Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (BIAD) is a leading centre for research in the creative arts, architecture and design. We are delighted to announce that as a result of our success in the AHRC Block Grant Partnership Scheme, we are in a position to offer a range of Masters and Doctoral Studentships in Design and Fine Art over the next five years.

In addition to our AHRC Block Grant allocation, as part of our strategic commitment to research training and development in art and design, we are creating a further BIAD PhD Studentship annually, in alignment with our research strengths and strategic priorities.

Further details on research interests and areas of supervisory strength can be found at

http://www.biad.bcu.ac.uk/research/site/pages/studentships_studyarea.php

This is also available as a printable PDF.

This page provides information on the availability of awards, eligibility and how to apply. All applications will follow a common process.

Applicants are advised to read these pages carefully and contact us with any queries before submitting an application.

The AHRC Block Grant Partnership (BGP)

As of October 2009, the AHRC will fund the majority of its postgraduate studentships through a Block Grant Partnership (BGP). BGPs are awards held by certain universities for a period of 5 years. Each BGP will include a number of studentship awards and these will be advertised and administered by the individual university. Universities that do not hold a BGP award will be eligible to enter postgraduate students into the Studentship Competition.

Birmingham City University has been successful in its application for a BGP. The BGP panel noted evidence of ‘commendable provision of research training’ and ‘strong coherence in the institution’s support of practice-based research’. Birmingham City University is therefore able to offer AHRC postgraduate studentships for five years commencing with the 2009/10 academic year.

Further information on the BGP Scheme is available at:

http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Pages/BGP.aspx

Types of Studentship

The studentships include the following types of awards:

Doctoral

Provides support for a minimum of one year and up to three years of full-time study, or between two and five years of part-time study, leading to a doctoral degree. A full award includes tuition fees and a maintenance grant. The maintenance grant will meet the National Minimum Doctoral Stipend level set by the UK Research Councils. For 2009/10, the full-time stipend level is £13,290 p.a.

Research Preparation Masters

Provides support for students who intend to proceed to doctoral study and are undertaking a Masters course that will prepare them for doctoral study. The focus must be on advanced study and research training that is explicitly intended to provide a foundation for further research at doctoral level. The full-time maintenance stipend level for 2008/9 for Research Preparation Masters Awards was £9,040 p.a.

Professional Preparation Masters

Provides support for students undertaking Masters or Postgraduate Diploma courses. The focus must be on the development of high-level skills and competences as a preparation for professional practice in a field relevant to the content of the course. The full-time maintenance stipend level for 2008/9 for Professional Preparation Masters Awards was £8,420 p.a.

Available Studentships by Subject

Design

• Doctoral x1
• Professional Preparation Masters x3

Design includes fashion design, printed textiles, woven textiles, constructed textiles, knit, three-dimensional design, art and design in the landscape, interior and environmental design, theatre design, exhibition and events design, automotive design, product design, furniture, pedagogy in art and design.

Fine Art

• Research Preparation Masters x1
• Professional Preparation Masters x1

Fine art includes painting, illustration, public art, social art practice/art in the public realm, sculpture, performance art, installation, time-based art, printmaking. Arts therapy is supported where the predominant focus of the study is based in the arts and humanities, rather than medicine and psychology.

Additionally we have a BIAD Doctoral Studentship award available for October 2009 start:

BIAD Studentship

• Doctoral x1

Applications are sought which align with our areas of research strength in: Art History and Theory, Architecture, Design, Fine Art, Jewellery, Landscape Architecture, Photography and Visual Communication.

The AHRC Masters level awards relate to MA Programmes in the following way:

Please note: the above list details studentships for 2009 entry, for which applications are currently being accepted. Available studentships for future years within the BGP award period (2009-2013) will be posted in advance of the relevant admissions cycle.

Eligibility

AHRC Studentships are available only to UK and EU students.

To be eligible for a full studentship award (fees plus maintenance stipend) a student must have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of the course. British citizenship or holding a British passport in itself does not satisfy the residential eligibility requirement. To be eligible for the full award, EU Nationals must satisfy the UK residency requirement.

EU Nationals who do not meet the residency requirement are eligible for a fees-only award, provided that they have been ordinarily resident in the EU for at least 3 years prior to the start of their proposed programme of study.

Applicants must have gained an undergraduate degree from a recognised university, or be a current undergraduate expecting to graduate before 31 July 2009. Those applying for a doctoral award should normally have, or be studying for a Master’s degree.

Full information on AHRC eligibility criteria can be found here: click here

HOW TO APPLY

Students who wish to apply for a postgraduate studentship are strongly advised to contact the potential supervisor (doctoral) or course director (masters) regarding their application. If you do not know who this is, please email your enquiry to the address below and you will be put in touch with the appropriate person.

Doctoral applications will need to contain the following:

• A completed application form. These can be downloaded here -  BIAD Doctoral Application Form; AHRC Doctoral Application Form). The form requires you to compose an outline proposal, the content of which is described below. (Please note there is a strict limit of 1000 words. The number of words used must be provided. Please use a font size no smaller than 10 point.) Please append any supporting documents to the application (e.g. transcripts of degree results).
• Supporting visual material. Where appropriate you may supply additional visual material (up to 1-2 pages scanned and captioned images).
• Two letters of support from academic referees. These should be from individuals who are in a position to assess your potential to undertake higher degree research and offer a provisional view of the promise of your outline proposal. You should provide your referees with copies of your application form, including the outline proposal and any supporting documents, and ask them to complete the following reference form (Reference forms for AHRC and BIAD Doctoral studentship application) and return it by email or post to the BIAD Research Office at the address below by 15 June 2009.

Outline Proposal

This is a key document in assessing your application. In preparing this statement you should consider the following (you may wish to use these as subheadings):

1. Your reasons and purposes for undertaking this project
   1.1. Key areas/issues of the project, and why you wish to pursue this research;
   1.2. How the proposed work relates to what you have studied already;
   1.3. How the doctoral research relates to your eventual career aims.
2. Your research project
   2.1. A working title
   2.2. The research problems or questions you intend to address;
   2.3. The research context in which those problems or questions are located;
   2.4. The particular contribution to knowledge and understanding in this area that you hope to make, explaining why the work is important;
   2.5. The methods and critical approaches that you plan to use;
   2.6. Any ethical issues relating to the research project;
   2.7. How the project will develop or how you will structure the work over the period of the award.
3. Preparation and previous experience
   3.1. A brief indication of any previous experience or preparation that is relevant to your proposed research project (e.g. aspects of your Master’s study, additional degrees, qualifications, training or relevant skills);
   3.2. For practice-led subjects, you should include details of relevant professional experience.

Masters applications will need to contain the following:

• A completed application form. These can be downloaded here – Professional Preparation Masters Application Form; Research Preparation Masters Application Form. The form requires you to compose a supporting statement, the content of which is described below. (Please note there is a strict limit of 500 words. The number of words used must be provided. Please use a font size no smaller than 10 point.)  Please ensure you use the correct form for the type of award you are seeking, and append any supporting documents to the application (e.g. transcripts of degree results)
• Supporting visual material. Where appropriate you may supply additional visual material.
• Two letters of support from academic referees. These should be from individuals who are in a position to assess your suitability for postgraduate study and the appropriateness of the course to your career/research goals.  You should provide your referees with copies of your application form, including the supporting statement and any supporting documents, and ask them to complete the following reference form and return it by email or post to the BIAD Research Office at the address below by 15 June 2009.

Supporting Statement

This is a key document in assessing your application.  In preparing this statement you should consider the following (you may wish to use these as subheadings):

Professional Preparation scheme

• How will taking this programme contribute to your career aims?
  • State briefly why you wish to pursue this programme;
  • How will the programme support your future career aims?

• Brief description of the programme of study
  • How does the programme relate to practice in your chosen field and how will it be of benefit to you in developing your career?  This will enable you to convey your interest in the programme of study;
  • Major project/dissertation: give a brief description of the area in which you anticipate doing your major project/dissertation.

• Preparation and previous experience
  • Give an indication of any previous professional experience in your field of study (including relevant paid and voluntary work);
  • Give an indication of the training and preparation you have already undertaken that is relevant to your proposed study, how this training has prepared you for the programme and your future career, and what further training you will require.

Research Preparation scheme

• How will taking this programme prepare you for doctoral study?
  • State briefly why you wish to pursue this programme
  • What are the intellectual problems that interest you?
  • Why do you wish to proceed to doctoral study and what is the likely focus of your doctoral studies?
  • How does it relate to your eventual career aims?

• Brief description of the programme of study
  • How does the programme develop your research ambitions – this will enable you to convey your interest in the programme of study;
  • You should give an indication of the direction in which you expect your masters research project to develop, and how this might lead into doctoral study, showing that you are aware of the current state of knowledge and how the research will be pursued;
  • How the project will develop or how you will structure the work over the period of the award.

• Preparation and previous experience
  • A brief indication of any previous experience or preparation that is relevant to your proposed programme (e.g. particular aspects of your undergraduate study, or additional training or relevant skills).

Students wishing to be considered for either an AHRC or BIAD Studentship must submit their application as an email attachment (word or PDF) or by post to the BIAD Research Office at the email/address given below no later than 4.00pm on Monday 15 June 2009.

*Students who have already been accepted for an Autumn 2009 start and wish to be considered for a studentship should contact the relevant course director to discuss their application.

The Selection Process

All applications will be assessed by a BGP Panel consisting of Course Directors and Research Supervisors in the relevant subject areas, chaired by the Faculty Director of Research.  The panel will evaluate the applications against the following criteria:

• Quality and preparedness of the applicant – taking into account prior academic performance, and, if relevant, professional experience, and the extent to which the applicant’s academic studies and/or professional experience prepare the applicant for the proposed project or programme.

• The proposed project or programme of study – taking into account the intrinsic quality, coherence and feasibility of the project or programme, the merits of the applicant’s intellectual and/or professional goals, and, in the case of doctoral applicants, the potential contribution to knowledge.

• The alignment with our strengths and priorities – taking into account: a) how well the applicant’s research/professional goals fit with our course and/or research training provision and strategic priorities; and b) the specific support available to the applicant, in terms of supervision and teaching, subject-specific training opportunities, and library and other appropriate resources.

Following the application deadline, the BGP Panel will shortlist applicants to be invited for interview.  The dates for these have been set as follows:

Monday 29 or Tuesday 30 June 2009 (Masters applicants)
Thursday 2 July 2009 (Doctoral applicants)

All applicants should ensure they are available to be invited for interview.  A final list of successful applicants for nomination will be identified following the interviews.

Timetable:
15 June (4.00pm) – Deadline for Applications
Late June – Short-listing
29-30 June – Interviews for Short-listed Masters Applicants
2 July – Interviews for Short-listed Doctoral Applicants
Early July – Applicants informed of outcomes and Nominations forwarded to AHRC

The final offer of an AHRC Studentship is subject to confirmation by AHRC.

Please Note: Students can only apply for an AHRC studentship under one of the AHRC’s competitions.  The AHRC will only accept nominations for students who have not submitted an application to the Studentship Competition. In addition, students cannot be nominated for a BGP award by withdrawing their application to the Studentship Competition.

ENQUIRIES

Please direct all enquiries in the first instance to the BIAD Research Office.

Research Office
Birmingham Institute of Art and Design
Birmingham City University
Gosta Green
Birmingham
B4 7DX

Tel. 0121 331 7824/7850
Fax. 0121 331 7824
Email: biadresearch@bcu.ac.uk

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