Writing the PhD Proposal

OK. So, I came to Durham planning to stay for a PhD in Archaeology. That plan is certainly still in place, and I’m even more convinced that this is the place for me. The problem is, I need to apply; the application is for much more than a place in the programme (that’s British for “program” to all my American friends), though… it is also my application for funding. There’s not a lot of that to go around here in the UK, especially for Americans, so getting this proposal just right is key. It’s also highly stressful and mind numbing, but very good at helping to clarify what you plan to do.

I’ve written, and re-written, my proposal several times since mid-November. I have a firm idea of my topic (i.e. the Antonine Wall), the research context and methods I plan to employ. So far I’ve written what I feel are at least 4 knockout versions that are sure to have every funding body on the face of the planet begging to contribute. Who am I kidding, though? When the time comes to be considered, I will be up against a group of incredibly brilliant students who have given just as much thought and effort to their proposals as well. Many of these will be in the “hard” sciences… and physics, maths (that’s just plain “math” where I’m from), biochemistry, etc. generally have a good advantage over proposals that are more social science or humanities based. So, university-wide, I’m at a disadvantage. Unfortunately, this also extends to within my own department, where other proposals for more “scientific” approaches to archaeology may edge me out as well. Let’s hope my intense fine-tuning pays off, and I can somehow stand out from the crowd.

In a future article, I plan to discuss the proposal writing process in greater detail. I will include some of my different versions, and show how the proposal evolved into what I end up submitting. I hope with this to provide a useful resource for other students writing similar proposals, especially for funding at Durham or elsewhere in the UK. Since I’m not yet finished with my final draft (and since there’s still opportunity for someone else to benefit from my advice and beat me!), I will wait on this for a few weeks. Look for this article toward the end of February. In the meantime, please wish me luck and keep me in your prayers.

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