Informed advice required

I'm currently thinking of applying for a Masters degree. However, one course (at Edinburgh - MSc. Evolution of Language and Cognition) is covered for funding by the ESRC whereas my second most preferred course option (also at Edinburgh - Msc Mind, Language and Embodied Cognition) is covered for funding by the AHRC.

Now my problem is thus; both of the above courses broadly cover my general research interests i.e. consciousness/philosophy of mind. However, I get the general impression that funding from the ESRC is more 'easy to come by' than from the AHRC as the ESRC covers more economically viable courses and as such; is looked upon more favourably by government big-whigs and those who control the purse strings.

As such, my query is twofold:

1) Can I apply for both of the above courses and to both of the respective research councils? (AHRC for one programme and the ESRC for t'other – both at Edinburgh)

2) If the answer to question 1) is no - do I stand a better chance of receiving funding from the ESRC for the evolution masters than I do from the AHRC for the embodied cognition masters? (purely based on the assumption that the evolutionary masters is more scientific in nature)

Thank you for any information anyone can supply :smile:

Reply 1

jennipenny

1) We were told you couldn't apply to both but check the rules. It'll be under FAQs probably on both the ESRC / AHRC websites.
2) tbh getting funding from either has become incredibly difficult unless you're in a defined 'shortage subject' for the ESRC, which is think is primarily anything using quantitative methods. What you need to ask is whether either course has quota awards (AHRC I think are starting quotas from next year) and if so apply for the one that has, as that is the most likely way to get funded. The fight to a) get nominated for the competition slots and b) actually getting through seems so random now, that if neither has quota then I'd just go with the one you prefer.

Reply 2

Kitty Pimms

17

1) Are you sure, Jenni? (I was told you could, but my lecturer may well be wrong - he was referring to having done so about 6 years back). The way I understand it is that you can apply to both, but you definitely can't be nominated by both - so if you got offered a quota nomination by the AHRC, or an ESRC quota/competition spot, you'd have to pick your poison and take the risk. In that instance, the desirability ranking, in terms of funding security, would go (assuming the AHRC hasn't switched to full quotas next year, I'm not sure when they plan to do this) ESRC quota > AHRC quota nomination > ESRC competition. You can apply to multiple ESRC places in any case, so I'm not sure why you wouldn't be able to straddle the councils. Do check it out though.

2) It's tricky either way. Definitely go for the quota spots as Jenni says.

One thing no-one's mentioned yet is that AHRC funding is Masters only (ie. 1 year) whereas ESRC spaces are Masters + PhD (four years). If you're not sure you want to do a PhD, I'd stick with the AHRC.

Reply 3

Oddjob39A

OP

15

IlexAquifolium

1) Are you sure, Jenni? (I was told you could, but my lecturer may well be wrong - he was referring to having done so about 6 years back). The way I understand it is that you can apply to both, but you definitely can't be nominated by both - so if you got offered a quota nomination by the AHRC, or an ESRC quota/competition spot, you'd have to pick your poison and take the risk. In that instance, the desirability ranking, in terms of funding security, would go (assuming the AHRC hasn't switched to full quotas next year, I'm not sure when they plan to do this) ESRC quota > AHRC quota nomination > ESRC competition. You can apply to multiple ESRC places in any case, so I'm not sure why you wouldn't be able to straddle the councils. Do check it out though.

2) It's tricky either way. Definitely go for the quota spots as Jenni says.

One thing no-one's mentioned yet is that AHRC funding is Masters only (ie. 1 year) whereas ESRC spaces are Masters + PhD (four years). If you're not sure you want to do a PhD, I'd stick with the AHRC.

Seeing as a PhD is certainly something I'd like to do (I'm in this for the long haul) would you then recommend I go for the ESRC funded masters?

Reply 4

cheese_fondue

ESRC is only 1+3, as mentioned earlier. the 1 bit has to be an ESRC approved course too. so if you want to go for the 1+3 (ie phd) make sure you pick an ESRC approved course. IF you apply for 1+3 you need to have some sort of research proposal too (usually), so you might want to take that into account when planning your schedule.

i'm not sure ESRC is easier to come by than AHRC. ESRC quota places are rare and the open competition only offers about 100 places for the whole of the uk. as far as i understood, you can apply to as many courses as you want, but you can only be put forward for one place in the ESRC competition. you should check if your ESRC courses actually offer quota studentships (not good if they don't, it also reflects on the quality of the institution/course).

the ESRC courses are not necessarily more economically "viable" and therefore easier to come by, they are courses which involve number-crunching/applied sciences. so you're actually choosing between a more applied course and a more theoretical course right now, that's why they are funded by different research councils even though they sound vaguely similar. you should think about what is your preference for a phd. the evolution etc course wll probably involve experiments while the other one might not. what do you prefer?