AHRC’s Postgraduate Programme

1. AHRC’s Postgraduate Programme Professor Lyn Pykett The Higher Education Academy Event – The Future of the Taught MA in English [date] 2008

2. The Postgraduate Programme AHRC’s Strategic Aim 2: “To promote and support world-class postgraduate training designed to equip graduates for research or other professional careers”

3. Postgraduate competition • Doctoral Awards Schemegain a PhD or DPhil qualification • Research Preparation Master’s Scheme • advanced study and research training as a foundation for doctoral research • Professional Preparation Master’s Scheme • developing high-level skills and competencies for professional work and practice

4. What is assessed? • Applicant’s aptitude, ability and preparedness for proposed study • Referees’ reports on the applicant’s proposal and preparedness for PG study • HEI information about • Research training provision • Applicant’s quality and proposed research • Supervision arrangements • Other support and resources provided

5. 2007 competition outcomes

6. 2008 competition • Final year of competition in its current format • Cap on number of applications • Guidance was published in December

7. New schemes For studentships to commence in October 2009: Block Grant Partnerships (BGPs) AHRC Studentship Competition

8. Goals of the new system • 2 competitions – equal status. Approx. 80/20 split • Support strategy for producing world-class postgraduates • High-quality research and training • Health & sustainability of arts & humanities disciplines • Opportunities for interdisciplinarity • Encourage integration of PG programmes with research and knowledge transfer strategies

9. BGP competition • HEIs with average of 8 or more offers eligible • Awards = 5 years of studentship award allocations • Doctoral, RPM and PPM studentships • HEIs make awards to students – move away from AHRC assessment of individual proposals

10. BGP applications to include: • HEI’s overall strategy for arts and humanities research PG strategy – how does this align with AHRC priorities? • Numbers of studentships sought over each of the 5 years, by type and subject of study • Evidence that the HEI is a good place for study in the relevant subject areas

11. AHRC Studentship Competition • aims to provide funding for ‘pockets of excellence’ • open to HEIs who don’t hold a BGP • Numbers of applications from each HEI will be capped to ensure a much higher success rate

12. Collaborative Research Training • pump-priming to develop new or enhance existing research training provision • departments in at least 2 HEIs • provision of specialised, subject-specific research training • £60,000 national scale bids • £10,000 specialist training bids • £2,000 student-led initiative

13. Partnerships - Collaborative Doctoral Awards • analogous to CASE awards in science and engineering • offering doctoral students the chance to conduct research in collaboration with a non-academic body • supporting collaboration with partners beyond • academic sector • Annual comp – c. 150 projects current • also offered in Strategic Research Programmes

14. International • Library of Congress - Joint scheme with the ESRC • National Institutes for the Humanities Japan (NIHU) – new for 2008 • Scholarship for an award holder to undertake research at the Library of Congress in Washington DC or NIHU • Provide opportunity to access resources at these institutions and network with a range of international scholars

15. Project studentships • Provides support for up to 2 doctoral students attached to an AHRC funded Research Grant • Award holders treated in the same way as all other doctoral award holders