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Masters Compare - Find your perfect masters course.
West Midlands, All England
This PhD project will be based in Birmingham Business School which is part of the College of Social Sciences.
The deadline for applications is 23:59 (UK time) on Tuesday 30 April 2024.
Black Majority Churches (BMCs) play many roles, including contributions to social inclusion, housing provision, providing meeting spaces for connecting cultures, and hosting health promotion and prevention activities. There are nearly 4000 in the UK with over a million adherents with concentrations in London, Birmingham, and Bristol. These cities are well known in Africa and the Caribbean with new immigrants joining social and family networks configured around BMCs. Many are linked to the Windrush generation. Europe’s first BMC was founded in London in 1906; Southwark has 240 which is the greatest concentration of African-Christian churches anywhere outside Africa. There is a well-developed literature on anchor institutions which are defined as organisations that have an important presence in a place. This term is usually associated with universities or anchor ‘eds’, and recently, health organisations have been urged to label themselves as anchor ‘meds’. Religious spaces are overlooked in the anchor institution literature (Bryson et al., 2020), but in 2023 they were defined as “alternative anchor institutions” (Bryson, 2023).
This studentship will explore the multiple roles, contributions and impacts BMCs make as alternative anchor institutions, reducing health and wellbeing inequalities and improving life chances by bringing together the literatures on the theology of place, social infrastructure and left behind places, dynamic embeddedness, anchor institutions, and public health. This would be the first study of churches as alternative anchor institutions. The project is especially significant given the many contributions BMCs play in anchoring people in place and in enhancing wellbeing.
The Business School’s entry requirement is a good Honours degree (First Class or Upper Second Class Honours degree) awarded by a recognised University in an appropriate subject, and a merit in a relevant Masters degree with an average of 65 in the taught component of the Masters.
These scholarships are designed to create opportunities and address the underrepresentation of talented Black or Black mixed heritage students in academia. Applicants who meet all of the following criteria are eligible to apply:
1. UK nationals and eligible for registration as Home students
2. Members of one of the following ethnic groups:
3. Not already enrolled on a PhD programme at the University of Birmingham
1. Financial Support: Recipients of these scholarships will receive substantial financial support, including a stipend at UKRI rates, which is set at £18,622 per year. This support covers tuition fees, living expenses, and research-related costs, including bench fees. This support is designed to alleviate the financial burden often associated with pursuing a doctoral degree.
2. Mentorship and Guidance: Scholarship recipients will benefit from mentorship opportunities and guidance from accomplished faculty members who are dedicated to helping them succeed in their academic and research endeavours.
3. Research Opportunities: We are committed to providing an exceptional research environment. Students will have access to state-of-the-art facilities, cutting-edge resources, and a vibrant scholarly community.
4. Community Building: A key component of the scholarship programme is the creation of a supportive community of Black British researchers pursuing PhDs. This network will foster collaboration and peer support among scholars.
5. Research Training Support Grant: In addition to financial support, scholarship recipients will receive a research training support grant. This grant is intended to support conference attendance, fieldwork, and other essential activities that enhance their research and academic growth.
6. Commitment to Inclusivity: We are dedicated to building an inclusive academic environment that values diversity and ensures equitable access to education.
Once applicants have familiarised themselves with the above project details, they are encouraged to contact the lead PhD supervisor to discuss the project and the applicant’s suitability for the project. This is recommended before you submit an application to the PhD project.
After applicants have made contact with the lead PhD supervisor, you will then need to apply to the PhD project using our online application portal: you should select ‘125th Anniversary Scholarships (COSS)‘. You will need to create an account for the online application portal and you will be prompted to sign-in upon your return to the portal.
You do not need to complete your application in one session; you can save your application at each stage and return to the portal at any stage before submission, particularly if you do not have all of the necessary documents when you begin your application.
As this is an ‘advertised PhD’, in which you will studying the above project that has already been provided by the academic supervisor(s), you do not need to submit a research proposal. Your personal statement will suffice for determining your suitability for the PhD project as well as your previous academic, professional and personal experiences.
The deadline for applications is 23:59 (UK time) on Tuesday 30 April 2024.
For your application you will need to submit the following documents:
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