The Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences (HELS) is based at our City South Campus. The Faculty has a strong focus on the training of health and education professionals with a rapidly growing life sciences portfolio.

HELS is making major investments in growing the quality and volume of research across its three constituent Schools (The Schools of Education and Social Work, Health Sciences, and Nursing and Midwifery) through investments in academic staff and researchers, doctoral students and new labs and equipment. This work is led by three centres of research excellence: the Centre for Studies in Practice and Culture in Education (CSPACE); the Centre for Social Care, Health and Related Research (CSCHaRR); and the Centre for Life and Sport Sciences (CLaSS). We are pleased to invite applications for five funded PhD opportunities to support this work.

We particularly welcome applicants from groups currently under-represented in our research community including LGBT+ applicants, applicants from Black Asian and minority ethnic communities and disabled applicants.

Birmingham City University is Stonewall Diversity Champion and holds an Athena Swan Bronze award. The School of Nursing and Midwifery has recently been awarded a department level Athena Swan Bronze award. At Birmingham City University we are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. All staff are expected to understand and enact the University’s commitment to ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion in our employment practice and in all that we do. This commitment is enshrined in our Core Values and is detailed in our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Employment Policy. The University values and celebrates the diversity of our staff and students; we welcome people from the many different backgrounds and life experiences that reflect the students and the citizens we serve. We do not discriminate against applicants and actively encourage unique contributions and difference in respect of age, ability, disability, sex, gender or gender identity, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or transgender status.

Fees and Funding

The studentships will follow Birmingham City University’s ‘PhD Classic’ Doctoral Training Grant funding model.

PhD Classic studentships consist of two elements:

1. A tax-free stipend for living expenses at the same rate as UK Research Council funded studentships (£18,622 a year for 2023/24) for up to three years, full time.
2. A full-time home fees studentship (£4,712 for 2023-24) for up to three years.

PhD Classic studentship opportunities are open to UK, EU and Overseas applicants. All applicants will receive the same stipend irrespective of fee status, however international fee status applicants will be required to meet the difference in fee costs from their own funds. The expected mode of study is full-time.

How to Apply

To apply, please complete an online application form via following the link attached to each individual project. In place of a personal statement applicants are required to upload a research proposal explaining their ideas about the selected project topic and how it might be studied. Please ensure you state the relevant project reference on your proposal form. All applicants are required to upload evidence of their qualifications in the relevant section of the application form and provide details of two referees, at least one being an academic reference as part of the application form.

International applicants must also provide a valid English language qualification, such as International English Language Test System (IELTS) or equivalent with an overall score of 6.5 with no band below 6.0.

Any additional application requirements will be stated in the information provided for each project.

Deadline for Applications

The closing date for applications is 23.59 on Sunday 1st October 2023 for a February 2024 start.