The second iteration of the Midlands Graduate School, led by the University of Warwick, is an accredited Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Doctoral Training Partnership and forms part of the ESRC’s Doctoral Training Network which significantly widens access for postgraduates to ESRC funding across the UK.

Building on the first Midlands Graduate School which was established in 2016, this second iteration, established in 2023 and with a first cohort of students expected to start in October 2024, is a consortium led by the University of Warwick in conjunction with Aston University, the University of Birmingham, De Montfort University, the University of Leicester, Loughborough University, the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University.

The DTP Director Professor Jon Coaffee highlighted:

The new Midlands Graduate School will open up a range of opportunities for delivering exceptional doctoral training across a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary fields of the social sciences that will deliver cutting-edge and impactful research across the East and West Midlands region.

The full press release detailing the award of the new DTP can be accessed on Warwick's Press Releases webpage.

The DTP offers 17 different training pathways that span various social science disciplines; a large number of postgraduate studentships will be awarded annually across the pathways and institutions. These studentships are linked to a specific training pathways and some studentships have a built-in element of collaboration.

For further information on which pathways are available at each institution and how to apply for funding, please read our Applying for Studentships page.