- Awards are for part-time or full-time study.
- Duration of awards will typically be for four years study.
- Awards may be used to support Home or Overseas applicants. The Fee and stipend award comprises:
- Tuition Fee Waiver of the Home fee rate
- Stipend (for living expenses) equivalent to the Research Council's UK minimum payment
- Training Support Fee (TSF) of £1,000 per year, in years two to four only - to fund miscellaneous costs such as travel to conferences and fieldwork expenses
- All students receiving awards are normally expected to commence study at the start of the academic year (that is, October). Awards cannot be deferred to the following academic year. That is, they have to be used for the years that they have been awarded.
- All students receiving awards are expected to follow Reg.16.5 (i) Attendance Requirements. Specifically, for Full-time PhD candidates “The programme of research shall be pursued in the University, except for any period which may, with the approval of the Board of Studies, be spent at any establishment or institution outside the University which has been approved by Senate for this purpose.”
- If a student suspends their study for a period of time (ref. Regulation 16.1 (d), including specific criteria for suspension) then the funding will be suspended for this period. If a student withdraws, the remaining value of the studentship must be refunded to the University.
- Continuation of the award for the duration of the programme is dependent on the student satisfactorily meeting any progression and reporting requirements, and satisfactorily meeting teaching requirements throughout the period of study, fulfilling all such requirements as may be in force within the Department (see postgraduate handbook).
- If a student completes their studies and submits a doctoral thesis before the end of the studentship, the date of submission normally becomes the funding end date.
- Successful applicants are required to contribute annually up to 133 teaching hours in years 2, 3 and 4.
Graduate Research Scholars are expected to serve as Teaching Assistants. The responsibilities of Teaching Assistants include tasks such as: teaching tutorials, marking, providing feedback, answering questions, facilitating seminars, etc. Unit conveners must retain responsibility for the provision of suitable teaching materials and guidance to Teaching Assistants. Teaching Assistants are required to:
- Undertake compulsory teaching training prior to the commencement of teaching activity. For details of courses available please refer to the Director of Studies for your Department and to the Doctoral Skills Programme. Graduate Research Scholars are encouraged to follow the UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF) and apply for an AdvanceHE Fellowship (FHEA).
- Contribute annually up to 400 workload hours during the 2nd, 3rd and 4th years of their GRS tenure. Workload hours may include a maximum of 133 contact hours per year (1 contact hour equals 2 workload hours to allow for out-of-contact preparation and student support) or a combination of a number of contact hours and marking of assignments (marking of 1 assignment equals 0.25 Unit Credits multiplied by the Number of Students). GRS students could therefore have a workload with 100 contact hours (that is, 300 workload hours) and 100 assignments to be marked (that is, 100 workload hours). Please note that the marking allocation applies for the marking of all assignments in a course. If marking is just for part of the coursework, then the allowance should be applied on a pro-rata basis, based on the relative weight of the coursework in question. For example, for a marked essay that accounts for 30% of the final grade, the allowance would be 0.3 per essay.
Overseas students with a Student Visa must ensure that they are meeting the working conditions attached to their visa. More information can be found on the Working with your student or tier 4 visa page.
Owner: Doctoral Admissions
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Date of last review: 27 February 2023