Guidelines

Social Work Fellowship Program

Application Guidelines

Please note: The application deadline for the 2010-11 academic year has passed.  Please check back again in fall 2010 for the next call for applications.

The Social Work Fellowship Masters Program supports individuals from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to complete a two year graduate program in social work at an American University.  The Program is designed to provide training in social work to implement reform, create policy and foster the development of social work in the participating countries.  

Fellows will be placed at universities in the United States for a two-year graduate program in social work beginning in July 2010 and concluding in May 2012.  Participating host universities are the School of Social Work at Columbia University and the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.

Fields of Study Offered

For more information on fields of study, please see the field descriptions.

Eligibility

The program does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. The competition is merit-based and open to those meeting the following criteria:

• resident of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, or Tajikistan;
• holding an undergraduate degree (4- or 5-year) at the time of application deadline with an excellent academic record;
• proficient in spoken and written English at time of application;
• able to demonstrate professional aptitude and leadership potential in social work;
• committed to returning to home country after completion of the program.

Criteria for Selection

Approximately 10 awards will be granted in 2010. Selection is based on academic and professional merit, professional aptitude, leadership potential, long-term commitment to social work in applicant's home country, and English-language ability. A U.S.-based selection committee comprising U.S. professors and admissions officials from participating host universities will review applications of candidates who meet the requirements and will select semifinalists. All applicants will be notified of their status by January 31, 2010.

Semifinalists will be tested for English (TOEFL) and interviewed in participating countries during February/March 2010. The program will cover costs associated with the TOEFL and interviews. The selection committee will recommend finalists and determine placement. Applicants cannot select their own placements. All semifinalists will be notified of their status by May 31, 2010.

Please do NOT contact your local Soros / OSI office about your status. The office will contact candidates after receiving notification from OSI–New York.

Financial Terms

Fellowships will cover the following costs:

• program-related travel;
• pre-departure and arrival orientation;
• all costs associated with the pre-academic summer school program;
• tuition (for pre-academic and graduate programs);
• monthly living stipend (to cover room and board);
• textbooks;
• professional development support;
• accident and illness insurance;
• participation in program meetings in the United States.

Visa Sponsorship

Participants will enter the United States as students on J-1 Exchange Visitor visas and are expected to comply with all visa regulations. Students may be subject to a two-year home residency requirement upon completion of the program. Requests for visa renewals or extensions will not be considered.

Dependents

The program does not offer any financial support or special provisions for dependent family members. Family members will have to apply for J-2 visas and may not be able to arrive in the United States until fall 2010.

Participant Responsibility

Pre-Academic Summer Program: From mid-July to mid-August 2010, grantees are required to participate in a four-week pre-academic summer program held in Istanbul, Turkey. The program consists of classes in academic writing in English, as well as social science and humanities-based seminars.

Fellowship: In addition to the summer program, finalists must attend a pre-departure orientation (held during the summer school in Istanbul) and an annual program workshop, held in the U.S. each spring. Fellows must uphold the academic standards of the host university and undertake full-time study for the duration of the program. Fellows will not be permitted to change their assigned host university or field of study. Failure to maintain academic and professional standards may result in dismissal from the program.

Deadline

The deadline for applications for 2010-11 was  November 16, 2009.

Contact Information

Azerbaijan

Baku Education Information Center (BEIC)
Attention: Social Work Fellowship
183 Suleyman Rahimov Street, 4th Floor
Baku AZE1014, Azerbaijan
Tel./Fax: +994-12-488-28-45/46
Contact: Bahar Haji-zada
office@beic.osi-az.org
www.beic.aznet.org/

Georgia

Open Society Georgia Foundation
International Student Advising Center
Attention: Social Work Fellowship
10a Chovelidze Street
380008 Tbilisi, Georgia
Tel: +99-5-32-93-89-99
Contact: Gaga Giberia
gaga@isac.osgf.ge
www.osgf.ge/isac

Kyrgyzstan

Soros Foundation Kyrgyzstan
Bishkek Resource Center
Attention: Social Work Fellowship
55 Logvinenko Street
720 040 Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Tel: +996-312-66-34-75, ext. 112
Contact: Rakia Rustemova
rakia@soros.kg
http://eng.soros.kg/functions/programs/foreign/advising  

Tajikistan

Open Society Institute Tajikistan
Attention: Social Work Fellowship
734002, Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Trade and Business Center "VEFA"
37/1 Bokhtar street, 4th floor, room №404
Tel: +992-372-211466 / 211958 / 214108 / 213260
Fax: +992-372-510142
Contact: Gulnora Choukourbekova
gulnora@osi.tajik.net
http://soros.tj/eng/