Postgraduate Funding

The School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics is seeking outstanding applicants for scholarships on our Masters programmes in Literature, English Language, Linguistics and Creative Writing. We are offering several bursaries worth up to £2,500 towards the cost of postgraduate study.

Scholarships will be awarded on a competitive basis to applicants who, at the time the application is submitted, have completed an application on the portal for 2023-24 entry on one of the following Masters programmes in the School:

• MA in English Literature (including the pathway in Children’s Literature)
• MA in Creative Writing
• MA in Writing Poetry
• MA in Linguistics
• MLitt (Masters by Research) in English Literature
• MLitt in English Language
• MLitt in Linguistics

Applicants should have achieved or be predicted to achieve a first-class or high 2.1 undergraduate degree or, where relevant, a lower qualification with professional practice that provides equivalent academic and research skills. Applicants are expected to outline why Newcastle University is the best place to undertake Postgraduate study and how Masters level study will lead to doctoral study or support their future career aspirations.

Successful applicants will join our thriving School which was placed first in the UK for English Language and Literature in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), and seventh in the UK for research power in Modern Languages and Linguistics (Times Higher Education).  We have an energetic, creative and well-resourced postgraduate community within the School, and we hope successful applicants would contribute to this culture via participation in the Postgraduate Culture Group. Award holders will benefit from expert teaching and supervision. They will have the opportunity to work within the University Library’s Special Collections, with the wide range of linguistic corpora created by the School and with our partner organizations, including National Museums Northern Ireland, Northern Stage, Wordsworth Trust, Seven Stories: the National Centre for Children’s Books and the Word: the National Centre for the Written Word.

General enquiries should be directed to Scott Burdon.
For further information please read the School Bursary Criteria and Guidelines 2022-3

The call for applications will open in spring 2023.

Newcastle University is seeking outstanding MA Writing Poetry applicants for a scholarship award for 2022 entry worth £9,600 (full fees).

Scholarships will be awarded on a competitive basis to applicants who, at the time the application is submitted, have completed an application on the portal for 2022-23 entry on the MA Writing Poetry (either London or Newcastle).

This accredited MA uniquely combines masterclasses, workshops and individual teaching with a core footing in the professional poetry world, encompassing all aspects of creative practice. There is expert tuition from nationally and internationally renowned poets: Glyn Maxwell and Tamar Yoseloff (London); Tara Bergin, W.N. Herbert, Sinéad Morrissey and Jacob Polley (Newcastle).  Students come together for a one-week summer school in July, alternating between Newcastle and London each year.

Applicants should have an achieved or predicted first-class or high 2.1 undergraduate degree or, where relevant, a lower qualification with professional practice that provides equivalent academic and research skills.

General enquiries should be directed to Melanie Birch (Newcastle) or Sarala Estruch (London)
For further information please read the School Bursary Criteria and Guidelines 2022-3

The call for applications is now closed.

This scholarship (consisting of three funded places of up to £5,000 each) responds to Leading Route’s The Broken Pipeline report, which reveals that inequalities and bias within higher education are substantially disadvantaging Black students and impacting their access to the funding required to support their higher education. The School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics is offering a funded place to a Black student wishing to launch their postgraduate career via any of the School’s research or taught Masters programmes:

• MA in English Literature (including the pathway in Children’s Literature)
• MA in Creative Writing
• MA in Writing Poetry
• MA in Linguistics
• MLitt (Masters by Research) in English Literature
• MLitt in English Language
• MLitt in Linguistics

Applicants should have achieved or be predicted to achieve a first-class or high 2.1 undergraduate degree or, where relevant, a lower qualification with professional practice that provides equivalent academic and research skills. Applicants are expected to outline why Newcastle University is the best place to undertake Postgraduate study and how Masters level study will lead to doctoral study or support their future career aspirations.

You should be from one of the following categories of ethnicity: Black African; Black Caribbean; Black Other; Mixed – White and Black Caribbean; Mixed – White and Black African; or Other mixed background (to include Black African, Black Caribbean or Black Other).

Successful applicants will join our thriving School which was ranked third in the UK for English Language and Literature in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, sixth for research power in Linguistics. We have an energetic, creative and well-resourced postgraduate community within the School, and we hope successful applicants would contribute to this culture via participation in the Postgraduate Culture Group. Award holders will benefit from expert teaching and supervision, and have the opportunity to work with the University Library’s Special Collections, with the wide range of linguistic corpora created by the School and with our partner organizations, including National Museums Northern Ireland, Northern Stage, Wordsworth Trust, Seven Stories: the National Centre for Children’s Books and the Word: the National Centre for the Written Word.

General enquiries should be directed to Scott Burdon.

For further information please read the Access Criteria and Guidelines 2022-3

The call for applications is now closed.

We are delighted to announce the Poetry School MA in Writing Poetry Scholarship for an under-represented poet. For a second year, Poetry School is offering a full fees scholarship award (£9,600) to the Poetry School/Newcastle University MA in Writing Poetry for an outstanding applicant who is currently under-represented in the poetry world. 

By under-represented poets, we mean talented creatives who face barriers to opportunities due to ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or socio-economic background. 

‘We, at Poetry School, couldn’t be more thrilled to be able to offer this full scholarship to a talented writer who otherwise wouldn’t be able to participate in our incredible MA. We are so proud of all our MA students and graduates, and recognise that the opportunity to study for an MA is something every writer of talent deserves. We are committed to breaking all barriers to participation with our work and see this scholarship as an important step towards that goal.’ Sally Carruthers, Poetry School Executive Director.

This accredited MA uniquely combines masterclasses, workshops, and individual teaching with a core footing in the professional poetry world, encompassing all aspects of creative practice. There is expert tuition from nationally and internationally renowned poets: Glyn Maxwell and Tamar Yoseloff (London); Tara Bergin, W.N. Herbert, Sinéad Morrissey, and Jacob Polley (Newcastle). Students come together for a one-week summer school in July, alternating between the two cities each year.

The Scholarship will be awarded on a competitive basis to an applicant who has applied for 2022/23 entry to the MA in Writing Poetry and has selected to study in London at Poetry School. Applicants should have an achieved or predicted first-class or high 2.1 undergraduate degree or, where relevant, a lower qualification with professional practice that provides equivalent academic and research skills.

To apply, please mention in your personal statement included in your application to the MA in Writing Poetry that you would like to be considered for the Poetry School Scholarship for under-represented poets and detail why you are an eligible candidate.

If you have already submitted your application for a place on the programme and would like to be considered for the Scholarship, please email a 300-500-word statement to sarala@poetryschool.com detailing why you are an eligible candidate for the Scholarship.

General enquires should be directed to sarala@poetryschool.com, MA Manager at the Poetry School.

Deadline for applications: Friday 15 April 2022, 5pm. 

Shortlisted applicants should expect to be called for interview in May.

This scholarship is made possible through the generosity of an unnamed donor. 

The Northern Bridge Consortium is a Doctoral Training Partnership funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

It brings together the cutting-edge expertise and exceptional resources of Durham University, Newcastle University, Northumbria University, Queen’s University Belfast, Sunderland University, Teesside University and Ulster University and their strategic partners.

They offer up to 67 fully funded studentships per year to outstanding postgraduate researchers across the full range of Arts and Humanities subjects, including Creative Practice disciplines.

Northern Bridge students benefit from supervision, training and development of the highest quality, tailored to the needs of 21st-century researchers.

The School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics seek outstanding applicants for studentships on our PhD programmes in Literature, Creative Writing or Linguistics.

We invite applications in any area of literary study, from medieval literature to contemporary culture, as well as in a number of areas of Linguistics. We offer a world-leading research environment for doctoral projects in:

• American and African American Literature
• Children's Literature
• Creative Writing (poetry, prose or script)
• 18th Century and Romantic Studies
• Language Acquisition
• Language Variation and Change
• Modern and Contemporary Literature and Culture
• Postcolonial Literature
• Renaissance and Early Modern Literature and Culture
• Syntax, Phonology, Morphology
• Theatre Studies
• Victorian Literature

We also invite student-led applications for Collaborative Doctoral Awards with our partner organisations. 

We value equality and diversity and strongly encourage applications from under-represented groups.

The competition for 2021-22 entry has now closed – further details can be found at:

Northern Bridge Doctoral Training Partnership (NBDTP).

Prospective Northern Bridge applicants should discuss their applications with the appropriate academic contact in their subject area:

• English Language and Literature: Michael Rossington
• Creative Writing: Bill Herbert
• Drama and Theatre Studies: Emma Whipday
• Linguistics: Rory Turnbull

 General queries should be directed to Scott Burdon

There are also opportunities for Linguistics applicants via the ESRC funded NINE Doctoral Training Partnership

The Northern Ireland and North East Doctoral Training Partnership (NINE DTP) is an exciting collaborative enterprise between seven Universities across Northern Ireland and the North East of England.  Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), with support from the Department for the Economy Northern Ireland (DfENI), they provide outstanding students with fantastic opportunities to conduct their Doctoral studies and develop core research skills in an exciting and creative environment.

Each year, they award in excess of 50 studentships to exceptional social scientists across the seven partner Universities, providing funding to support Doctoral studies on three year (PhD), three-and-a-half year (PhD with Research Methods) or four year (Masters and PhD) programmes.

They are committed to working with award-holders, partners and collaborators to deliver an innovative and engaging experience, allowing students to deliver real-world impact whilst developing into the next generation of social scientists.

The School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics seeks outstanding applicants for studentships on our PhD programmes in Linguistics.

We offer a world-leading research environment for doctoral projects in:

• Language Acquisition, Bilingualism and Psycholinguistics
• Language Variation and Change
• Syntax, Phonology, Morphology

Find out more about our staff research areas.

The competition for 2021-22 entry is now closed – further details can be found at:

NINE Doctoral Training Partnership.

Prospective NINE applicants should discuss their applications with Rory Turnbull.