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Doctoral Awards

Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) Program: Doctoral Scholarships and SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships Program

Regulations Governing Fellowship and Scholarship Applications

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Value

Duration

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For applicants registered at a Canadian university, the university sets the deadline; for all others, November 15, 2006

CGS Doctoral Scholarships: $35,000 per annum

SSHRC Doctoral Program: $20,000 per annum

CGS Doctoral Scholarships: 36 months

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships : 12, 24, 36 or 48 months

April, 2007

Application form

Letter of Appraisal

Departmental Appraisal

Context
Objectives
Value and Duration
Eligibility
Evaluation Criteria
Application Process
Competition Process
Administrative Regulations
More Information

Context

SSHRC offers two types of awards for doctoral-level study.

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships;
Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS) Program: Doctoral Scholarships.

You apply for both awards by completing one application form. If you are eligible for both awards, SSHRC will automatically consider you for both.

Objectives

The SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships and the CGS Doctoral Scholarships programs aim to develop research skills and assist in the training of highly-qualified academic personnel by supporting students who demonstrate a high standard of scholarly achievement in undergraduate and graduate studies in the social sciences and humanities.

These programs, together with the CGS Master’s Scholarships and the SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships programs, help train Canada’s research leaders of tomorrow.

Value and Duration

CGS Doctoral Scholarships are valued at $35,000 per annum for 36 months.

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships are valued at $20,000 per annum for 12, 24, 36 or 48 months.

SSHRC determines the value and duration of an award based on the number of months of full time study (or equivalent) the applicant will have completed at the proposed start date of the award.

For both the CGS scholarship and the SSHRC fellowship, successful applicants in the 2007 competition must take up their awards in May 2007, September 2007 or January 2008. The January start date is available only to award holders who cannot begin their program of study earlier, either because of an incomplete previous degree or because their chosen program of study is not available until the later date.

In calculating the value and duration of awards, SSHRC includes all prior doctoral-level studies in the same discipline. In the case of students applying for, or registered in, a combined MA/PhD program, SSHRC includes all graduate-level study in the same discipline. This applies whether or not the degree was completed and whether or not the current university recognizes the previous credits or years of study.

SSHRC assumes that all studies were full-time and uninterrupted (i.e., beginning of September 2005 to end of August 2006 means 12 months of study). Students who studied on a part-time basis, or who interrupted their studies with their university’s official approval, must specify the dates of interruption or part-time study.

The following table shows the periods of support applicable to students at different stages of postgraduate study.

Number of months completed at the proposed start date of the award	CGS Doctoral Scholarship	SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship
Applicants who will have completed between 0 and 4 months	36 months of funding	48 months of funding
Applicants who will have completed between 5 and 16 months	36 months of funding	36 months of funding
Applicants who will have completed between 17 and 28 months	Not eligible	24 months of funding
Applicants who will have completed between 29 and 40 months	Not eligible	12 months of funding
Applicants who will have completed 41 months or more	Not eligible	Not eligible

Eligibility

Eligibility to Apply in the 2007 Competition (deadline Fall 2006)

To qualify to apply to both the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships and the CGS Doctoral Awards programs, you must:

be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
be applying for support to pursue your first PhD (or equivalent);
be pursuing doctoral studies (or a combined MA/PhD) in the social sciences and humanities;
not have already received a scholarship or fellowship from SSHRC, NSERC or CIHR to undertake or complete a doctoral degree or combined MA/PhD;
not be applying in the 2006-07 academic year to NSERC or CIHR;
not be pursuing a degree program that combines undergraduate and graduate degrees.

You need not be assured of admission to a program at the time of application.

Eligibility to Hold an Award

CGS Doctoral Scholarships are tenable only at recognized universities in Canada. There are no exceptions.

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships are tenable at any recognized university in Canada or abroad provided that the award holder has completed at least one previous degree at a Canadian university. For award holders who do not meet this requirement, the fellowships are tenable only at recognized Canadian postsecondary institutions.

On the proposed start date of the award, you must:

be registered as a full-time student, undertaking or continuing a doctoral program (or a combined MA/PhD program) in the social sciences or humanities; and
not have exceeded the allowable number of months already spent in doctoral study, as set out in the Value and Duration section above.

Notes:

Doctoral awards may be held by students who are registered part-time because of a disability. For this purpose, disability is defined as "a functional limitation resulting from a physical, sensory, or mental impairment, which, for an indefinite period, affects the ability of the student to perform the activities necessary to participate fully in his or her learning."

Federal government employees are eligible to hold an award only if on an unpaid leave of absence (no salary or special allowances permitted).

Evaluation Criteria

Multidisciplinary selection committees evaluate applicants solely on academic merit, measured by:

past academic results, demonstrated by transcripts, awards and distinctions;
the program of study and research and its potential contribution to the advancement of knowledge;
relevant professional and academic experience, including research training, as demonstrated by conference presentations and scholarly publications;
two written evaluations from referees; and
the departmental appraisal (for those registered at Canadian universities).

Application Process

Candidates eligible for both the CGS Doctoral Scholarship and the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship will be considered for both awards. All candidates will be assigned a rank order on the basis of the selection committees’ recommendations. Top-ranked candidates will receive an offer of award. Whether the offer is for a CGS scholarship, a SSHRC fellowship or a choice of either will depend upon the candidate’s overall ranking and the relevant eligibility criteria.

Ensure that you meet the requirements specified in the Eligibility and Value and Duration sections.
Complete and submit only one application form, together with the required attachments. You will find the application instructions inside your application when you begin to create it online.
Determine your current registration status from the table below and submit your complete application to the appropriate institution.

Registration Status	Where to Submit Application
You are currently registered at, or on an approved leave of absence from, a Canadian university in any level course, or in any other capacity; for example, part-time, full-time, one course only, course not related to the doctoral program, or special student.	The university at which you are currently registered or from which you have taken an approved leave of absence.
You are currently registered at a foreign university*	SSHRC (at address below)
You are not currently registered at a university, but intend to undertake doctoral studies	SSHRC (at address below)

*Students registered concurrently at a Canadian and a foreign university must apply through the Canadian university.

Competition Process

For all applicants registered at a Canadian University	For applicants not registered at a Canadian university
Step 1: The student submits his or her completed application to the relevant department head on or before the deadline set by the department.	Step 1: On or before November 15, 2006, the applicant submits to SSHRC his or her completed application.
Step 2: Members of the department appraise and rank all applications, then forward them, in their entirety, to the university's faculty of graduate studies.	Step 2: In early January, 2007, SSHRC Fellowships program staff forward all eligible applications to one of five multidisciplinary selection committees.
Step 3: The faculty of graduate studies pre-selection committee evaluates all applications by dividing them into two categories: A-list applications which are recommended and B-list applications, which are not. The faculty of graduate studies informs all applicants of the outcome of their applications.	Step 3: In early February, 2007, the multidisciplinary selection committees evaluate all eligible applications, by dividing them into two categories: A-list applications which are recommended and B-List applications which are not. SSHRC informs all applicants of the outcome of their applications.
Step 4: All A-list applications are entered into the national competition, where they are evaluated by one of five multidisciplinary selection committees. Results will be announced by the end of April, 2007. Results are not provided by telephone or e-mail.

Administrative Regulations

All applicants and fellowship holders must comply with the Regulations Governing Fellowship and Scholarship Applications and with the regulations set out in the appropriate award holder's guide.

SSHRC reserves the right to determine the eligibility of applications based on the information provided in those applications. The Council also reserves the right to interpret the program regulations set out in its published materials.

More Information

Please address questions about these programs to:

Doctoral Awards Program
Fellowships and Institutional Grants Division
SSHRC
350 Albert Street
P.O. Box 1610
Ottawa, ON K1P 6G4

Tel.: (613) 943-7777
Fax: (613) 943-1329
E-mail: fellowships@sshrc.ca

Updated: 7/25/2006 2:01:56 PM