UCD Clinton Institute PhD Scholarship

The UCD Clinton Institute is offering a fees only scholarship for up to 4 years to a research student who wishes to pursue a PhD at the Institute in one of the following research areas:

• American Politics and Foreign Policy
• Media and International Conflict
• The United States and Ireland

In order to be considered for this scholarship the applicant must have submitted a PhD application to the UCD Clinton Institute via www.ucd.ie/apply (more details below).

Once applicants have submitted their online application they should then contact Catherine Carey (catherine.carey@ucd.ie) and inform her their application has been submitted online and include with their email a 500 word personal statement on their professional goals and reason for pursuing a PhD programme at the Clinton Institute.

Closing date for the scholarship applications is 1st March 2016 and students should be ready to commence their studies in September 2016.

Please note: The scholarship covers fees only, it does not cover accommodation or living expenses.

PhD Programme at UCD Clinton Institute 

The PhD programme is a three to four year programme of independent but supervised research.

Prior to making an application – You should contact and discuss a possible proposal with a member of the academic staff. If you are unsure as to who to contact, contact the Institute office (catherine.carey@ucd.ie).  The key purpose of contacting your potential supervisor is to satisfy yourself, as the supervisor must also be satisfied, that you can work with each other toward the completion of your studies.

Eligibility

Applicants for PhD programmes are normally required to have completed an MA degree (1st or 2nd class, GPA 3.10 or higher).   If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 7.0 is required with no section being less than 6.5

Applications from students without evidence of a completed postgraduate degree (e.g. a relevant MA) may be considered in exceptional circumstances.

Your online application (www.ucd.ie/apply) will require the following documents

1. A 2,500 word research proposal – the proposal should provide a provisional title for the thesis, explain the central idea, question, or problem you wish to research and justify the choice material you intend to study.  You should also give an indication of how you expect your research to contribute to knowledge on your choice topic and in wider fields of study.  You should explain what methodologies will be used in the course of your research.
2. A provisional bibliography of major scholarly publications in the subject you wish to research – the bibliography should provide a comprehensive list of the major publications on the topic you wish to research, or in the general area of your research.  This should indicate that you have conducted a preliminary survey of existing research, and understand how your research might build upon existing research and scholarship.
3. A proposed schedule – your schedule should outline how you intend to complete your research and thesis within three to four years.  This might be divided into years or semesters.  You should therefore think about what you would like to achieve in each semester or year of study.
4. Academic transcripts 
5. Two academic references
6. IELTS certificate if applicable

Please specify whether you wish to apply for a January, May or September (the scholarship only applies to a September 2016 start date)

For more information on the structure of the PhD programme at University College Dublin visit here 

For information on fees .

For information on scholarships