Open Society Foundations/Staffordshire University Scholarships (MPhil/PhD in Economics) Distance Learning Mode

The Open Society Foundations and Staffordshire University Faculty of Business & Law jointly invite applications from university graduates with outstanding academic qualifications for scholarships for the MPhil/PhD in the economics program by distance-learning mode. This program aims to support the reform of the higher education system in Central and East European countries by providing opportunities for younger university teachers and researchers to gain access to West European higher education and to pursue research in economics at an advanced level, leading to an MPhil or a PhD degree.

The program offers the opportunity for beneficiaries to spend a part of each year at Staffordshire University but also requires them to complete most of their research work at their own institution, thus ensuring that they will remain in the region and continue to be active members of their home institutions. The beneficiaries must undertake to remain in the region for at least two years after the completion of their doctoral program.

Distance Learning Mode

The program requires that successful candidates enroll in the MPhil/PhD program at Staffordshire University. Each year, they will spend 3-4 months at the university and the remaining time at their home institutions.

In the first year of the program, candidates will reside in Stoke-on-Trent for four months, during the first semester, attending a number of taught modules (including research methods in economics) and preparing a proposal for their thesis. In subsequent years, they will return to Stoke for three months each year, to work on the completion of their thesis. These subsequent stays can be scheduled in a way that minimizes conflict with teaching or other duties.

All candidates will be assigned a thesis supervisor at Staffordshire University who will remain in regular contact with them (by post, fax, email, and the Internet) when they return to their home institution, and who will require them to submit their work at regular intervals. The supervisor will also visit the candidate once a year at their home institution. Candidates are expected to allocate a portion of their time (on average 15-20 hours per week) to working on their research while away from the university. The home institution may be required to confirm, in writing, that the candidate will be allowed sufficient time and given other support to work on her/his thesis.

Local Advisor

Candidates are also required to have a local advisor in their home country with proven expertise in their chosen area of research. Normally, the local advisor will hold a doctorate in economics or have demonstrated research ability via the publication of papers in refereed academic journals. S/he may hold a position in a university, research institution, government ministry, or a similar organization. S/he must agree to be the local advisor of the candidate by signing the relevant section of the application form.

The local advisor must be acceptable to Staffordshire University and will be asked to provide a CV, along with any supporting documentation that may be deemed necessary. The role of the local advisor is to:

• encourage the scholar in her/his work;
• provide the scholar with advice on the subject of her/his research;
• help the scholar with local sources of information relevant to her/his research;
• comment on the written work of the scholar.

The local advisor should be informed that s/he would undertake this role on a voluntary basis.

MPhil and PhD

Normally, candidates initially enroll in the MPhil program. Subject to satisfactory progress, they will be able to transfer to the PhD program, probably in the second year of their study. Candidates who already have a master's degree (including a research methods course) may be able to enroll directly on the PhD program.

For further details of the MPhil/PhD program, please see the Staffordshire website: www.staffs.ac.uk/courses_and_study/courses/research-degrees-tcm4214220.jsp. 

Duration of Scholarships

Scholarships are granted for a period of up to four years, subject to satisfactory progress of the candidates and their continued association with a university or research institution in the region.

Eligibility

Applicants should:

• be nationals of, and resident in, one of the following countries/regions at the time of applying for the scholarship: Albania, the Republic of Kosovo, Macedonia and the Republic of Montenegro. 
• hold a first degree (the equivalent of a BA degree) with good grades in economics or related disciplines;
• hold a teaching or research position, as an assistant, a junior lecturer or researcher, at a higher education or research institution in one of the countries in the scheme;
• be able to demonstrate knowledge of English by passing a TOEFL (ITP) or IELTS test at an appropriate level by the time interviews are held for these scholarships, or by other means (such as having completed an academic program in English at another institution, or having obtained a satisfactory mark in one of the above-mentioned tests at a date no earlier than January 2010).
• return to their home countries at the end of the scholarship period.

Employees, employees’ relatives (or former employees who have left employment less than two years before) of the Educational Advising Centers or local Open Society Foundations representations directly involved in the Open Society Scholarship Programs administration in the region and the participating universities will not be eligible to apply for these awards.

Please note that if you have applied, or are applying, for other grants, fellowships or scholarships with the Open Society Foundations you should alert us to this in your application.  While you may apply for more than one program simultaneously, you can be awarded only one Open Society Foundations scholarship or grant for a given period.

Areas of Study and Selection Criteria

Candidates may apply to undertake research in any area of theoretical or applied economics. Candidates will be selected on the basis of:

• their potential to complete a PhD in economics successfully; and
• the availability of relevant supervision and advice in their chosen areas of research both at Staffordshire University and their home institution.

This year applications are invited in the following areas:

• Monetary policy and the financial sector
• European economics
• International trade and foreign direct investment
• Economic consequences of national and ethnic conflicts
• Economics of small and medium sized firms and SME policy
• Entrepreneurship and innovation
• Labour economics and economics of education
• Economic well being and environmental quality
• Regional inequalities and regional development

Application Procedure

Applicants must complete the joint Open Society Foundations - Staffordshire University application form and submit it together with a number of additional documents, specified therein. Application forms may be obtained from local Educational Advising Center offices in Podgorica, Prishtina,  Skopje or Tirana, or from Jenny Herbert, International Links Administrator, Staffordshire University Business School, Leek Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 2DF, U.K. (email: j.herbert@staffs.ac.uk).  The electronic version of this document is available on the PhD programme website at the following address: https://www.staffs.ac.uk/faculties/business/research/scholarships/index.jsp.

The application documents may be either typed or hand-written in dark ink. Copies (not originals) of university diplomas and transcripts (list of subjects studied and their marks or grades) must be enclosed with the application. English translation of documents is not necessary at this stage. If candidates are accepted, they will subsequently be required to present the original documents with official translations for verification when they first arrive at Staffordshire University.

Applicants are required to submit two copies of the application pack: one original set and one photocopy of the entire set. Applicants are also asked to submit a copy of the scholarship Self-assessment form together with their application package. The Self-assessment form can be found at the end of the of the application form. Applicants are requested not to use any staples on their applications and documents.

Deadline

The deadline for applications for September 2012 entry is January 23, 2012.

Selection Procedure

All applications will be sent to Staffordshire University Faculty of Business & Law by the local Educational Advising Center. They will be considered by a selection committee who will prepare a short list of applicants. Short-listed candidates will be notified by the second week of March 2012 and invited to take an English language test. The language tests will be conducted in the second half of March 2012 at the local Educational Advising Center. Candidates who pass the English language test will be invited for interviews, which will be arranged in late April/early May 2012.

The final decision as to which applicants will be offered scholarships will be made after the completion of all interviews. It is expected that applicants will be informed of the final decision by the end of May 2012. Successful applicants will be required to arrive in Stoke on Trent in mid-August. Candidates required to enrol on preliminary courses would be expected to arrive in early August.

Further information on Staffordshire University and the Business School may be obtained by visiting the university's website at www.staffs.ac.uk/ and the Business School's homepage at www.staffs.ac.uk/faculties/business/.

Please note that Open Society Foundations and Staffordshire University do not accept any responsibility for applications which may be lost in the post. The selection committee will consider only those applications it has received. Decisions of the selection committee are final.

Contact Information

Staffordshire University
Jenny Herbert
International Links Administrator
Staffordshire University Faculty of Business & Law
Leek Road, Stoke-on-Trent
Staffordshire, ST4 2DF, UK
Tel.: +44-1782-294065
Fax: +44-1782-294340
Email: j.herbert@staffs.ac.uk

For further details and an application, applicants should contact the appropriate scholarship program coordinator at the representative office of Open Society Foundations in their home country.