Cuts to Science education funding

[TTG4]

Related: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/nov/27/brian-cox-science-funding-grants-nonsensical

Coming from someone in the final year of their degree and looking for masters funding (having found it nigh on impossible) this hits pretty badly.  only hope Osborne doesn't go further and start cutting research funding, heck funding applications are already annoying enough, if you work on animals mention cancer, if you work on plants mention food security. If you can't do either, you're in trouble!

What are peoples views? Do you think we're approaching a crisis of science funding? Or do you think that science has to pay a price in the current austerity-obsessed climate?

[Pentagathus]

Considering that its apparently being planned because of an over expenditure on private education I'd say thats one big ole dick move.
Have you thought about studying for your masters somewhere other than the UK?

Edit:
Oh and although the grant cut wouldn't bother me by a vast amount but it wouldn't make any expenditure difference in the short term since they'd be replaced with loans which would take a bloody long time to be repaid, if they ever are.

[TTG4]

Fair point about grants becoming loans, though how the government are going to justify handing out that much debt to young people could be interesting.

As for masters internationally, US tends to only do them if you drop out of their PhD programmes, when the whole point in looking for a masters is to strengthen a PhD application, and Europe tends to be taught masters, which I'd rather avoid since exams are a huge weak point for me!

May have to get a job for a few years, shock horror!

[Pentagathus]

Ah that sucks, luckily I have a chance to do an undergraduate masters here which I should really look into a bit more.

[Will]

Related: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/nov/27/brian-cox-science-funding-grants-nonsensical

Coming from someone in the final year of their degree and looking for masters funding (having found it nigh on impossible) this hits pretty badly.  only hope Osborne doesn't go further and start cutting research funding, heck funding applications are already annoying enough, if you work on animals mention cancer, if you work on plants mention food security. If you can't do either, you're in trouble!

What are peoples views? Do you think we're approaching a crisis of science funding? Or do you think that science has to pay a price in the current austerity-obsessed climate?

I thought that the normal route was: Degree --> Masters --> PhD so have spoken to a few Lecturers and went to the careers advice people thing asking about a masters as well (also in my final year). It seems masters degrees are seen as not really part of this chain but an optional extra? And that really people should go straight into a PhD after graduating. I was just told there is no funding and shouldn't really bother looking and to get a job if I wanted to do one, not really very inspiring.

Trouble is there is so much competition I don't really feel like I can get a PhD where I want with just a degree, guess you feel the same?

I think the government should pull a quick one, fake any trident development and take all that money and put it into PhD funding. It is easily shown that funding research/students is financially worth it for the government so not entirely sure why they aren't jumping on it instead of cutting it for no apparent reason. But give MPs a pay rise because otherwise they will fiddle their expenses! So honest of them to admit that. lol Maybe if the government got the money they should have got from tax avoiders the system would fund itself better.