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Apply for a Master’s + PhD

Would you like to join the 2025 cohort of funded LAURA students, but don’t feel ready for PhD study? the masters + PhD route is open to UK students from a widening-participation background who hold (or expect to be awarded) a 2:1 undergraduate degree or above.

  • A 12-month taught Master’s course to build your skills and then progress straight to a funded PhD in aural diversity.
  • Applications will close on 28 February 2025
  • Recording of our webinar for applicants

We are looking for people who have the potential to do excellent research in aural diversity. Our main selection criteria are the quality of your research proposal and your ability to carry it out. We provide interdisciplinary supervision, a vibrant research community and the opportunity to make a unique contribution to knowledge.

If you would like further information on The Leverhulme Doctoral Centre for Aural Diversity, then please contact us on this email address: see-laura@salford.ac.uk

What is funded?

LAURA offers fully-funded Masters + PhD positions. This includes:

  • A bursary for your living expenses. From 1 Oct 2025, this is £20,780. Our funder, The Leverhulme Trust generally track the standard UKRI stipend rate.
  • Cost of tuition fees for Masters and PhD
  • Generous research expenses of up to £10,000 per student. This is to cover the costs of your research, such as: travel and subsistence to present at conferences or research visits, participant fees, lab consumables, measurement costs, etc. This applies to the PhD years.
  • Free access to research training courses during your PhD.

Timeline

For this route, we operate a three-stage process. First you apply for a PhD. If successful, this generates an offer of an unfunded conditional PhD place for 2026. If you get this offer, you can then apply to us for funding. You can also make a separate application to the relevant taught Master’s programme at Salford.

  • PhD application deadline: 28 February 2025
  • PhD Interviews: April 2025
  • Funding application deadline: 6 June 2025
  • Funding decisions: 27 June 2025
  • Application for Taught Masters programme most suitable to your PhD topic July 2025
  • Start taught masters programme September 2025
  • Register to start the PhD on campus: October 2026

Questions

Apply now

  1. Study the list of suggested research topics and supervisors. Contact the lead supervisor of the ONE project that most interests you and ask if you can talk to them about doing this via the Masters + PhD route.
  2. You and your potential supervisor can identify the most suitable taught Masters programme. There is some flexibility about this, but often it will be obvious. The Masters programe must include the opportunity to do a research-based dissertation. Typically, this will be related to your eventual PhD topic. You and your potential supervisor can discuss possible programmes with the LAURA team on see-laura@salford.ac.uk
  3. Offer to draft a 1-page research proposal for your prospective supervisor. This should expand on the topic on our web pages. It might also say something about how you envisage the Masters dissertation working. If the supervisor agrees, you will develop your outline into a full PhD proposal.
  4. After discussing your PhD project with your potential supervisor, you should apply through the Salford PGR system.
  5. You must state that you are applying for LAURA funding in your application use the drop-down list in the portal to select Leverhulme Scholarships in the Finance box
  6. Your application via the portal must include:
    1. 2000-word PhD proposal detailing your plans for a PhD project – this can be developed following your Masters training.
    2. Degree certificate
    3. Transcript
    4. A personal statement explaining that you are applying for the Masters + PhD route and why this is best for you.
    5. Referee details

Advice on how to write your proposal.

Informal enquiries about specific PhD subjects should be made to the supervisor. General enquiries about LAURA and the application process should be made to see-laura@salford.ac.uk

The closing date is 28th February 2025.

Apply through the Salford PGR system: Apply Now