PHD funding

aisling richmond

hello, could anyone advise me on phd funding sources?

It's for a programme in the States in Somatic Psyhology (which doesn't exist to phd level in Europe, it's pretty leading edge work.) With this course at Meridian Univerisity in California, I can stay based in Ireland and travel twice per year.

That's if I can somehow afford it! So I'd love to know of any funding sources or travel grants if you know of them. Many thanks, Aisling

djpbarry

aisling richmond wrote: »

It's for a programme in the States in Somatic Psyhology (which doesn't exist to phd level in Europe, it's pretty leading edge work...

No it's not - it's pseudo-science.

I would think long and hard about committing to such a program if I were you - it's very unlikely you will find a body in Europe prepared to fund such work.

gutenberg

aisling richmond wrote: »

hello, could anyone advise me on phd funding sources?

It's for a programme in the States in Somatic Psyhology (which doesn't exist to phd level in Europe, it's pretty leading edge work.) With this course at Meridian Univerisity in California, I can stay based in Ireland and travel twice per year.

That's if I can somehow afford it! So I'd love to know of any funding sources or travel grants if you know of them. Many thanks, Aisling

I would have thought that the most likely source of funding would be the university you're planning on attending. Do they not have any studentships? For study in America there are schemes such as the Fulbright and so on, but you usually have to be living & studying there full-time to qualify. Is it a distance-learning course? Or are you technically a 'proper' student who just won't be living near their university?

aisling richmond

Thanks for your reply DJPBarry.

Yes I agree the course is not conventional psychology, but that's not what I'm looking for; maybe I've got this wrong but I get the impression that mainstream psychology courses provide an excellent academic/ intellectual training with not enough subjective/ emotional/ somatic experiencing, nor is it held within a wider transpersonal framework. That's all very important to me.

I do have questions though as to how well that may be done within a low residency programme, so yes you've flagged a good point there. I appreciate the reply.

aisling richmond

Hello Gutenberg,

many thanks for your reply. Yes, technically I'd be a full time student, just one who lives in another country and attends week long intensives throughout the year rather than a monthly format. I don't really know how well that would work but I'm contacting past students to see and also seeking advice from colleagues here in Ireland. As well as all of you who respond, so thanks!

The University does have a scholarship fund for low income students, and right now, I'm one of them! But it's still huge fees of 15000 a year, let alone travel costs and other expenses. The scholarship fund is up to 8000 per year, and then you can get a loan from the university which I am reluctant to do. The fullbright award has closed for 2013, I think you need to get your application in by december so I missed out on that one. Thanks for the reminder though. I appreciate you reply! Aisling

Ravelleman

I urge caution on this matter. I think djpbarry is right - you'll struggle to find a funding body that's willing to support a PhD in something like that.

gutenberg

aisling richmond wrote: »

Hello Gutenberg,

many thanks for your reply. Yes, technically I'd be a full time student, just one who lives in another country and attends week long intensives throughout the year rather than a monthly format. I don't really know how well that would work but I'm contacting past students to see and also seeking advice from colleagues here in Ireland. As well as all of you who respond, so thanks!

The University does have a scholarship fund for low income students, and right now, I'm one of them! But it's still huge fees of 15000 a year, let alone travel costs and other expenses. The scholarship fund is up to 8000 per year, and then you can get a loan from the university which I am reluctant to do. The fullbright award has closed for 2013, I think you need to get your application in by december so I missed out on that one. Thanks for the reminder though. I appreciate you reply! Aisling

To be honest, leaving aside qualms about the subject (I do echo djp & Ravelleman's concerns though...) I really don't think you'd have much luck in getting a funding body to give you money for a quasi-long distance American degree. With Fulbright I'm pretty sure you have to commit to actually living in the States, and other scholarships for study in America that I've seen also specify a residency requirement. I do think you'll really struggle to be honest, both on account of the subject and the slightly fishy way the course is set up...

djpbarry

aisling richmond wrote: »

Yes I agree the course is not conventional psychology, but that's not what I'm looking for; maybe I've got this wrong but I get the impression that mainstream psychology courses provide an excellent academic/ intellectual training...

A PhD is not a "course" as such - it's essentially an apprenticeship in research. Some will have small a taught component (particularly in the US), but the whole point is to produce meaningful research while learning how to research effectively.

Also bear in mind that PhD positions are generally funded - the student is paid as a full-time researcher. I would always advise caution in cases were PhD positions are not funded, but I wouldn't even entertain the idea of paying to do a PhD.

aisling richmond wrote: »

...with not enough subjective/ emotional/ somatic experiencing, nor is it held within a wider transpersonal framework. That's all very important to me.

Ok, but is it $60,000 worth of important? I'm sure you could probably just move to California and immerse yourself in the world of somatic psychology without spending a fortune on a qualification that's not recognised outside California.

Also, you're stressing the terms "subjective" and "emotional" - a PhD thesis should be anything but subjective and emotional.

Ravelleman

djpbarry wrote: »

Also bear in mind that PhD positions are generally funded - the student is paid as a full-time researcher. I would always advise caution in cases were PhD positions are not funded, but I wouldn't even entertain the idea of paying to do a PhD.

I'm not sure if you have any experience in the humanities but this simply isn't the case. A lot of people, even with high quality research proposals, face the reality of doing PhDs without funding, particularly in the present climate. The top tier should, of course, hope to receive some kind of scholarship or studentship but a lot of others have to make some tough decisions. I'm not speaking from personal experience here - I'm just telling it how I see it.

djpbarry

Ravelleman wrote: »

I'm not sure if you have any experience in the humanities but this simply isn't the case. A lot of people, even with high quality research proposals, face the reality of doing PhDs without funding, particularly in the present climate.

Fair enough - I'm not suggesting that people should not do non-funded PhDs, I'm simply advising caution.

However, forking out $60,000 is another matter entirely.

Raphael

If you were a non-EU student studying in the humanities in Ireland (or at least History in UCD, as that's what I have direct second hand experience of), prior to this years changes to the IRC rules, you were ineligible for funding and had to pay €9000 a year, which is ~$12,000.

djpbarry

Raphael wrote: »

If you were a non-EU student studying in the humanities in Ireland (or at least History in UCD, as that's what I have direct second hand experience of), prior to this years changes to the IRC rules, you were ineligible for funding and had to pay €9000 a year, which is ~$12,000.

Oh I've heard of numerous cases were non-EU students were paying ridiculous fees to do PhDs in Ireland (and third level institutes "unofficially" targeting non-EU candidates for that reason), but I still think it's mental.

southsiderosie

Ravelleman wrote: »

I'm not sure if you have any experience in the humanities but this simply isn't the case. A lot of people, even with high quality research proposals, face the reality of doing PhDs without funding, particularly in the present climate. The top tier should, of course, hope to receive some kind of scholarship or studentship but a lot of others have to make some tough decisions. I'm not speaking from personal experience here - I'm just telling it how I see it.

djpbarry wrote: »

Fair enough - I'm not suggesting that people should not do non-funded PhDs, I'm simply advising caution.

I would not pay to do a PhD. Period. If you want to go into academia, the market is completely glutted, and if you want to go into the private sector or private practice, you are better off finding an employer that will at least pick up some, if not most of the tab.

Also, I definitely would not advise doing a 'distance doctorate', at least not for the course component. Looking at that program there are four years of courses - how are you supposed to do that from afar? And perhaps more importantly, why would you want to? To be honest, four years of coursework seems excessive (outside of medical school). ANd will you even be able to use the degree outside of California? What is their accreditation?

If you want to study in the US, your best bet here is to find a full-time Masters program that does something similar, get Fulbright funding for it, and then while you are there, apply to PhD programs that fully fund their students. Many of the public universities will fund their students, although you may have to teach to earn your stipend. But given the realities of the market, that is, I think, a far more sane way to go about it, especially for American universities.

djpbarry

southsiderosie wrote: »

If you want to go into academia, the market is completely glutted...

To be fair, that really depends on the field.

southsiderosie

djpbarry wrote: »

To be fair, that really depends on the field.

In what field is it not the case that there are not nearly enough tenure-track positions for the number of PhDs? At least in psychology you have applied options, and even in that field TT positions are very hard to come by, even for graduates of top-tier schools.

Not being snarky here - I am genuinely curious, especially as I just went though a cycle on the TT job market in the US (but not in this field).

djpbarry

southsiderosie wrote: »

In what field is it not the case that there are not nearly enough tenure-track positions for the number of PhDs?

Not very many I imagine, but then that depends on how we define "enough". I'm not really one for believing that the number of such positions should necessarily increase with the number of PhDs.

Anyways, I think this is a discussion for another thread.

southsiderosie

djpbarry wrote: »

Not very many I imagine, but then that depends on how we define "enough". I'm not really one for believing that the number of such positions should necessarily increase with the number of PhDs.

Anyways, I think this is a discussion for another thread.

Fair enough. But for purposes of this thread, I'd reiterate my previous statement: if you aren't paying for it, your employer should - otherwise it is just not worth it, especially at US-level prices.