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Registry

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Studentships

Deadline: 27 February 2012

The School of Oriental and African Studies has been awarded accreditation as a Doctoral Training Centre in partnership with Birkbeck, the Institute of Education and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The Bloomsbury Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) is accredited by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) - one of only 21 such centres across the UK.

ESRC Studentships are available in the following pathways for entry in September 2012:

  1. Anthropology
  2. International Development
  3. Politics and International Studies

Pathways: Anthropology

Structures: 1+3, +3, 2+3 (FT/PT)
Number of Studentships: 2

The Anthropology pathway may be pursued within 1+3, +3, 2+3 structures. 

The 1+3 (MARes +MPhil/PhD) structure begins with the well-established, ESRC-recognised MA in Anthropological Research Methods (MARes), a one-year full-time (two year part-time) Masters programme providing a thorough grounding in core research methods and core subject specific training in anthropology.

The 2+3 (MARes and Nepali + MPhil/PhD) structure will begin with the MA Anthropological Research Methods (MARes) with Nepali, a two-year full-time Masters programme combining the content of the existing MARes with a course of intensive language acquisition.

All details about the structure of the MARes and MPhil/PhD programmes and respective application process can be found at:

Pathways: International Development

Structures: 1+3 ,+3 (FT/PT)
Number of Studentships: 2

The International Development pathway is coordinated by the SOAS Departments of Economics and Development Studies and involves the joint-endeavor of SOAS, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the Institute of Education (IoE), as well as the London International Development Centre (LIDC). 

The SOAS Departments of Economics and Development Studies together form an internationally leading home for the study of the global processes of socio-economic development and change. They contain an unrivalled concentration of regional expertise on Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. They are distinctive in their long-established commitment to coverage in teaching of mainstream analytical approaches and especially to more heterodox approaches to development and economics.

The SOAS Department of Economics is one of the world's leading departments specialising in the economics of development and growth. The Department has one of the largest concentrations of development economists in the country and attracts external research funding from international development agencies. Research is pursued on a variety of topics and is unique in its depth and range of regional coverage of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. A special feature of the Department is the orientation to Political Economy and heterodox approaches to Economics. In addition, the Department has strength in micro and macroeconomic theory and considerable expertise in applied econometrics. Over 60% of the departments research publications were rated as world leading or internationally excellent in the 2008 RAE.

The SOAS Department of Development Studies draws heavily on the core disciplines of Political Economy, Anthropology, Politics, and Sociology but has developed its own disciplinary focus. Members of staff attract research funding from national and international research funding and development agencies and many staff have worked with UN agencies, national governments, trade unions, and NGOs.

Two studentships are available. The International Development pathway may be pursued within the 1+3 (MSc + MPhil/PhD) or the +3 (MPhil/PhD) structure. Students following the 1+3 structure will take the newly-established interdisciplinary MSc in Research for International Development. This is a research methods focused Taught Masters programme, preparing for PhD study. The 1+3 structure is specific to SOAS, which runs the MSc in Research for International Development.

Students may follow the Phd pathway in International Development by being based at either SOAS, LSHTM or IoE.  All Phd students on the International Development pathway will attend an advanced research training seminar run by LIDC. The series will provide students in the ESRC Doctoral Training Centre’s International Development Pathway with a broad understanding of interdisciplinary approaches to development, and a detailed understanding of selected areas of interest.    

Details about the structure of the MSc and MPhil/PhD in International Development programmes can be found at:

• MSc Research for International Development

• MPhil/PhD in International Development

Pathways: Politics and International Studies

Structures: 1+3 (with MRes component at Birkbeck) +3 (FT/PT SOAS and Birkbeck)
Number of studentships: 2 shared between SOAS and Birkbeck

The Department of Politics and International Studies at SOAS is a member of the Politics and International Studies cluster of the Bloomsbury Doctoral Training Centre (DTC). 

The Politics and International Studies cluster shares two studentships between the Department of Politics and International Studies at SOAS and the Department of Politics at Birkbeck; both awards are made on the basis of merit with the possibility that, in a given year, both may go to either SOAS or Birkbeck.  Applicants should apply directly through ONE of the two departments, based on their research interests. Both departments offer the +3 pathway, and successful applicants who are required to complete the 1+3 pathway will complete the first-year MRes component at Birkbeck. 

The Department of Politics and International Studies at SOAS has strengths in international relations, comparative politics, political theory and area studies, with regional expertise on China, Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, Africa and East Asia. It has research clusters in the areas of comparative political thought, transitional justice, social movements and resistance, Islamic political thought, multiculturalism, and International Relations theory. Birkbeck has a strong research presence in political science and public policy, as well as political theory, international studies and quantitative methods.

Applicants should follow the procedures for the Department where their potential supervisor. For more information, please see the websites of the respective departments:

SOAS Department of Politics and International Studies

Birkbeck Department of Politics: www.bbk.ac.uk/politics/

All details about the structure of the MPhil/PhD programmes and respective application process can be found at Research Degrees: Politics and International Studies

Duration of study

  • The awards are available on a full or part-time basis:
    ‘1+3’ study will involve one-year full-time or two-years part-time study on one of our research training Masters programmes (e.g. the MA Anthropological Research Methods, MRes Politics at Birkbeck, etc), followed by three years of full-time (or five years’ part-time) research leading to award of the PhD.
  • ‘+3’ study involves immediate entry to three years of full-time or five years of part-time PhD research and assumes and assumes that a student has already met the majority of the core training requirements or the PhD focus is largely on more advanced training.
  • ‘2+3’ study will involve two years full-time on one of our research training Masters programmes (e.g. the MA Anthropological Research Methods with Nepali), followed by three years of full-time (or five years’ part-time) research leading to award of the PhD.

Who can apply?

Candidates for a ‘1+3’ and ‘2+3’  award must possess an upper second class honours degree or higher from a recognised university or the equivalent. Candidates applying for a ‘+3’ award must have successfully completed an appropriate research training Master’s degree which meets the ESRC Training Guidelines  

The studentships are open to applicants who meet the residency requirements and are eligible to pay fees at the Home/EU rate. EU nationals who do not meet the residency requirements will qualify for support for fees only.

Financial support

ESRC studentships pay tuition fees, plus an annual maintenance stipend: currently £15,590 for study in London. Each studentship also provides a Research Support Grant of up to £750 per year for each of the three years of PhD study.

Application procedure & deadlines

  • If you wish to be considered for an ESRC studentship, we ask you to make a complete application for entry to SOAS as soon as possible but no later than the 27 February 2012.   This can be done via the postgraduate application system. You will need to attach a covering letter stating that you wish to be considered for an ESRC studentship.  Early enquiries and postgraduate applications are strongly encouraged. IMPORTANT:  As the MSc Research for International Development is a new interdisciplinary Taught Masters programme starting in 2012/13, there is no specific Postgraduate Application Form available yet. Therefore, those applying for the MSc Research for International Development, will be required to submit an application for any of the Taught Masters programme in the Department of Economics or Development Studies (for example, MSc Development Economics, MSc Finance and Development, MSc Development Studies, etc).  
  • You will also need to complete a separate application for the ESRC studentship by 27 February 2012, which can be downloaded from the download box at the top right of this page.  The reference form, which you need to send to your referees, is also available at the top right of this page.

You do not need to have been formally accepted for MSc or doctoral study when you make your ESRC application and you should not delay completing the ESRC form while you wait to hear about your MSc or doctoral application.

Notification of Results

Successful candidates will be notified by email early May. 

Further information

For general guidance on the studentships (ie eligibility criteria, application procedure, etc), please contact:  scholarships@soas.ac.uk

For academic questions and to informally discuss a possible application for one of these studentships and for assistance in identifying a potential supervisor, please contact:

Pathways: Anthropology

Dr Trevor Marchand: tm6@soas.ac.uk

Pathways: International Development

Prof. Ben Fine (Economics): bf@soas.ac.uk
Dr Nandini Nyak (Development Studies):nn1@soas.ac.uk

For those who want to discuss following the pathway through a partner institution:

Prof Elaine Unterhalter (Institute of Education) E.Unterhalter@ioe.ac.uk
Dr Arnab Acharya  (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) Arnab.Acharya@lshtm.ac.uk

Pathways: Politics and International Studies

Dr Matthew J Nelson: mn6@soas.ac.uk