DAAD-EPOS Scholarship for PhD in International Development, Ruhr University, Germany

Deadline for applications: March 31, 2021

Since winter 2007, the Institute of Development Research and Development Policy has been offering an international English-language PhD programme in International Development Studies. It is implemented by the Institute of Development Research and Development Policy on behalf of the Faculties of Geography, Law, Social Science, and Economics. Up to 10 PhD candidates are accepted to the programme annually. The programme builds on three fundamental pillars: It is a structured PhD programme with a strong interdisciplinary and international focus.

Minimum Entry Requirements

• Qualified university degree (Master or an equivalent to the German Diploma or Staatsexamen) with an overall grade equivalent to 2.7 (fully satisfactory) in the German grading system after completion of relevant studies with a duration of at least 4 years.
  
• Qualified degree with an overall grade equivalent to 1.3 (still very good) in the German grading system after completion of relevant studies with a duration of at least three years plus preparatory studies for the PhD of usually three semesters.

For international degrees the equivalence will be judged during the application process. Candidates who have to follow preparatory studies before admission to the PhD in International Development Studies can be accepted for such preparatory studies at the Ruhr-University Bochum.

Admission

Admission to the PhD IDS is based on a competitive selection process. The major criteria are:

• Quality of research proposal
• Supporting academic references
• Relevance and overall grades of previous studies
• Proficiency in English

Documents to submit for Application

• Application letter which should give an idea about the motivation for applying to the PhD in International Development Studies
• Research proposal of PhD project of max. 5 pages (Guidelines for writing a research proposal – Download)
• Full Curriculum Vitae (see templates as PDF, Word)
• Certificates and transcripts of university studies, certificate of secondary education
• Official certificate confirming applicant’s English language proficiency equivalent to CEFR level C1 (e.g. IELTS Band 7 or TOEFL iBT 94 or above). If English has been your language of instruction since your secondary education, a proof of your English language proficiency is not compulsory but nonetheless recommended.
• Two recent academic recommendation letters. At least one of the letters has to be provided by a lecturer of the study programme which qualifies for the PhD application, e.g. Master or equivalent.

DAAD EPOS Scholarship

Who can apply?

Graduates with at least two years’ professional experience from the following countries: list of eligible countries

What can be funded?

Individual scholarships exclusively for Postgraduate courses in Germany that are listed on the “List of all Postgraduate courses with application deadlines 2021/22”.

Duration of the funding

12 to 36 months (dependent on study programme)

Value

• Depending on academic level, monthly payments of 850 euros for graduates or 1,200 euros for doctoral candidates
• Payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover
• Travel allowance, unless these expenses are covered by the home country or another source of funding

Under certain circumstances, scholarship holders may receive the following additional benefits:

• Monthly rent subsidy
• Monthly allowance for accompanying members of family

Selection

• Candidates fulfill the necessary academic requirements and can be expected to successfully complete a study programme in Germany (above-average result for first academic exam – top performance third, language skills)
• Candidates have a Bachelor degree (usually a four-year course) in an appropriate subject
• Candidates have at least two years’ professional experience
• Candidates can prove their motivation is development-related and be expected to take on social responsibility and initiate and support processes of change in their personal and professional environment after their training/scholarship

More information: University Official Website – DAAD website.