The Universities of Bristol, Exeter and Bath have created the South West Doctoral Training Centre (SWDTC) which draws together the established research excellence of more than 770 academic and research staff at the three institutions. The SWDTC has been accredited by the ESRC and allocated 41 ESRC studentships annually. The SWDTC was recognised in the robust peer review exercise as strong in relation to both quality and quantity variables across the board and as particularly strong in the priority areas of Economics and Quantitative Methods. The collaboration at the heart of the SWDTC was recognised as adding value to the content and delivery of training.
Fully funded ESRC studentships are available at the University of Bristol for October 2012/13, as detailed below. Please note that applicants may apply here to one or more pathways. For further information, please use the links and contacts listed in the tables.
The deadline for Disciplinary Pathway applications is 5pm Friday 17 February 2012
[1] ESRC studentships in Psychology will be available for 2012-13
The deadline for Advanced Quantitative Methods Pathway applications is 5pm Friday 17 February 2012
|
Advanced Quantitative Methods Pathway |
Contact |
|---|---|
| Up to four +3 studentships are available in Advanced Quantitative Methods in Social Science and Health | qm-phd@bristol.ac.uk |
Subject to approval, two fully funded ESRC studentships will also be available for each of the following SWDTC Interdisciplinary pathways. Further details on each of the pathways and the application process will be made available in due course. For the time being, please contact the relevant person listed in the table as soon as possible to register your interest.
The deadline for Interdisciplinary Pathway applications is 5pm Friday 17 February 2012
|
Interdisciplinary Pathway |
Contact |
|---|---|
| Environment, Energy and Resilience [pdf 125kB] | b.morgan@bristol.ac.uk |
| Global Political Economy: Transformations and Policy Analysis [pdf 26.2kB] | jeffrey.henderson@bristol.ac.uk |
| Health and Wellbeing [pdf 109.5kB] | janice.thompson@bristol.ac.uk |
| Security, Conflict and Justice [pdf 36.3kB] | marianne.hester@bristol.ac.uk |
The SWDTC draws together the three research intensive universities in the South West region - the Universities of Bristol, Exeter and Bath. Together, these institutions present a distinctive cadre of social science research staff and students, with established international, national and regional networks, and widely recognised research excellence. As recognised research leaders, the three institutions have a strong track record in advancing knowledge through high quality research and teaching in partnership with business, the professions, the public services, the third sector and other research and learning providers. The SWDTC has developed from a collective desire to raise the bar in postgraduate training by extending innovation and best practice across disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields, and offering students broader access to world class research and training opportunities. It builds on existing collaboration in a wide range of activities including GWR and five regional innovation networks.
Social science subject areas across the SWDTC performed very strongly in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE2008) and some of the top departments in the sector can be found within the Universities of Bristol, Exeter and Bath. Exceptional performers include:
Fifty-five percent of all social science research submitted to the RAE2008 by the SWDTC partners was assessed as being of 4* (world-leading) or 3* (internationally excellent) quality and 88% was considered to be of international standard.
Crucially, the SWDTC combines this record of research excellence with the critical mass of social science research students needed to build an active and engaged postgraduate research community. At Bristol the majority of social science research and teaching is undertaken in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, one of the largest faculties in the University. Coupled with Psychology and Human Geography, Bristol currently has 2920 undergraduates in social sciences with a further 1602 PGT students, 670 PGR students, 300 academic and research staff and over 200 support staff. The Faculty's student population is diverse and culturally mixed, with nearly 25% of the students in the Faculty being international. In the social sciences the University of Exeter has 4376 undergraduates, 2563 PGT students, 704 PGR students and over 350 academic and research staff. The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Bath has approximately 120 full-time staff and 2800 students, including 1171 PGT students and a further 235 PGR students. Collectively, the consortium brings together an impressive number of social science students; over 10000 undergraduates, 5000 PGT students, and 1600 PGR students.
The SWDTC is comprised of seventeen pathways. Twelve of these are in the following ESRC Disciplines:
Five of these are in new interdisciplinary areas that make a major contribution to skills development:
The SWDTC will be an internationally recognised centre for the quality, relevance and excellence of its doctoral training, and increase the attractiveness of the South West as a destination for students from all over the world. It will prepare doctoral students for careers in the global economy by generating new knowledge and building the intellectual capacities and research skills that allow them to make outstanding contributions to future environmental, economic, political, and social development.
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