CHASE Scholarship Applications Now Being Accepted!

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AHRC CHASE Scholarships

The University of Kent is proud to be part of the Consortium for the Humanities and the Arts South-East England (CHASE) which was awarded a £17million Doctoral Training Partnership by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) in October 2013. Our partners include The Courtauld Institute of Art, Goldsmiths, University of London, the Open University, and the Universities of East Anglia, Essex, and Sussex. SOAS and Birkbeck, University of London joined the consortium as associate members in 2014.

CHASE is one of only 11 UK AHRC-funded Doctoral Training Partnerships and the partners have committed an additional £10million in studentship funding which will allow CHASE to provide AHRC awards to over 375 PhD students in the arts and humanities across the partner institutions over five years.

CHASE will offer students a wide range of exciting opportunities to gain professional experience, work across institutions and disciplines, and acquire advanced research skills. Further information is available from the CHASE Website

How to apply

New students wishing to be considered for these scholarships must apply for a PhD place at the University of Kent  by 11th January 2017 at the latest. Applicants are advised to discuss their research project with academic members of staff in the relevant schools as soon as possible. Any current PhD students wishing to be considered for AHRC funding should contact their School Director of Graduate Studies (with responsibility for research programmes) to advise them of this as soon as possible or by 11th January 2017 at the very latest. CHASE will fund up to 75 doctoral studentships for admission in 2017.

What happens next?

Stage 1: School level

All applications for PhD study received by relevant schools by 11th January 2017 will be considered for AHRC funding. Candidates shortlisted for the CHASE competition by academic schools will be invited to complete a CHASE application form by Monday 30th January 2017 and interviews are expected to take place w/c 6th February 2017. Candidates will be informed of the outcome as soon as possible following the interviews. Candidates successful at school-level interviews will have their applications submitted to the Kent CHASE Studentship Selection Panel.

Stage 2:  Kent level

The Kent CHASE Studentship Selection Panel will take place towards the end of February 2017 to decide which applications will be submitted to the consortium stage of the competition.

Stage 3: Consortium level

The final Kent shortlist of applications will go forward to the consortium stage of the competition at the beginning of March. Applications will be considered by CHASE selection panels comprising academic colleagues representing all seven CHASE member institutions. All candidates will be informed by Thursday 6th April 2017 about the outcome of their applications.

* Please note that access to the CHASE application forms will only be made available to short-listed candidates.  Guidance on the CHASE application form can be accessed at: www.chase.ac.uk/apply/

Candidates should ensure that they are readily contactable via email during January and February 2017.

CHASE Studentship Selection Criteria

1. Research proposal  

  • The proposal is clearly written and demonstrates engagement with an academic field at a high level of sophistication.
  • The project demonstrates original thinking in its field.
  • The methodology proposed clearly demonstrates the viability of the planned research.
  • The planned research is described in a way that inspires confidence that it will definitely be completed within three years.

 
2. Preparedness for research
  • The applicant demonstrates understanding of appropriate research skills required for successful completion of the project
  • The applicant has appropriate training at Master’s level or equivalent to undertake the project
  • The applicant’s references fully support the applicant’s preparedness for doctoral study

 
3. Suitability of research environment  

  • The research environment (as constituted by the proposed supervision, the home department(s) or equivalent, the institutional support (including available archives, sources, research centres), any external organisations) is appropriate to the project
  • The applicant has given clear thought to the fit between their project and their proposed research environment
  • The supervisor statement fully supports the project’s fit with the proposed research environment.