Good Postgraduate
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Student Recruitment & Admissions
www.ed.ac.uk/student-recruitment
Introduc on
This
guide provides prac cal informa on to those who have been
asked to submit a research proposal as part of their applica on for
admissions to a research degree as well as those who are applying to
external bodies for postgraduate research funding.
A research degree (e.g. Masters by Research, PhD, EdD, DMus) can be
one of the best experiences of your life. What you gain along the way
will serve you for the rest of life, if only to make you a more confident
and knowledgeable person. In addi on to making friends, mee ng
eminent researchers and being part of the research community,
it will allow you to develop research skills as well as invaluable
transferable skills which you can apply to academic life, your current
employment or a variety of professions outside of academia.
Student Recruitment & Admissions
www.ed.ac.uk/student-recruitment
Research Funding
In choosing where to do your research degree, a long list of factors will come into play: academic
reputa on, research experts, loca on, quality of training and availability of funding. There are
several types of funding for postgraduate research: your own funds; external funding bodies
such as chari es and Trusts; na onal/ governmental agencies; employers and the private sector
and; University scholarships, funded studentships and projects adver sed by supervisors. It is a
compe ve process and will depend on your qualifica ons, experience and research aspira ons.
If you already have an idea for your research project or if you are interested in developing your
experience in an area of interest within the exper se of a prospec ve supervisor, you should
consider contac ng prospec ve supervisors early on to discuss the possibility of doing a research
project under their supervision.
How to iden fy funding sources
It takes me to inves gate poten al funding avenues and to prepare postgraduate