also comment on the student’s professional commitment, motivation and potential. It would be helpful to say how the professional experience the student has gained has built on his/her academic studies, and how it will prepare him/her to pursue his/her research and meet his/her long-term career aims.

101. If it is likely that the assessors will be unfamiliar with the research or professional environment to which a referee’s comments refer, referees should ensure that they provide sufficient background to enable the assessors to place their comments in context.

102. It would also help the assessors if referees could mention any additional training that the student will need in order to successfully complete his/her doctoral studies. Are there particular aspects of the course or proposed project of which the student has had no, or little, experience? For example, the student may require language training in order to work on original source material, or IT training to access particular datasets.

Constructive observations about training needs will not disadvantage the student since the acquisition of new skills is an important part of a doctoral student’s training and development.

103. Under the Freedom of Information Act, the student may wish to see a copy of the reference. Referees should clearly state if they do not wish their reference to be disclosed.

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