8General Information Funding and Finance Tuition fees and any other additional charges are payable upon enrolment with the University as a student. Fees cover registration, supervision, formal assessment via research milestones and examination, access to facilities and membership of student organisations. For a quotation of fees in your chosen research area, contact the School Research administrator in the appropriate School ( see www. northumbria. ac. uk/ pgrapply). Full details of the fees will be given to applicants at the time that the University makes an offer. Fees rise annually in line with inflation. Research Studentships Northumbria's Research Development Fund offers Doctoral studentships each academic year. In addition, Doctoral studentships at Northumbria are funded by several of the UK Research Councils: . The Arts and Humanities Research Council ( AHRC), www. ahrc. ac. uk . Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council ( BBSRC), www. bbsrc. ac. uk . Economic and Social Research Council ( ESRC), www. esrc. ac. uk . Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council ( EPSRC), www. epsrc. ac. uk Northumbria University has also received funding from One North East, ( www. onenortheast. co. uk) for doctoral bursaries for 2009/ 2010. If you are an applicant from overseas, you should also consider if funding opportunities are offered by your own government. To view all current studentships vacancies at Northumbria see: www. northumbria. ac. uk/ researchstudentships Employment Sponsorship Many part- time students are sponsored by their employers. If your chosen area of research is relevant to your current job, your employer may be able to offer some assistance towards your fees. Such assistance could range from a contribution towards the cost of books or materials, day release or the provision of leave, to full funding. Financial Advice The Welfare and International Support Team offers help and practical advice on a wide range of student issues including student loans and budgeting. For more information contact the Welfare and International Support Team on Tel: 0191 227 4127, Student Services, Northumberland Building, City Campus. '' Thank you very much for the wonderful support from the School and the University. My supervision team is great. Many of my PhD friends are very supportive.''

www. northumbria. ac. uk9 How to Apply Initial Enquiries Before applying, contact the relevant School Research Administrator listed at www. northumbria. ac. uk/ pgrapplyfor more information. You may be asked to complete the initial enquiry form available from this web page. If you have any questions relating to the research degree programme content, you will be offered the chance to discuss them with a member of the School research community. If you are unsure who to contact, please contact the Graduate School, tel: ( 0191) 227 4060, email: graduateschool@ northumbria. ac. uk for advice. Application Candidates are required to submit: . An application form . An initial 500- word summary giving details of your proposed topic . Copies of qualifications The research application form is available from www. northumbria. ac. uk/ pgrapply( applicants to Newcastle Business School should complete the online application form at www. newcastlebusinessschool. co. ukinstead). Entry Requirements Usually applicants are expected to have at least an upper second class honours degree ( UK) or equivalent from an overseas university, or a Masters degree in a relevant discipline. Applicants who do not hold these qualifications must demonstrate equivalent intellectual competence possibly referenced by relevant experience to the satisfaction of the relevant University committee. Where English is not the applicants' first language, they must have a satisfactory level of English ( minimum IELTS 6.5, but 7.0 required in some areas). Applicants to Professional Doctorate programmes should note that in some cases, 150 credits of advanced standing may be awarded against their existing Masters qualification, where the applicant has appropriate experience of practice in line with the University Professional Doctorate Framework and/ or evidence of appropriate continuous professional development. What Happens Next? Provided you satisfy our entry requirements and your research proposal is within the area of our expertise, all applicants will be required to undertake an interview. This may be conducted on a face- to- face basis, by telephone or by video conferencing. A successful interview will normally result in your referees being contacted and if satisfactory references are obtained, an offer is usually made in writing. International Applicants A limited number of scholarships, based upon academic merit, are available for some research degree programmes. Further information for international applicants is available from the International Office on page 48 and fromwww. northumbria. ac. uk/ international. Applications can be made for research study at any time of the year, normally to commence at the start of the academic year and calendar year. The following sections provide an introduction to the research areas offered in each academic School.