Wales’ leading universities have won a multi-million pound award to train top-level social scientists on a range of issues affecting society today.
The establishment of a Doctoral Training Centre will allow 33 new postgraduate studentships to be offered every year in Wales for the next five years.
The postgraduates will be trained in a range of important disciplines, including social policy, psychology, economics, international relations, environmental planning and linguistics.
Cardiff University will lead a Wales consortium with Aberystwyth, Bangor and Swansea in creating the Doctoral Training Centre, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
Other subject areas which will attract the fully funded studentships include education, human geography, management and business studies, political science and international relations, science and technology studies, social work and social care, criminology, sociology, bilingualism, language based area studies and empirical studies in law.
Full details of the studentships and how to apply will be available soon via the websites of the collaborating universities.
The Wales consortium forms part of a national network of 21 accredited Doctoral Training Centres across the UK judged by the ESRC to deliver truly excellent postgraduate training provision.
Dr David Grant, Vice-Chancellor Cardiff University said: “This successful collaboration furthers Wales’ international reputation for excellence in the social sciences.
“In gaining accreditation, the Wales Doctoral Training Centre has demonstrated excellence in the breadth of its social science postgraduate training, which is integrated into the highest quality research environment”
Professor Colin McInnes, Dean of Postgraduate Studies at Aberystwyth University said: “This is an exciting opportunity which brings together a range of outstanding centres across Wales to provide a world class facility for training social scientists fit to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”
Professor Noel Thompson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Swansea University said: “Swansea University is delighted to have been part of the bid for an ESRC Doctoral Training Centre that proved successful in the face of strong competition within the British Higher Education sector. The Centre will allow us to build capacity to ensure the future delivery of world-leading and international quality social science research within Wales.”
Bangor University’s Director of Research, Professor Jo Rycroft-Malone said: “The Doctoral Training Centre arrangements will add valuable new dimensions to the experience of postgraduate students by providing more varied pathways, more advanced training, and enhanced support. Training will be delivered in an interdisciplinary research environment across the four institutions, and Bangor is delighted to be involved.”
The studentships will start at the Wales Doctoral Training Centre in October 2011. For further information, email ESRCWalesDTC@cardiff.ac.uk