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³ÉÈËÖ±²¥ Bursary Funded PhD Studentships

The ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥ funded PhD studentships for September 2025 intake will be allocated to some of the advertised research topics:

Centre for Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research (CHEARR)

Interviews will take place on Wednesday 7th May 2025

CHEARR Bursary Topics

• Prehabilitation before Cardiac Surgery (BUR 25-01)
• Factors affecting the uptake and adherence to prehabilitation before surgery when delivered via a mobile health (mhealth) application. (BUR 25-02)
• Wearable sensors and AI based classification of activities of daily living  for supporting elderly and frail individuals to live independently (BUR 25-03)

Clinical Audiology, Speech and Language (CASL) Research Centre

Interviews will take place on Thursday 8th (BUR 25-04) or Friday 9th (BUR 25-05) May 2025

CASL Bursary Topics

• Navigating Dual Sensory Loss (deafblindness) in Scotland: A Qual-itative Exploration of Lived Experiences and Policy Implications (BUR 25-04)
• The application of ultrasound technology to speech and language therapy – ultrasound evaluation of swallowing and/or laryngeal ultrasound (BUR 25-05)

Institute for Global Health and Development (IGHD)

Interviews will take place on Tuesday 6th May 2025

IGHD Bursary Topics

• Climate Change and AMR (BUR 25-06)
• Culturally and Faith-Sensitive Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (BUR 25-07)
• Climate Change, MHPSS and Community Resilience (BUR 25-08)
• Migration, Maternal and Newborn Health (BUR 25-09)

Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)

Interviews will take place on Thursday 8th May 2025

CASS Bursary Topics

• Challenging Ableism in Education through Building Disability Literacy (BUR 25-10)
• Moving Forwards: Setting Priorities with Neurodivergent Young People in Sport and Physical Activity Research (BUR 25-12)

Centre for Culture in Society (CCS)

Interviews will take place on Thursday 8th May 2025

CCS Bursary Topic

• Play as Resistance: community arts, well-being and play (BUR 25-11)
• Digital Crossroads: Language and Identity in the Global South (BUR 25-13)

Centre for Person Centred Practice Research (CPCPR)

CPCPR Bursary Topics

• No topics currently advertised. 
  
  

Would you like to suggest your own research topic?

If you wish to apply to undertake a PhD in a topic outwith the specific funded topic areas, or undertake PhD research on a non-resident basis, you are welcome to apply for the self-funded PhD programme. By "self-funded" we mean that you would need to find another source of funds to pay your tuition fees and living costs, for example, via a career development loan or employer supported funding.

Please see the 'How to Apply' tab below for further information.

Successful candidates commencing study in September 2025 will receive:

• a full waiver of tuition fees;
• an annual stipend of £19,237 lasting 3 years for full-time study; and
• a research budget of £2,000 to cover project expenses and travel.

Please note that topics fully or partially funded by external partners may have different conditions attached, and these will be specified within the documentation.

PhD studentships can only be awarded for candidates willing to undertake research in specific topics as determined by the University and or funding partners. No scholarships are available for other research projects.

To be eligible for a bursary, the following criteria must apply:

• the applicant meets the standard entry criteria for the ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥ PhD Programme;
• the research proposal is in one of the topic areas specified;
• applicants will be expected to study on a full-time basis, and the successful candidates must be willing to be resident within reach of Edinburgh (applications for distance-learning study will not be accepted); and
• applicants must be willing to study for a full PhD, not an MPhil.

Successful candidates are likely to have a good qualification in the relevant topic: either a first class Honours degree or a Masters. Dedication, enthusiasm and strong communication skills in both written and spoken English are essential. A valid IELTS certificate is required if English is not your first language and you have not completed a Masters degree from a UK institution or international institution where the course was delivered and assessed in English, within the last five years. Applicants may come from the UK or any other country. Where applicable, international applicants must be able to meet the UKVI requirements to be granted a Student visa.

An overview of the PhD, including key progression stages, can be accessed in the information we provide to current students. Guidance on applying for the PhD is provided on the Graduate School website.

You can apply to the PhD bursary competition online using the Admissions PortalÌý(accessed via the 'Apply Now' button at the bottom of this section). The application process includes completion of an application form and submission of supporting documentation, including a research proposal.

The online application form allows you to save your progress, and you will be able to complete your PhD application in multiple stages, if required.

Following submission of your completed application, you will receive a ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥ applicant ID number. Please quote this in any correspondence you have with ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥.

Application form

Please pay close attention to the spelling of your email address within the online form, as this is how we will contact you about your application.

Please ensure you select the appropriate course with the corresponding bursary code for your application (e.g. BUR 25-XX).Ìý When searching for the appropriate code, we recommend you enter 'bursary' into the keyword field which will then display all the bursary options.

Supporting information and documents

As part of your application, you will need to write a personal statement that sets out your experience, suitability for doctoral study, and motivation for applying to study on the ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥ PhD programme.

You will need to provide:

• the bursary code for the topic to which you are applying (e.g. BUR 25-XX);
• your PhD research proposal;
• A CV;
• A personal statement;
• copies of your degree certificate(s) and transcript(s);
• confirmation of your English language ability (if required); and
• copies of two letters of reference.

You will be able to upload these supporting documents as part of the application process. This is an important part of the admissions process, and without seeing supporting documents tutors will not have enough information to make a decision on your application. If you are currently undertaking a Masters or Honours Degree and therefore, don't yet have your transcript or certificate for this course, these can be provided at a later date following the submission of your application.

Please note that if your application is submitted with no research proposal or CV included, your application will not be considered.

PhD Research Proposal

All applicants to the ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥ PhD programme must provide a proposal for research that has academic merit and is capable of generating new knowledge. We will use your research proposal to check how well you understand the research process

Your PhD research proposal should:

• be a maximum of 1000 words long;
• summarise what the research is about;
• set out why the research is important, making reference to current literature;
• identify provisional research questions; and
• suggest how the research questions can be investigated.

Please note that the research proposal must be written in your own words and should NOT include text that has been copied from books or articles. This is considered and will lead to the automatic rejection of your application. In some cases, academic reviewers may submit research proposals to Turnitin in order to verify the legitimacy of the proposed research.

³ÉÈËÖ±²¥ bursary funding is only available for PhD study based at ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥, and for topics that have been specified by the University.

Qualifications (certificates and transcripts)

Please upload copies of your degree certificates and transcripts for any undergraduate or Masters degrees that you have completed or are about to complete.

Evidencing English language ability

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide an IELTS certificate or have completed a degree which was delivered and assessed in English within the last five years.

Only valid IELTS certificates are accepted as evidence of English language capability. ÌýYou need a score of 6.5 (with no less than 6.0 in each element).Ìý IELTS certificates are valid for two years after the test date.

If you completed a degree, at a non-UK institution, that was delivered and assessed in English, then you will need to provide a formal letter from the institution, on headed paper, stating that your degree was delivered and assessed in English.Ìý

If your documents are in any language other than English then they will need to be accompanied by a formal certified translation into English, by either the awarding institution or a sworn translator.

References

Two academic references are required.

Referees must provide your reference in the form of a formal letter on headed paper. The reference must be dated and signed (and ideally stamped).ÌýPlease note that we may contact your referee to verify the reference letter prior to it being accepted.

Referee contact details should include a professional email account. Please do not provide personal email addresses for referees (such as Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo), as these will not be accepted. Ìý

Deadlines

The deadline for applying to the ³ÉÈËÖ±²¥ bursary competition is 11.59 pm on Friday 14th March 2025. Please note that interviews will take place w/c 5th May 2025 on the specified dates for each topic or Research Centre and will usually be conducted via MS Teams.

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For further information regarding the PhD Programme please contact the Graduate School Team at graduateschool@qmu.ac.uk.

For further information regarding the Application process please contact Admissions@qmu.ac.uk. Ìý