Web Science

Description

The University of Southampton’s Web Science Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) is part of a £250m investment in the future of UK science and technology by the Research Council’s UK Digital Economy Programme.

Bringing together world-leading research and postgraduate education, the DTC is an interdisciplinary centre with an ambitious agenda to explore the social and organisational behaviour of the Web as well as the underpinning technology.

Many of Southampton’s academics were influential in creating the Web – Professor Dame Wendy Hall, Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt – and remain at its forefront today.
Their expertise and the pioneering research by Southampton’s Web and Internet Science (WAIS) group, puts the University at the forefront of the development of Web Science.
The DTC provides fully-funded studentships for four-year PhD training in Web Science and runs MSc and PhDs in Web Science and Web Technology.

Their research focuses on the World Wide Web as the world’s largest and most complex engineered environments, the impact it has on human society, and the changes necessary to ensure its continuing creative use.

The research programmes will expand students’ understanding of the architectural principles of the Web, its development and growth, as well as its capacity for furthering global communication and inherent values of trustworthiness, privacy and respect for social boundaries.

Contents

The Web Science doctoral programme consists of a 1 year taught programme (MSc) followed by three years of research (PhD). The Web Science taught component is structured as follows:

Semester 1

• COMP6037 Foundations of Web Science
• COMP6044 Independent Disciplinary Review
• COMP6045 Hypertext and Web Technologies for Masters
• COMP6046 Computational Thinking
• COMP6049 Qualitative & Quantitative Research Methods
• COMP6057 MSc Project and Dissertation Web Science

Semester 2

• COMP6043 Research Methods Group Project
• COMP6047 Further Web Science
• COMP6048 Interdisciplinary Thinking
• COMP6050 Semantic Web for Web Scientists
• COMP6052 Social Networking Technologies for Web Science

The Web Science taught component is structured as follows:

• Foundations of Web Science: in the first semester a 20 credit module provides the opportunity to explore the web and the issues it creates from the perspective of sociology, psychology, economics, law, linguistics and other disciplines. In the second semester, a followup 20 credit module introduces the relevant disciplinary research that provides the models and analytical techniques to address these issues.
• Web Technologies: a set of modules that provide a technical understanding of the infrastructure of the Web, Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 (the original, social and semantic webs).
• Multidisciplinarity
  • ICT & Computational Thinking: a module that introduces non-computer-scientists to the topics that computer science deals with and to some useful tools that computer science provides for problem solving
  • Social Sciences & Humanities Thinking: the opportunity for students to obtain the background knowledge required from two unfamiliar disciplines
  • Interdisciplinary Thinking: a guided project that models an interdisciplinary approach to research to inform their own project research and management
• Research Methods: two modules that provide a grounding in the quantitative, experimental, qualitative and survey-based methods relevant to the practice of Web Science
• Project & Dissertation: an individual three-month project that starts the path towards the student developing their own future research questions and goals

Requirements

To be eligible for PhD study you would need to hold or expect to gain a 2.I honours degree from a UK University or the equivalent from an overseas University. If you wish to apply, the first step is for you to formally apply with us here in the School of Electronics and Computer Science.

In addition to the requirements of the online application, you also need to submit a document (one side of A4) that defines What is Web Science? and outline what research you would like to undertake at the DTC. The online system enables you to see when we have received your application in our School and shows a checklist which states the supporting documents we require from you. Please keep an eye on your checklist if any requirements i.e. references, are showing as pending, your application will not be forwarded from the admissions department to the DTC for review. It is your responsibility to ensure that everything is complete.

With regards to funding, should the School be in a position to make you an offer of a research place then we shall automatically consider you for any available funding.For note, decisions on funding will be made in May/June. Please indicate on your application form that you wish to be considered for scholarship funding.
We do advise that funding is very competitive due to the limited number of awards which we have to offer and the high calibre of the many students which apply for PhD study. We strongly suggest that you also try to seek funding from other sources outside of the University which may be available to you.

For the Web Science DTC, we must adhere to the following conditions of our grant when awarding a scholarship to a student:The essence of the eligibility requirements is that research students must demonstrate a relevant connection with the UK, usually through being ordinarily resident for a period of 3 years immediately prior to the date of application for an award. For UK and EU students, this period may include any period of residence wholly or mainly for the purposes of full-time education. For non-EU students, the period of 3 years must not be wholly or mainly for the purposes of full-time education.

English Language Requirements

IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa.

The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.

Funding

Four Year PhD Studentship in Web Science at the University of Southampton

The University of Southampton Web Science Doctoral Training Centre is offering fully funded studentships for 4-year PhD training. The combined masters and PhD degree has no fees to pay and a £13,590 a year stipend to study the World Wide Web.

Any student from any discipline can study Web Science. You can apply now for one of 10 fully funded studentships.

This four-year PhD in Web Science will equip students to become leaders in the emerging Digital Economy. The course begins with a one-year taught Masters to give a broad basis for understanding the technology of the Web and the social context in which the technology operates. The remaining three year research programme is jointly supervised by two faculties and may combine a wide range of disciplines ranging from Computer Science, Information Technology, Law, Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Humanities, Management, Education or Geography. as appropriate to the interdisciplinary research interests of the individual student.

Web Science at Southampton is directed by; Professor Dame Wendy Hall , Dr Les Carr, Professor Catherine Pope and Professor Nigel Shadbolt with Visiting Professor Sir Tim Berners-Lee. The Web Science Doctoral Training Centre is part of an international network of Web Science research centres, offering summer schools, workshops and opportunities for international collaboration.

Are you eligible for a full studentship?

To be eligible for a full studentship a student must have:

• Settled status in the UK, meaning they have no restrictions on how long they can stay

and

• Been ordinarily resident in the UK for 3 years prior to the start of the grant. This means they must have been normally residing in the UK (apart from temporary or occasional absences)

and

• Not been residing in the UK wholly or mainly for the purpose of full-time education. (This does not apply to UK or EU nationals).

All EU nationals are eligible for fees-only awards if they do not have settled status in the UK.

These are the EPSRC general rules for eligibility of students supported through EPSRC funding.