The International Center for Development and Decent Work (ICDD) offers PhD positions in the field of Social and Agricultural Sciences. Citizens of an ODA country can apply for these positions.
These positions aim to promote gender equity in academia, the ICDD encourage women in particular to apply.
The ICDD is an interdisciplinary and international scientific network of excellence with the head office located at the University of Kassel (Germany) and partner universities in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Degree Level: Positions are available for pursuing PhD at an ICDD partner university:
- Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), Brazil, in economics,
- University of Cape Coast (UCC),Ghana, in development studies
- Egerton University (EGU), Kenya, in agricultural science,
- University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), Pakistan, in agricultural science,
- Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), India, in labor studies.
Available Subject: Scholarship is awarded in the field of economics, development studies, agricultural science, labor studies, and sociology.
Scholarship Benefits: PhD students of the ICDD Graduate School will be based at the partner university they chose (see above) and enrolled in its PhD training programme. Moreover, successful candidates participate in the annual PhD workshops of the ICDD Graduate School and get involved in the lively academic exchange and activities within the ICDD network.
The PhD scholarship will be awarded for three years. An extension for a fourth year is possible under certain conditions. The scholarships will cover a country-specific monthly allowance, tuition fees (if applicable), the participation in ICDD Graduate School activities as well as the opportunity to apply for field research funding. Final admission to the ICDD Graduate School is conditioned on the admittance to the PhD programme of the chosen ICDD partner university and a positive progress evaluation by the ICDD in the first scholarship year.
Scholarship can be taken in Germany, Brazil, Ghana, Kenya, Pakistan, India and South Africa
Eligibility: The following criteria must be met in order for applicants to be eligible for scholarship:
- A completed or almost completed MA/MSc degree, with excellent results, in a discipline related to the above topics; the applicant’s last academic degree should not be more than six years ago; if an applicant already started with his/her PhD project, it should have started not more than three years ago;
- A high proficiency in English (CEFR level: C1 or above), demonstrated by one of the following language certificates: TOEFL, with a minimum score of 550 PBT (paper-based test) / 80 IBT (Internet-based test); IELTS 6.5 or above; the Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English or an equivalent (native speakers and applicants who have completed [one of] their first degree[s] fully in English do not have to provide an English proficiency certificate);
- Academic or vocational experience in one of the disciplines related to the thematic field of development and decent work;
- Citizenship of an ODA recipient country.
Nationality: Citizens of an ODA country can apply for this position.(Afghanistan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Armenia, Albania, Angola, Kenya, Bolivia, Algeria, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Cabo Verde, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Argentina, Bhutan, Congo, Azerbaijan, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Belarus, Burundi, Egypt Belize, Cambodia El Salvador Bosnia and Herzegovina, Central African Republic, Georgia, Botswana, Chad, Ghana, Brazil, Comoros, Guatemala, Chile, Democratic Republic of the Congo Guyana-China (People’s Republic of), Djibouti, Honduras, Colombia, Equatorial Guinea, India, Cook Islands, Eritrea, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Kosovo, Cuba, Gambia, Kyrgyzstan, Dominica, Guinea, Micronesia, Dominican Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Moldova, Ecuador, Haiti, Mongolia, Fiji, Kiribati, Morocco, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Nicaragua, Gabon, Lesotho, Nigeria ,Grenada, Liberia, Pakistan, Iran, Madagascar Papua New Guinea Iraq, Malawi, Paraguay, Jamaica, Mali, Philippines, Jordan, Mauritania, Samoa, Kazakhstan, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Myanmar, Swaziland, Libya, Nepal, Syrian Arab Republic, Malaysia, Niger, Tokelau, Maldives, Rwanda, Ukraine, Marshall Islands, Sao Tome and Principe, Uzbekistan, Mauritius, Senegal, Viet Nam, Mexico, Sierra Leone, West Bank and Gaza Strip, Montenegro, Solomon Islands, Montserrat, Somalia, Namibia, South Sudan, Nauru, Sudan, Niue, Tanzania, Palau, Timor-Leste, Panama, Togo, Peru, Tuvalu, Saint Helena, Uganda, Saint Lucia, Vanuatu, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Wallis and Futuna Yemen, Serbia, Zambia, Seychelles, South Africa, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uruguay and Venezuela)
Entrance Requirements: A completed or almost completed MA/MSc degree, with excellent results, in a discipline related to the above topics; the applicant’s last academic degree should not be more than six years ago; if an applicant already started with his/her PhD project, it should have started not more than three years ago.
English language Requirements: A high proficiency of English (CEFR level: C1 or above), demonstrated by one of the following language certificates: TOEFL, with a minimum score of 550 PBT (paper-based test) / 80 IBT (Internet-based test); IELTS 6.5 or above; the Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English or an equivalent (native speakers and applicants who have completed [one of] their first degree[s] fully in English do not have to provide an English proficiency certificate).
How to Apply: The application process involves three elements. Your application is only finalized if all three are completed:
1) Application package
Please assemble the following documents in a single PDF file:
- A detailed curriculum vitae (including the academic background, the list of publications [if applicable], professional experience, language skills, voluntary work);
- A preliminary PhD project proposal (about 2000 words, including topic, research question, a short overview of the relevant literature, theoretical approach, research design, and methodology);
- A summary of the Master thesis (about 1500 words);
- Scanned copy of an English proficiency certificate, if required;
- Scanned copies of the following documents in the original language with translations attached, if the language of these documents is not German, English, French, Spanish or Portuguese:
- The certificate and transcript of records of your recognised Master degree, listing all subjects and grades (if you have not yet completed your Master degree, please provide only the transcript and substitute the certificate with a letter from the programme coordinator testifying the date and likelihood of the successful completion of the course);
- The certificate and transcript of records of your recognised Bachelor degree, listing all subjects and grades;
- Certificates for the completion of additional studies, listing all subjects and grades, if applicable;
- Scanned copies of certificates of previous professional/vocational experience, if applicable.
All documents produced by yourself (i.e. CV, Proposal, Summary etc.) must be written in English. These items of your application package must be assembled according to the sequence listed above, with your CV as the first item, followed by your project proposal etc. All items of the application must be assembled in one pdf document of max. 50 MB (use e.g. a pdf creator or your word processing programme). Applications consisting of multiple files cannot be accepted!
2) Completion of the online application form and upload of your application package
For completing the online application form and uploading your application package (single pdf file), you need to register at first with your name and email address at the following website (online survey tool of the University of Kassel, Germany):
Online Application Form
Once you have registered, a personalized link will be sent to you by email, with which you can then access the online application form. Completing the online application and uploading your application package is possible until the application deadline: 30 November 2016.
3) Two letters of recommendation
Apart from your application, two recent letters of recommendation must be provided from professors, course instructors or other persons qualified to assess your academic achievements. Referees must sign the letter and send it as a scanned copy from the referee´s email account to:
phdreference[at]icdd.uni-kassel.de.
Deadline: Scholarship application deadline is November 30, 2016.