Frequently Asked Questions

No. We accept PhD applications from people who have (or expect to be awarded this year) a 2:1 undergraduate degree or above. There are lots of able researchers who don’t have a Master’s degree. Of course, doing a Master’s degree involves engaging with research more than an undergraduate degree and a Master’s project or dissertation may involve elements of original research. So people who do have a Master’s may be better able to demonstrate their ability to do research. Additionally, if you want to switch disciplines between undergrad and PhD then a Master’s can be an efficient way of getting a good grounding in your second discipline. All the cohort 1 LAURA students hold a Master’s.

Tool to check qualification equivalence

No. While some of our supervisors come from those disciplines, LAURA is broad and interdisciplinary, because aural diversity touches every discipline that is interested in sound. We would expect you to be able to explain how your education has prepared you for the PhD that you want to do. We don’t expect you to already have every skill you would need to do the research. But you should be able to show that you could learn it. Usually, you would evidence this by pointing to the closest skill you have. For example, say you discuss a PhD topic with a supervisor and they say that it will involve statistical modelling. You probably don’t have experience of the methods the supervisor wants you to use, but you do have experience in programming (in any language) and/or you have experience with a related quantitative method. This is something that you should email your potential supervisor about.

It may well be, depending on the research topic you’re interested in. Discuss it with your potential supervisor.

This is possible but difficult. Our main sponsor, The Leverhulme Trust, prefers that students are full-time. They will consider part-time funding, but they require the Director of LAURA to make an individual written case on behalf of the applicant. This can only happen after we have selected you and offered the funding, so it is fairly late in the application cycle. If Leverhulme agree, you could do the PhD part-time.

We have one studentship funded by the University’s School of Health and Society. Leverhulme are not involved in this, so we can offer part-time funding. The bursary arrangements would be as outlined above. However, this studentship does not come with the £10k research expenses, and the primary supervisor must be located in the School of Health and Society.

Yes. The MPhils are funded by Salford University and part-time study is possible. The degree would then take 24 months, and the bursary would be paid at 50% of the full-time rate.

If you are from one or more of the groups listed below then we can offer you additional support during the application process, such as a mentor who could offer advice on your draft application.  Enquire about being matched with an independent mentor by emailing see-laura@salford.ac.uk These groups are under-represented in research:

• You are from an ethnic group that is underrepresented in research careers (Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic).
• You identify as having a disability. The term ‘disability’ is quite broad, and further definitions of what might be considered a ‘disability’ can be found under the Equality Act 2010.
• You are a first-generation student (you are the first person in your family to go to university).
• You are a mature student (you were aged 21 or over when you started your first undergraduate course).
• You are care-experienced or an estranged student.

Yes, but our advice would be to begin discussions with the supervisors and then choose your favourite. A credible application that we will fund is a lot of work and we will only offer you one place.

Perhaps you are thinking of applying for both PhD and MPhil or both MPhil and MSc + PhD? This could get very confusing for both you and us. Best to talk to us about this first so we can advise on your best route: email see-laura@salford.ac.uk

Of course! Just as you are in competition with other LAURA applicants, we are in a competition with other DTCs for the best students. It’s likely that our decision timelines will not line up. If we offer you a place and you’re holding an offer from another University, we’re open to having a conversation about what you want to do.

Yes. View our current funding opportunities. If you do make multiple applications, it would be helpful if you’d let the organisers of each programme know you’re doing this. The decision making process for each is separate so it’s possible to end up with an offer from more than one.

There are a broad range of sound-related facilities and people who might be useful in your research.

The main taught component is just for Master’s + PhD students. If you do this, you spend the first year on your chosen Master’s course with other students on that course. In years 2-5, you do the PhD.

For MPhil and PhD students there is a compulsory research training programme on one day/week in year 1. This is for all research students in the University, and covers topics like ethics and epistemology.

Mostly you will be working on your own research. You will typically have scheduled meetings with your supervisors every one or two weeks, and quite likely casual contact alongside.

LAURA students have a physical home base (including a desk each) within the Acoustics Research Centre at Salford. This has a strong informal and helpful research culture. The LAURA room is next to the (rather scruffy) acoustics staff room & kitchen, where you are likely to find a fellow PhD student, postdoc or professor to chat to.

Not totally. There will be a few LAURA workshop events that are F2F. The University’s research training programme is hybrid, but they like you turn up physically to at least some sessions. Using research facilities will almost certainly require you to be at Salford. Most research students end up adopting a hybrid pattern (as do their supervisors, typically). While we can accommodate lots of individual needs and preferences, it remains true that for almost all researchers (including autistic ones like the LAURA Director), you can get good peer support by turning up in person and discussing/moaning about your research.

Sure. This might be an academic at another university (anywhere in the world) or a practitioner with relevant expertise or someone with lived experience of the hearing difference you are studying. LAURA has a strong relationship with the Aural Diversity Network, which includes many such experts. In almost all cases, this will not be a paid relationship, but of course you might end up co-authoring papers together, etc. If you want to include or name a collaborator in your application, talk to your potential supervisor about this.

Some change is normal and expected. In fact, one of the first things most PhD supervisors want to do with their new students is to revisit and refine the proposal. (Yes, even after you put all that work in during the application.) As you progress in your research, you might want to alter course, for example, to apply a new technique or theory. In general, as long as your supervisors agree, this is fine. To retain your funding, your work must continue to be centred on aural diversity.

Masters + PhD applicants are in an unusual position. We ask you to outline your PhD before you have even started your Masters! Of course, we know that your ideas are likely to develop and change during the Masters. We expect that you will stay in touch with your planned PhD supervisor during your Masters. (It is quite possible that your PhD supervisor will also supervise your Masters dissertation.) But switching to a different research project and supervisory team within LAURA for your PhD would also be possible, as long as all parties are happy. Of course, progress is conditional on you passing your Masters and doing research in aural diversity.