Applying for the PhD Programme
Looking for a project: PROJECTS FOR 2010 START
How to apply
Applicants are invited for postgraduate study in the Graduate School of NOCS (GSNOCS). Potential PhD students are requested to apply using the University of Southampton postgraduate application form, appending a Curriculum Vitae giving details of your academic record and stating your research interests, two academic references, your academic transcript and IELTS/TOEFL certificate if applicable. Applicants normally list a couple of projects in which they are interested, this allows the application to be reviewed by the relevant supervisors. Applicants may contact potential supervisors directly, preferably using email, to discuss any aspects of the proposed research that may need clarification, or the Postgraduate (Research) Administrative Officer for general queries regarding applications or funding.
Deadlines
The target date for general applications for an October 2010 start is the 12th February 2010. Some funded projects become available throughout the year and applications for these are welcome at any time. All applications are sent to the University Admissions Office for processing and then are sent on to the GSNOCS. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that references are received by the deadline. Please see notes under 'Funding' below regarding deadlines for overseas awards.
Timetable
We shortlist applications from December onwards and hold a series of interviews in from January until March. If you wish to find out how your application is progressing please contact the Postgraduate (Research) Administrative Officer. The Graduate School reimburses 50% of reasonable travel costs within the UK. Applicants coming from the EU will usually be expected to meet the additional costs of international travel. Applicants from outside the EU are dealt with on an individual basis.
Funding
The studentships advertised on our web site are all available for an October 2010 start, some may be available sooner if full funding has already been obtained.
The Graduate School of NOCS is awarded approximately ten Responsive Research Studentships from NERC every year, which are awarded to the highest calibre UK resident applicants (including non-UK EU applicants who meet the three-year UK residency criteria), whatever the discipline. Applications for these are very competitive. A number of our NERC quota studentships are also Co-operative Awards in Sciences of the Environment (CASE) studentships. These are to encourage research students to gain additional experience outside academia, and involve the joint supervision of the student by a member of staff of an academic institution and a scientist from industry, business, commerce or a public sector research institute. The GSNOCS also bids annually for a NERC Industrial CASE studentship.
NERC also funds studentships through research grants (tied) or thematic programmes. In this case, the funding will be allocated to specific projects. Applications for these tend to be less competitive than for the quota studentships.
The Graduate School awards some fully funded studentships to highly ranked applicants. Other studentships are fully funded through Early Stage Training programmes (EST), grant income, industrial support and other sources. UK residents are eligible for all forms of funding except EST, EU residents are eligible for NOCS studentships and EST studentships, industrially supported studentships and any other non-NERC funded sources.
University funding for overseas students:
Dorothy Hodgkin Postgraduate Award (DHPA) is again very competitive and awarded to academically outstanding candidates. Approximately half of the overall fee and stipend cost for a three year PhD needs to be funded by an industry partner in order for a student to be considered for the award.
Due to our limited funding options for overseas students, we strongly encourage you to seek your own funding. Please look at our information on other scholarships.
International Scholarships
Multiple International Student Scholarships, awarded by GSNOCS, are available for highly qualified non-UK/EU applicants to cover the cost of overseas student fees. Applicants must identify the project(s) in which they are interested and are strongly encouraged to contact the relevant supervisors directly prior to making a formal application.
The deadline for applications to this scheme is 11th March 2010.
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