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Funding for Research Degrees

This year's competition entries are now closed, but details of future opportunities will be posted in due course. The following schemes can be used as a guide to show what funding may be available.

PhD – competition for funded studentships, 2021 entry

We offer fully-funded PhDs using the below schemes:

  • Durham Doctoral Studentships (DDS) – deadline January 8th 2021. Open to all, including international students.
  • Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) scholarships – deadline January 8th Open to citizens of China.

Please see information on eligibility, funding available, and how to apply.

In addition, we put forward applications to:

  • The ESRC NINE DTP(includes 1+3 funding, Masters+PhD) – deadline January 22nd 2021
  • The “1+3” (Masters + PhD) route includes a year of Masters Training in Research Methods. Within the NINE DTP Psychology pathway, this is fulfilled by the MA (Research Methods) in Developmental Psychologyat Durham. The subsequent PhD need not necessarily be specifically in Developmental Psychology, but there should be a relevant link between the Masters training and the PhD.
  • Students who have a Masters degree, but not one of the ~19 ESRC-recognised Masters in Research Methods courses, may apply for “+3.5” funding. This includes 60 credits in taught Postgraduate Research Methods modules in the first year.
  • Students with an ESRC-recognised Masters may apply for “+3 funding”

Scheme information: NINE DTP

The initial deadline is January 22nd 2021. There is detailed information on the application and which documents to include at the NINE DTP website. There is information on the timeline for applications online here.

Some distinctive aspects of this scheme:

All queries about eligibility and other details should be directed to NINE DTP who run the competition and set the criteria for entry.

How to apply

  • Please follow the Department’s procedure here, making sure to include all the documents required by NINE DTP.
  • Unlike other schemes, the proposal length is 2,000 words maximum (equivalent to ~3 sides of A4). Students wishing to be considered for other schemes as well as NINE DTP should include both a longer and a shorter version of their proposal.
  • If applying for 1+3 study, in the online application please select “Research Degree” (not “MA Research Methods” or “PhD”). When prompted to complete the fees and finance section, select ‘other’, and enter “NINEDTP 1+3” in the free text.
  • If applying for +3 study, select “PhD” and for fees and finance select ‘other’, and enter “NINEDTP +3” in the free text.
  • In all cases, please discuss and coordinate your application with the Psychology postgraduate office.