Moray House School of Education and Sport offers one fully-funded College Research Award across any area of study within our doctoral programmes, for studies commencing in 2025-26. The award provides full tuition fees with an annual stipend. The stipend will be set to the UKRI level for 2024/25. The UKRI level for 2023/24 is currently £19,237 for full-time students, or the pro rata equivalent for part-time students.As a student with us, you will work with some of the most influential academics in your chosen field and learn about the very latest developments in your subject. Those chosen exemplify the high standards the University of Edinburgh sets for its research students and the investment that we make in their potential.Who can applyThe College Research Award has a high number of applicants, and as a result is highly competitive. Therefore, only applicants who have already secured an offer from Moray House School of Education and Sport to undertake PhD studies as from October 2025 can apply for the scholarship.Candidates for the College Research Award must be seeking to start their first year of full-time or part-time PhD study in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences within the academic year 2025-26. MSc by Research programmes are not eligible.Applying and deadlinesPlease carefully read the information below before starting your application process.STEP 1: PhD ApplicationYour completed PhD admission application must have been made via the University of Edinburgh online application system by Monday 16 December 2024. This means that all your supporting documentation (research proposal, academic references, copies of qualifications/transcripts) must, where available, also be uploaded.Please liaise closely with your referees to ensure they supply the required reference by this date. If a degree result or test of English competency is pending we can consider your application and, where appropriate, make you an offer conditional upon supplying these at a later date.Information about our PhD programmes, how to write a proposal and potential supervisors is available on our website, along with a template for writing your proposal. Apply for a PhDInformation about our PhD programmesProposal templateOnly those applicants who have been made an offer (conditional/unconditional) before Monday 27 January 2025 to undertake PhD studies with us as from October 2025 can move on to Step 2. Please note that once you have been made an offer, you cannot update your research proposal. What you submitted as Part of Step 1, will be assessed as part of your scholarship application (See Step 2). STEP 2: Scholarship applicationOnce you have secured an offer, you can apply for the CRA scholarship. The online scholarship application form can be accessed via MyEd/ApplicantHub (EUCLID). When logging in to MyEd, you will need your University User Name and password. If you require assistance, please visit our support and guidance pages. The scholarship deadline is Monday 3rd February 2025, 12:00 noon/pm UK time.MyEd loginSupport and guidanceStatementIn the form, you will be asked to provide a statement. Write the statement by answering these four questions:Why have you chosen Moray House and the supervisors specified above for your application?How will your research project add value to the research being undertaken at Moray House?Why are you a particularly suitable candidate for a scholarship?What do you expect the impact of your research to be?Please, note that your application will be assessed by a Panel against the set of criteria which you can view or download below. Document Assessment criteria for the CRA and ECDS - 2024-25 (23 KB / DOCX) Assessment criteriaThe assessment consists of two parts: (1) research proposal, and (2) statement (This is part of the application on EUCLID). Research proposalThe proposal must not exceed 5 A4 pages (excluding references and timetable). Applicants are asked to use Calibri size 11 font size and refrain from changing the paragraph spacing (single, with 6pt after each paragraph) or the page margins. Research proposal assessment criteria Score 10-8 7-5 4-1 Format The proposal demonstrates excellent ability to follow with instructions. The proposal demonstrates ability to follow instructions. The proposal demonstrates limited awareness of instructions. Background knowledge The proposal exhibits critical and/or reflexive use of concepts and the literature. The proposal exhibits satisfactory use of concepts and the literature. The proposal is mostly descriptive, with little ability to articulate a critical and/or reflexive perspective. Originality The aims/RQs are extremely original and/or reflexive and have the potential to make an outstanding contribution to the field. The research is underpinned with a clear rationale. The aims/RQs are original and/or reflexive and have the potential to make a good contribution to the field. The research is underpinned with a rationale, though it may not always be clear. The aims/RQs offer little originality/reflexivity. The research is not underpinned with a rationale. Planning The proposal includes a coherent, effective, and doable methodology. The proposal includes a clear, effective, and doable methodology. The proposal lacks a methodology that aligns with the aims, RQs; it may prove problematic at the level of implementation. Discourse The proposal is effectively organised and written. The applicant demonstrates excellent knowledge and use of general and specific academic vocabulary. The proposal is satisfactorily organised and written. The applicant demonstrates knowledge and use of general and specific academic vocabulary. The proposal lacks textual organisation. The applicant demonstrates little awareness of general and specific academic vocabulary. Statement assessment criteria Score 5-4 3-2 1 Discourse The statement is extremely coherent. The statement is coherent. The statement lacks coherence. Impact The applicant demonstrates excellent awareness of the academic & societal impact of their proposal. The applicant demonstrates awareness of the academic & societal impact of their proposal. The applicant demonstrates little awareness of the academic & societal impact of their proposal. NotificationDecisions will be made by May 2025.Tips for writing a successful proposalYour proposal should provide insight into what you plan to research, how you will conduct your research, and the contribution(s) it will make. At this stage, your proposal provides evidence of your ability to write, think, create, and argue. It also helps indicate how your research will fit into the institution and its goals.A strong proposal:Contains a clear proposition and/or questionSets up outcomes that can be deliveredContains several propositions which are then connected to the structureIs intelligible to non-expertsHas a relevant audienceDemonstrates critical thinkingRemember to follow the template form.Related linksPostgraduate Research Student OfficeCollege Research Award - Further information on Student FundingPhD EducationPhD Sport, Physical Education and Health Sciences This article was published on 2024-10-07