Application for MPhil/PhD

CEELBAS studentships will be available for doctoral research in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences relating to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, in particular - under the terms of the AHRC/ESRC/HEFCE Initiative - Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.

All applications will be assessed on their merits, but preference will be given to a number of priority themes or combinations thereof as they relate to the above countries.

Research Themes

Cities (e.g. urban development and urban experiences)
Health, Wealth, Welfare and Demography
Migration and Diasporic Citizenship
New Dimensions of Social Inequality
Identities and Solidarities (e.g. regional, national and transnational, religion, gender, ethnicity, sexualities, the dynamics of trust)
Contemporary Cultural Processes (e.g. film, mass media and cultural consumption, youth cultures)
International Relations, Security and Energy Politics
Knowledge-based Economies and Societies (e.g. R&D, E-government).
Political and Economic Processes (e.g. democratisation and integration)

The Centre will encourage:

Disciplinary, interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and comparative research
Contemporary as well as historical approaches to the above themes

Students will have the opportunity to work with post-doctoral fellows appointed to CEELBAS to develop certain of the above research themes and who may be located at UCL, Oxford or Birmingham. Additional specialist input may also come from scholars at partner institutions associated with CEELBAS as well as from a range of specialist disciplinary and interdisciplinary seminars.

The studentships are funded by the ESRC and AHRC. It will be expected that social scientists will have already completed training in generic quantitative and qualitative methods, or must be prepared to complete such training during the first or second year of the PhD/DPhil. Applicants in the humanities will be expected to have undertaken relevant research methods training equivalent to that provided under the AHRC Research Preparation Master's Scheme, or be prepared to complete such training during the first or second year of the PhD/DPhil.

Entry requirements

A first degree (at least a good 2.1 or equivalent) and normally a Masters qualification
Sound working knowledge of a language of the region relevant to the proposed research or a commitment to upgrade existing language skills during the PhD/DPhil in order to conduct research in target language(s)
Evidence of training in research methods, subject-related and generic, as expected by the ESRC or AHRC. Where such training is incomplete, candidates will need to undertake appropriate courses offered by the MRes during the first year of the MPhil/PhD programme. Such courses should be identified in the Supplementary Personal Statement.
A strong research proposal in a field covered by CEELBAS
An appropriate student-supervisor(s) match

Applicants must complete a standard UCL Application for Admission as a Graduate Student by 1 February 2009. In addition, applicants should describe their academic interests and reasons for applying in a Supplementary Personal Statement (max 500 words) that should clearly address how their research topic relates to the objectives of the Centre. This statement can be included in the admissions application or submitted to the Graduate Studies Administrator.

More Information on the Application Procedure

Closing date

The next deadline for applicants wishing to apply for a CEELBAS scholarship (check ESRC eligibility rules) is tbc.

Please note that applications for admission must be received by 1 February 2009.

Enquiries relating to the application process may be directed to: Alexa Stewart, Graduate Studies Administrator, by email to a.stewart@ssees.ucl.ac.uk or by telephone on +4 (0)20 7679 8775.

This page last modified Wednesday 5 November 2008.