AQW 37799/11-15

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 21/10/2014
Answered On Date: 05/11/2014
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Employment and Learning to detail the number of Post-Graduate awards that his Department has provided in partnership with universities, in each year since 2011.

Answer:

My Department makes available funding for postgraduate awards in the form of PhD studentships at the Queen’s University Belfast and The University of Ulster. At the discretion of the awarding university, these awards can be commuted to students undertaking a Masters Research degree (MRes). The awards since 2011 are as follows:

Academic YearFunded PhD StudentshipsCommuted to MRes

2011/12695 20

2012/13595 18

2013/14631 NA

2014/15729 NA

Information in respect of funded MRes degrees for academic years 2013/14 and 2014/15 is not yet available.

In addition to the above, my Department also provides funding for the Aerospace MSc Bursary Programme. In academic year 2013/14 DEL supported 11 bursary holders and in academic year 2014/15 is supporting 10. There will be a further intake of bursary holders in academic year 2015/16.