2: How to Apply for a PhD In the Humanities

In our last blog (link) and in our first podcast (link) we talked about the decision-making process. We talked about finding your own reasons for wanting to do a PhD, and offered up our experiences on what we felt it can been like to do a PhD.

In this blog and in our second podcast, we discuss the actual process of applying for a PhD. At the time of writing we are in late 2023, and this is exactly the time of year that UK and European institutions are taking the first stages of PhD applications. Deadlines are usually in late December or in January, and funding deadlines are a little later in the new year. Decisions will then be made in the summer, to start degrees in the Autumn (Fall), although most UK institutions will allow you to begin a PhD at other times of the year (check with them on the specifics).

Section 1: What you need Before you can apply to do a PhD in the Humanities, you usually need:

• A Masters’ degree (MA) in a relevant subject (either with topics relating to your chosen PhD field, or an MA that shows you have the skills to be able to start the PhD).

• A host institution: a university that will agree to take you on as a doctoral research student: this is usually a place that teaches degrees in your chosen field already, with staff members who are experts in your chosen subject area.

• A supervisor for your project: This will be an academic who you report to and ask for help, when required.

• You need a plan to fund your studies.

Section 2: How do you choose a host institution and a supervisor? How does this process work?

There are several routes to finding your academic home. They can include:

1. Replying to an advertisement for an existing project. You can find adverts like this on sites such as Find a PhD or jobs.ac.uk

2. Some people choose to study for a PhD because they have studied with someone during a previous degree and want to continue working with them on similar topics: this can make the choice easy.

3. Some people decide to research which universities cover their subject area and which academics work there. Then, you can email the academics to ask if they would like to be your supervisor. This could read something like:

‘Dear x, I am interested in pursuing a PhD in (name your area of study) and have a research idea that I’d like to develop. Given your expertise in x and y, I was wondering if we could meet to discuss the suitability of doing this project under your supervision.'

Hopefully, the people you write to will invite you to discuss your ideas, either via email, in an online meetings, or even by a visit to their university. Once you have chatted to some possible supervisors, you should spend some time thinking about whether the relationship feels positive or comfortable. How much does this matter, and how much should it be traded against the question of working with the right person on your subject matter? Only you can really decide this.

O:nline application formn to support your project, they will probably guide you through the application process or direct you to the administrative procedures, which are usually:

• An online application form

• A research proposal statement. This is usually a few pages long, and you will probably have to outline the current state of knowledge of your field, lay out your methods and key questions, and give a sense of the scope and timing of your proposed research.

 Section 3: Funding In many cases, finding the finance to support a PhD makes the ultimate decision on whether you’ll be able to do one or not. There are two main ways to fund a PhD in the Humanities:

1. You can self-fund: through loans, or family wealth/savings, or part-time work. There are pros and cons of self funding:

Pros:

• If you choose to pursue part-time work, this can help you learn new additional skills beyond the ones you are learning in your PhD.

• Working forces you to spend time away from your PhD project (this can be a good thing, but obviously also has drawbacks during busy periods of the PhD).

• Sometimes students who self-fund can feel increased imposter syndrome by comparing themselves against their peers who did win the funding.

Cons:

• Part-time work can cause additional stress, time management issues, and unwanted distractions.

• Working can restrict flexibility to travel for research.

• It is rarely possible to make enough money to live on through part-time work alone (most universities limit the number of house you can work while during a full-time degree). You may still need loans and/or partial funding

If you plan to work to support yourself through a PhD, it may be a good idea to consider doing your degree on a part-time basis. A good guide to this decision and the process can be found here: https://www.findaphd.com/guides/part-time-phds

2: Another way to fund your PhD is to secure a funding grant, awarded either by an individual university fund, or an external funding body that your host will help you to apply for. An example of a UK-based funding body is the Arts and Humanities Research Council

1. Host institutions can guide you towards potential funding opportunities, but keep an eye out for others yourself.

2. The host institution will probably help you to draw up a funding application.

3. If you don’t get a full stipend, you may be able to fund a PhD on small grants, and then supplementing this with part-time work (for example, you may be given a tuition fee waiver, and then work to pay for your other expenses).

Overall, if you are unsure about how you are going to fund your PhD, it is definitely worth discussing it with your potential supervisors and host institution.

We hope that you found this page useful. Please leave comments, or get in touch with feedback via our socials.

Charlie