SSEES PhD Scholarships

Up to 3 scholarships are available to prospective students from any country taking up study from October 2010. The scholarships aim to attract high-quality students to undertake original research leading to the award of a PhD. The intended project will take forward research in one of the following priority areas (NB sub-themes are indicative rather than inclusive), or some other related area of SSEES research.

Global economic developments and their regional impacts
The global financial crisis and its impacts in the region; knowledge-based development (science, innovation, entrepreneurship)
Political changes and challenges
Reforms of institutions, governance and the quality of democracy; the influences on political processes of new media and technologies; informal networks and corruption
Security and stability
EU enlargement - past, present and future; the future costs and benefits of NATO expansion; Russia security concerns and military power; Central Asia, Caucasus, Black Sea; transnational crime
Human wellbeing
Illness, medical care and mortality; ethnic and social cohesion and conflict; inequality, poverty and psycho-social stress; personal expectations and happiness
Communities, globalisation and cultural exchange
Boundaries, contact zones and plural identities; migration and transnational networks; Islam in Europe and beyond; cultural production and globalisation
Reconfiguring spatial and temporal configurations
East-West or North-South divisions; periodisations; continuities, change and legacies - communism and after, post-colonial/post-imperial

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must be

Admitted to UCL for full- or part-time MPhil/PhD research, and
Holding at least a UK 2.1 Honours undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification and holding or expecting to achieve an MA/MSc in a relevant subject.

Selection Criteria

Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence and research potential. The scholarships cannot be held simultaneously with another award that provides full funding (by this is meant another award that covers tuition fees in full and provides a student stipend).

Value: Benefits and Duration

The scholarships consist of fees equivalent to the standard research postgraduate UK/EU rate (2010/11: £3,460). Benefits are pro-rated for part-time students.

Awards are tenable for years 1, 2, and 3 of a full-time M.Phil./PhD degree programme (or years 1-5 of a part-time programme), subject to annual review and renewal.

If granted, funding begins at the start of the next academic session.

Application Procedure

Students should request an admissions pack from the UCL admissions office or download the admissions application. All applicants wishing to undertake a research degree at SSEES must include with their application a formal research proposal of 1,000-1,500 words. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the research profiles of SSEES staff and to contact the academic with the appropriate specialization to discuss their application. The best research proposals are written in consultation with a specialist. Any questions about potential supervision can be directed to the Graduate Tutor (Research), Professor Julian Graffy.

More information on how to write a well-structured proposal.

Application Deadline

Admission applications must arrive in UCL by no later than 30 April 2010. In order to ensure that you will be considered for the award of a SSEES PhD Scholarship, you must at the same time send an email to phdadmissions@ssees.ucl.ac.uk confirming that you have applied. Please note that your application form must be fully completed and received before the stated deadline.

Notification of Results

The decision of which candidates will receive a SSEES Scholarship will be made by a selection panel that will include the Graduate Tutor (Research), the Director of CEELBAS and academic subject specialists.

The selection panel meets in late May/early June. Successful candidates can expect to be notified as soon as possible thereafter.

This page last modified Monday 18 January 2010.