Erasmus Mundus PhD in Globalization, the EU & Multilateralism

Deadline: 16 January 2011
Open to: doctoral candidates from Europe and beyond
Scholarships: €10800 for both A and B category students, A category: €7500 for travel and B category: €3000

The Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate on “Globalisation, the EU, and Multilateralism” (EMJD-GEM) seeks to formulate a distinctively European response to the challenges facing the contemporary global system. With this in mind, a unique set of 9 leading research institutions from across the globe have been brought together. Besides the coordinating Institut d’Etudes Européennes at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (IEE-ULB), itself a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence; the EMJD-GEM consortium includes two more centres of excellence in EU studies – the Institut Européen at the Université de Genève (UNIGE) and the Centre for European Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai; as well as three major Political Science departments – PAIS at the University of Warwick, IAPS at Waseda University in Tokyo, and the Political Theory Faculty at the LUISS in Rome. Furthermore, the consortium also includes three distinguished associated institutions, namely Boston University in the US; UNU-Cris in Bruges, and ITAM in Mexico.

First and foremost, the GEM PhD School is a bridging exercise between various disciplines within the Social Sciences, most notably: Political Theory, Comparative Politics, International Relations, EU and other Area Studies. Above all, the program seeks to foster an innovative and mutually-beneficial dialogue between IR and EU Studies. The GEM PhD School will thus answer a growing call for international doctoral programs characterized by their excellence, their inter-disciplinarity, and their networked nature. As an organizing principle behind the research accomplished within EMJD-GEM; and with an eye on each partner institution’s relative strengths; three Jointly Executed Research Projects (Jerps), have been identified.

As a doctoral program, the GEM PhD School is at the cross-roads between research and teaching. For one, the EMJD-GEM consortium will guarantee the recognition of their integrated programs and award a double degree following the completion of a jointly supervised doctoral dissertation. Mobility is the program’s second salient feature. During their three year doctoral fellowship each doctoral student will be awarded a visiting research fellowship within a second partner HEI besides their first HEI of enrolment. Also, the existing annual GARNET PhD seminars on “Global Governance, Regionalism & the EU” are integrated within the programme thus providing a further academic resource to all associated researchers. Finally, the GEM PhD School also offers a set of specialized methodological and theoretical doctoral courses – on offer in both English and French – aimed at providing all enrolled candidates with a shared, yet flexible and outstanding formative curriculum.

The GEM PhD School is open to all interested doctoral candidates from Europe and beyond. The European Union directly supports the GEM PhD School by providing it annually with a set of about 10 three-year fellowships to be awarded to those students chosen by the PhD School’s scientific board following a competitive application process and a comparative review. These Erasmus Mundus Doctoral Fellowships students cover the students’ tuition fees, travel costs and monthly salary; accordingly both the scientific as well as material condition offered within the GEM PhD School are optimal.

Student Categories
Two different Erasmus Mundus Doctorate fellowships can be awarded to doctoral candidates:
Category A fellowships: can be awarded to doctoral candidates from all countries other than the 27 EU members. Furthermore, the doctoral candidate must not be resident nor have carried out her/his main activity (studies, work, etc.) for more than a total of 12 months over the last five years in one of these countries.
Category B fellowships: can be awarded to any doctorate candidate who does not fulfill the Category A criteria as defined above.

Admissibility criteria
All candidates must possess a Master graduate degree or equivalent, preferably in a relevant field within the Humanties or Social Sciences. In light of the GEM PhD School’s interdisciplinary nature no specific requisites regarding the prior diploma’s field has been set. It must however be noted that “directly relevant fields” – such as International Relations; EU Studies; International Political Theory; Area Studies; Political Theory; international law; or international political economy – will have a comparative advantage. The key factor will be the relevance of the applicants’ previous studies and experience with regards to his/her research project. Nevertheless, all acknowledgeable prior diplomas must conform with the following credit requirements: all satisfactory previous diplomas must: ether be (i) a Master programme covering 120 ECTS or equivalent; or (ii) a Four year programme offering 300 ECTS or more of relevant courses.
A thorough proficiency in English is also necessary. English Proficiency can be attested either through a previous English-language diploma OR by way of internationally recognized proficiency tests (i.e. IELTS or TOEFL systems) which are to attest of the student’s functional language level. At the time of application Students are not yet expected to have secured the necessary scores; however they must attest on their honour what their anticipated English proficiency level is, and pledge to secure the necessary tests scores at the latest two months after receiving confirmation of their selection. The English-language requirements are set at: 7.0 IELTS, Paper TOEFL 620+, Computer TOEFL 260+

Application procedure
The application will require the following elements:

1. The Completed online Application Forms
Part 1: the student Identification Form
Part 2: the standard abstract Research Project

2. A Detailed Academic Curriculum Vitae (3 page Maximum)

3. Proof of Nationality (ex. Scan of Passport)

4. A Personal Free Essay detailing in your own words your overall PhD Project, including:
A Presentation of the Personal Motivations behind the Application (500 Words. Max)
A Doctoral Research Project Synopsis (1500 Words. Max.)
A Short Essay motivating the choice of “Jointly Executed Research Project” and the preferred Mobility Strategy (1000 Words Max.)

5. A Certified Copy of the highest degree/diploma obtained, stating credits, grades and workload, with an English language translation – If certified copies cannot be provided before the application deadline, non certified copies are to be provided; and upon selection, the selected students will pledge to provide the certified ones within two months.

6. Certified copies of all relevant academic transcripts and academic records for all relevant courses taken at an institute of higher education, with an English language translation – If certified copies cannot be provided before the application deadline, non certified copies are to be provided; and upon selection, the selected students will pledge to provide the certified ones within two months.

7. Proof of a thorough proficiency in written and spoken English (see Above)

8. Two letters of recommendation from Academics – To be provided both as letters in sealed envelopes and electronic scanned documents. These two versions are to be sent directly to the GEM PhD School secretariat by the supporting Academics.
Point 1 is to be filled in online
Point 2-6 are to be attached to the online application – either as scan or PDF document.
Point 7 if required is to be send both directly to the coordinating institution from the testing organism (i.e. TOEFL or IELTS), and as a scanned document from the applicant
Point 8 is to be send directly to the GEM Central Executive Office by the endorsing Academics, both via postal and electronic mail

More info on the official website.