Speak Chinese? MA+PhD Scholarships, academic glory await...

[roddy]

I've been in touch with Nottingham University's School of Contemporary Chinese Studies regarding some fully-funded PhD scholarships they're keen to get the word out about. Here's a bit of info, and if anyone's interested and has any questions, drop them a line or post a query here - they'll be keeping an eye on the topic and we'll get you some answers.

 

Big caveat is that you need to be "UK citizens or meet the UK residency requirement" - not sure exactly what the residency requirement is, but I'm sure you can look it up. They're also looking for people with a 'high level' of Mandarin (which is everyone on here, yes?) and ideally a first-class honours degree. But if you don't have one get in touch anyway. 

 

 

The scholarship covers all your tuition fees, plus living expenses of just under £14k. And while I don't know if this is possible here, I do know people on similar deals who have managed to spend significant chunks of their time in China, where living expenses are much lower. 

 

If you've been out of academia for a long time and are worried about easing yourself back in, or need some research training - fear not. There's also an option to do a 1+3 arrangement, where you get an (also funded) year-long Masters where you get research skills, study some relevant modules and get a head start on your PhD through a dissertation on the same topic.

 

The deadline for this is soon - 20th Feb - so you'd need to get moving sharpish. The school have said they're on hand to fast-track applications and offer admin support.

 

If this year is too soon for you, consider getting in touch with regard to next year - hopefully the funding will still be in place. 

 

As I say - questions can be posted here, or get in touch directly. Tell 'em where you came from though ;-)

 

[Demonic_Duck]

Edit: The information originally contained in this post appears to be incorrect on a number of counts, please disregard.

[roddy]

Page 51 - I think your usual study + work experience might be ok, as it's by definition temporary - you're unlikely to have had a visa for more than 12 months at any point. 

"A UK citizen may have spent an extended period living outside the UK, either for study or

employment. Most candidates in these circumstances will be able to show that they have

maintained a relevant connection with their home country and therefore claim that the

absence was temporary. "Temporary" does not depend solely on the length of absence."

I would say showing you never had a contract or visa longer than 12 months would be ok. I shall see if I can scare up an answer though. 

[Demonic_Duck]

Hmm, that's interesting, I hadn't interpreted it in that way (not sure if that was a failure of wording or of my comprehension). From now on, I'm going to begin describing my status as "permanently temporarily resident for the forseeable future until I move somewhere else".

[kdavid]

Sounds like a great deal.

 

Who are the faculty running the program and what are their research interests?

[roddy]

I think a poke about the website would probably answer that. Here's staff and interests You can see what current PhD students are doing here. An analysis of Revolutionary Lianhuanhua (1949-76) sounds fun.

[Tianjin42]

Roddy, I can't thank you enough for this. I met with some members of staff a couple of years ago and have already been looking recently at the pages of my own volition. A lot of what I have been doing in China has been related to my plan of pursuing a PhD.

I sent a mail to one member of staff regarding funded PhDs at Nottingham but no reply yet (that particular member of staff is in China and difficult to reach at the moment though). I was planning to follow up with the school today and just saw this as I got online.

Thanks.

[roddy]

I got a response on residence issues saying that my comment above covers it - so obviously you'd want to double check, but don't assume having been in China for long stretches of time rules you out. 

[roddy]

Deadline tomorrow! Anyone applying?

[Angelina]

No. I don't think I will make a good politician. 

[Tianjin42]

I have spoken to them in detail about the possibilities but it won't fit together this time. Also looking at other options. 

[Angelina]

What kind of options are you looking at?

I am interested in narration/cognitive linguistics/semiotics, probably moving towards Slavic languages.

Are you interested in anything similar?

[Tianjin42]

@ Angelina: Though I will end up studying a PhD that requires use of Chinese sources, the language itself probably won't be my subject. Interested in a number of topics related to contemporary Chinese society so I have been speaking to a number of potential supervisors. Let's see!

Good look with your studies - sounds interesting but challenging. 

[Angelina]

We aren't interested in the same stuff.  Nottingham had something you could have been interested in, too bad it didn't turn out to be a good fit. 

 

Don't forget to tell us when you start your PhD. 

[Tianjin42]

I will but let's see if I secure one first. Good luck to you as well.