Hello all.

This is my first post here - and I suppose this thread will be the last if nothing goes my way - but I'm sort of enquiring about the prospects of getting PhD funding for Computer Science.

My educational background is a little odd. I did a History degree first at Birmingham university - an unremarkable 2:1 - I lost interest in the subject at an academic level as it was very different to the sort of history I enjoy studying - and did very little work. I then worked as a bookkeeper for a couple of years until I could afford to study at Birkbeck university on a part-time evening basis (the only way I could do this!) for 2 years. I did get a distinction from this and an average grade of 74. But this was strongly helped by a dissertation (on pushdown automata of all things) where I got a grade of 87 overall. Of my 7 modules 3 were distinctions (not including the dissertation), although one was a 69 (the Maths for CompSci module). This is probably my chief worry - I never got below 61, but I did find myself with a couple of modules in the low 60s - primarily those where the marking scheme was based around handwritten code - I'm not exactly good at first run details - rather than maths per se, but perhaps that is an excuse. I am slightly worried if this will make it hard to get funding. During this I swapped the bookkeeping job, and got a job as a tester which 18 months ago after a year of semi-technical work like load testing became a software development job.

After that I took a year off academic study. My favourite module in the first degree was Information Retrieval so I have gone back and started a masters in Computation Intelligence at De Montford - as this is entirely online and teaches the topics I am interested in, including neural networks, fuzzy logic and evolutionary algorithms.

So my two questions are - do I stand any chance of funding? The universities I went to are not great - but are largely a consequence of my having to study while working. Are my grades up to scratch? I should hope to get distinctions in my current study. Can I quit my current masters at the postgrad diploma level - because I already have a dissertation - and get cracking with a PhD within two years, or will this be looked down upon?

Are you saying you want to apply for a PhD in computer science, but you don't have a MSc in CS? I think you might find that difficult. Generally you need good background subject knowledge and they expect qualifications to prove this. 2.1 and 74% for a Masters is fine,

No I have a degree in Computer Science, but it is a Master's conversion course (distinction). I am also studying a further masters degree with A.I. related modules. I plan to take this to at least postgrad diploma level. However, having done a masters already I have a dissertation under my belt. I'd rather not do another one, but instead get onto a P.h.D thesis. I wonder how that will be perceived and especially in the context of getting funding. (And I'm not even sure where my current position is regardless of this - is funding realistic in this subject area with these sorts of grades? I know for a fact it wouldn't be in the humanities, for example).

I don't know about CS. It would be enough for Biology.

Well, I've heard that CS is pretty competitive when it comes to funding.

I've decided to carry on and finish off my Master's in full, which will happen mid-2017. I'm going to be working in Barcelona for a tech company whilst doing the course at distance.

If I have a master's conversion in Computer Science from Birkbeck and a master's in Computational Intelligence with Mobile Robotics from De Montford (both with distinctions), would it still be possible to get into somewhere such as Manchester or UCL or Liverpool to do a PhD in CompSci at such places or would the reputations of the unis I went to hold me back? I only did the courses at those universities because it was the only way I could afford to work and study at the same time.

I think that's plenty

I have PhD funding at The University of Nottingham. I have a Software Systems degree (Basically computer science with a lot less maths) and that's it. I applied for the funding in which they invited me in for an informal interview, they then offered me the position there and then.

I don't think your results / institutions will cause you any problems at all - provided you can find some funding. Good luck.

I guess the funding issue is where I'm worried. How likely/available is funding in CompSci?